What is laser hair removal?
Laser hair removal is a procedure to remove unwanted hair on your body. It’s noninvasive, which means it doesn’t require any cuts in your skin. People may get this treatment on any part of their body, but the most common areas are:
- Face.
- Underarms.
- Bikini area, or any areas that grow pubic hair.
- Back.
- Legs.
How does laser hair removal work?
Laser hair removal uses a process called selective photothermolysis. Heat from a laser destroys cells that have a lot of pigment (color). Since dark hair has a lot of pigment, it absorbs the most heat. Hair transfers heat to the hair follicles and destroys them, so hair can’t grow.
A hair follicle has to be in its anagen, or growth, stage for the procedure to work. Follicles are in different stages at different times, so most people need multiple laser treatments.
Who can have laser hair removal?
Anyone with extra body hair can have laser hair removal. It’s usually a cosmetic procedure. It may improve your appearance or self-image. Many people also prefer not having to shave regularly.
Sometimes laser hair removal treats excess hair growth caused by:
- Hirsutism, when women grow dark or coarse hair in areas where men usually have hair.
- Hypertrichosis, when men or women grow excess hair anywhere on their bodies.
These conditions might be the result of:
- Certain medications, including anabolic steroids and birth control pills.
- Hormone imbalances, especially increased testosterone or androgen levels.
- Inherited disorders, conditions passed from parents to children through genes.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
- Tumors that produce hormones.
Laser hair removal is most effective for people with thick, dark hair and light skin. The contrast between skin color and hair color makes it easier for the hair to absorb heat. It might not work as well for people with dark skin or hair that’s blonde, gray, white or red.
What is body contouring?
Body contouring, or body sculpting, is a medical or surgical procedure that aims to reshape an area of the body. It may involve procedures to:
- Get rid of extra skin.
- Eliminate excess fat.
- Reshape or contour the area.
Body contouring does not usually help you lose weight. Instead, it helps shape the body and address specific areas where weight loss isn’t effective or after significant weight loss results in extra skin.
What are the different types of body contouring?
Nonsurgical body contouring is called lipolysis. There are several lipolysis methods:
- Cryolipolysis uses very cold temperatures to destroy fat cells (for example, CoolSculpting®).
- Injection lipolysis involves putting deoxycholic acid into the body to target fat cells.
- Laser lipolysis uses lasers to destroy fat cells (for example, Zerona®).
- Radiofrequency lipolysis uses ultrasound waves and heat to target fat cells (for example, truSculpt®).
Sometimes, the results can vary.
Options for surgical body contouring include:
- Lifts and tucks: These surgical procedures remove excess fat and extra skin. Examples include a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), facelift (rhytidectomy), breast lift (mastopexy) and double chin surgery.
- Liposuction: Liposuction (lipo) suctions out fat deposits.
Why is body sculpting used?
People choose to have body sculpting to look and feel thinner or to attain a certain shape. It’s often used on specific areas of the body when diet and exercise aren’t making a difference.
Surgical options can also remove extra skin to make the skin look smoother and younger. Such procedures can help people who have excess skin after significant weight loss. It can also improve loose, saggy or wrinkled skin that occurs with natural aging.
Body contouring can target most areas of the body. Common sites include:
- Arms.
- Back.
- Belly and flanks (love handles).
- Buttocks.
- Neck and chin.
- Thighs.
PROCEDURE DETAILS
What is tattoo removal?
A tattoo is a permanent form of body modification where an artist injects inks and pigments (dyes) into your skin. Tattoo removal is a procedure to remove this permanent ink from your body. Normally, your immune system works to remove foreign particles from your body, but ink particles are too big for your immune system to remove, which is why they’re permanent. Tattoo removal can be a complex process that can take several sessions to complete. This happens because permanent ink granules from professional tattoos exist below your skin’s surface.
There are several options for tattoo removal, with the most common being laser tattoo removal. If you’re interested in removing an unwanted tattoo, talk to a healthcare provider or a dermatologist to see what your options are for removing it.
How does tattoo removal work?
Each type of tattoo removal works differently. The goal of tattoo removal is to break down permanent ink particles into smaller particles that your immune system can safely remove from your body. This is how laser tattoo removal and tattoo removal creams function with a lower risk of scarring. Dermabrasion, chemical peels and surgical excision focus on removing skin or layers of skin that have permanent tattoo ink particles. This allows your skin to heal around where a tattoo used to be to make it look like the tattoo was never there in the first place. This usually causes scarring.
Does tattoo removal hurt?
Depending on what type of tattoo removal you choose, there may be varying levels of pain or discomfort. Some people say that removal feels the same as getting a tattoo, while others liken it to the feeling of a rubber band being snapped against their skin. Your skin may be sore after the procedure.
Certain procedures are painful, which is why your surgeon may give you general anesthesia or a dermatologist will apply a topical or inject a local anesthetic to your skin.
What are the types of tattoo removal?
