Priti Vyas, Partner at the Bharti Vyas Centres and featured “holistic beauty guru’ on the BBC Asian Network, talks to us about laser hair removal.

Building up to your wedding day can be quite stressful, it’s probably one of the most important days of your life. That’s why so many women (and men) are turning to laser to get rid of their ‘face fluff,’ ensuring that they look and feel their best. Remember to give yourself a good 8-12 months before the actual day to get your hairs sufficiently lessened.

There are lots of different hair removal systems out on the market; the most common being IPL (intense pulse light treatment) or Laser. IPL is a light treatment that works by picking up the dark pigments of hair and disabling them. However, this does cause problems to people who have pigments in their skin as it tends to cause a ‘shadowy’ effect. That is why Laser is definitely the treatment to go for as it suits all skins and the fact that it is a proper laser treatment and not a light treatment. The ND Yag laser is particularly effective. It produces invisible radiation that target the hair follicle without damaging surrounding skin. The beams of light target the hair follicle, disabling its activity; eventually killing the hair. So the gap in which you need treatments becomes longer and longer.

Where can laser hair removal be done?

The treatment can be done all over the face and body; most popular areas are the face and neck, legs, bikini line, arms and underarms.

Who can have laser hair removal done?

Men or women over the age of 18. However, if you have any medical conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes you will need to check with your doctor first. It is also not done on pregnant women.

Advantages

• A test patch will give you an idea of how the laser system will work on you, before you spend lots of money on the treatments.
• It is better for your skin than waxing or threading.
• It can also help treat spotty skin too. So will help your skin as well as permanently reduce hair growth.
• The hairs do not come back for a few years and when they do they are much lighter and barely visible.
• Larger and specific areas can be targeted.
• It’s quick and relatively painless.
• Initially you have to have the treatment only once a month then the gap increases.
• You can shave the hairs in between treatments without creating stubble.
• It’s completely safe.

Disadvantages

• It can be expensive at the outset (but is most cost effective down the line)
• After the treatment the skin can be red or sore (but this does subside after a few hours).

Laser hair removal advice

• Make sure the salon you go to is Healthcare Commission registered.
• Find out all the information about the system being used before you have the treatment.
• Go to a reputable salon or by recommendation.

Treatment cost