There are different types of tattoo removal available, including:
- Laser tattoo removal: Lasers are focused beams of light directed onto your skin. Lasers heat up the ink particles in your skin to break them down into smaller particles, which are easier for your immune system to remove. It can take multiple laser therapy sessions to remove a tattoo.
- Dermabrasion: Dermabrasion is a type of surgical procedure where a special tool removes the outer layers of your skin that contain tattoo ink. You’ll need a local or general anesthetic for this procedure. After the procedure, you’ll have an open wound on your skin that needs to heal.
- Chemical peels: Chemical peels use chemicals like trichloroacetic acid to remove permanent ink from your skin. A provider will apply the chemical to your skin, which will cause the outer layers of your skin to peel.
- Surgical excision: A surgical excision is a surgical procedure to cut out the skin that contains a tattoo. A surgeon will stitch your remaining skin together after removing the tattooed skin. This procedure works well with small tattoos and isn’t effective for large tattoos.
- Tattoo removal creams: Tattoo removal creams are available but aren’t as successful at removing tattoos as other therapies. You can use tattoo removal creams at home by rubbing the cream onto your skin where you have an unwanted tattoo. Most tattoo removal creams contain acids that can irritate or damage your skin. Tattoo removal creams work slowly, so it could take several months of regular use before you see results.
What causes acne?
An acne lesion (pimple) grows when bacteria, oils and dead skin fill up and inflame pores, the tiny openings in your skin through which oil and sweat rise to the surface. Some 40,000 cells fall off your skin every hour but, sometimes, those dead cells clog up a pore. Sometimes clogged pores are small and result in “whiteheads or blackheads.” Sometimes these pores become inflamed and lead to other types of acne.
What are the most effective tretment for improving acne scars?
There are many cosmetic procedures to choose from. You and your dermatologist will discuss the best options for your acne scars. It is not unusual for a patient to have repeat procedures, or need two or more types of procedures to restore their skin.
Resurfacing Procedures:
- Chemical peels: This treatment uses special chemicals to remove the top layer of old skin. Typically whenever the top layer is removed, the new skin that grows in is smoother and has fewer scars.
- Dermabrasion: This treatment uses a special tool that produces friction to remove the top layers of skin, much like a sander removes the top layers from a plank of wood.
- Microdermabrasion: Microdermabrasion, similar to dermabrasion, uses a special machine to remove the upper layer of skin.
- Laser resurfacing: A laser delivers heat to the scarred collagen under the skin. This relies on the body’s wound-healing response to create new, healthy collagen. This encourages the growth of new skin to replace it. There are two different types of laser resurfacing: ablative and non-ablative. Your dermatologist will determine which type is best for your skin type and nature of your acne scars.
What is vaginal rejuvenation?
Vaginal rejuvenation is a broad term that describes various vaginal corrective procedures. Due to causes ranging from childbirth and aging to genetics, your vagina and its surrounding tissues may lose elasticity and strength. This leads to several issues like incontinence (leaking urine), vaginal dryness, sagging skin and lack of sexual pleasure. Many women or people assigned female at birth (AFAB) look to vaginal rejuvenation to improve these conditions and restore the look and function of their vagina. There are surgical and nonsurgical options for vaginal rejuvenation.
What are the different kinds of vaginal rejuvenation?
Vaginal rejuvenation procedures can be surgical or nonsurgical. Treatment affects the vulva (the outer part of the female genitals) and the vaginal canal (where penetration occurs during sex or where you put a tampon).
Surgical methods of vaginal rejuvenation
Surgical methods of vaginal rejuvenation typically involve sedation or anesthesia. A gynecologic or plastic surgeon performs these procedures. Some common surgical procedures for vaginal rejuvenation are:
- Labiaplasty: Reshaping your labia or the “lips” of your vagina.
- Vaginoplasty: Tightens or repairs the vaginal canal after childbirth.
- Clitoral hood reduction: Removes extra tissue that covers the clitoris.
- Monsplasty: Removes fatty tissue from the public bone area.
- Vulvoplasty: Reshapes the vulvar area (external genitalia).
- Perineoplasty: Strengthens the perineum (space between your vaginal and anus).
Nonsurgical methods of vaginal rejuvenation
Nonsurgical methods of vaginal rejuvenation are noninvasive with a short recovery time. They help tighten and tone your vaginal area without needles or surgery. Nonsurgical vaginal rejuvenation involves heating the top layers of vaginal tissue. This causes the underlying tissue to create extra collagen and new, firmer tissue.
Nonsurgical treatment includes:
- CO2 laser treatment: The laser heats the upper layers of the tissue in your vagina, causing the tissue in the lower layers to make more collagen. This makes the skin firmer and tighter. Brand names of laser devices include MonaLisa Touch®, FemTouch® and FemiLift®.
- RF (radio frequency) treatment: RF treatment uses electromagnetic waves, similar to the waves used in a microwave (but to a lesser extent). RF waves heat the vaginal tissue, encouraging blood flow and collagen production.
RF and laser treatments are done in an office setting. Little, if any, local anesthetic is used during the procedure. You can typically continue with your day without needing any recovery time.