Everything You Need to Know About Laser Wart Removal

Laser hair removal, have you heard of it before? Laser hair removal is rapidly increasing in popularity. Amazingly, laser treatment can prevent or greatly reduce the growth of body hair. If you think that is amazing, wait until you hear what else laser treatment can do. If you suffer from warts, you may be able to have your warts eliminated with laser treatments.

Laser wart removal is done at a professional office. There are a number of dermatologists who can offer this type of treatment, but it is most commonly found in laser treatment centers. Laser treatment centers are centers that tend to focus solely on conditions that can be treated by lasers. These conditions may include, but are not limited, unwanted body hair, poor vision, as well as warts.

As previously mentioned, your best chance for undergoing laser wart removal is to contact a local laser treatment center. If you have a primary care physician, they may be able to point you in the direction of a well-known and trusted laser treatment center. If you do not have a primary care physician, who can provide you with recommendations, you are advised to use the internet or your local phone book. Both of these resources should be able to provide you with the contact information of local laser treatment centers.

When it comes to undergoing a laser wart removal, there is a good chance that you may need to make a consultation appointment. This appointment, if it is needed, will be used to fully examine your body, as well as the warts that you would like removed. If you are being referred by a dermatologist or even your family physician, it is possibly that you may not need to have a consultation appointment; however, to make that possible you should request that your doctor share all of your medical files with the laser treatment center that you plan on using. This may make it possible for your consultation appointment to be eliminated.

Consultation appointments are not only used to examine your warts, but they are also used to prepare you for the procedure. If you are not planning on having a consultation appointment, it is important that you understand exactly how the procedure will go. You should easily be able to do this online or by speaking to your laser treatment centers staff. You will likely find that the laser, which is typically a pulsed dye laser, will cutoff of the warts blood supply. This will cause the wart to dry up and later fall off.

When it comes to laser wart removal, one of the most common questions asked is about pain. Despite what you may believe or may have heard, laser wart removal is relatively painless and sometimes even pain-free. Most professionals will use topical numbing gel and you may be asked to take an over-the-counter pain medication, but that is usually about it. In fact, there is a little or no complications associated with laser wart removal. It has even been said that most patients can return to their daily activities that same day.

Perhaps, the best part about laser wart removal is that it is ideal for individuals of all ages. In addition to being a great treatment option for adults, laser wart removal is also safe for children. If that werent enough, laser wart removal can effectively and safely remove warts from anyplace on the body. If you would like more information on this relatively new, but popular wart removal method, you are advised to speak with a professional healthcare provider today.

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The History of Laser Hair Removal

The lasers used for laser hair removal developed from a theory instituted by the Nobel prize-winning physicists Albert Einstein and Max Planck. This theory, first introduced in the 1920s, defined stimulated emission, or laser. The word laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. However, it wasn’t until the 1960s that the first true laser was built and patented by Gordon Gould, an American physicist.

Laser hair removal devices of the 1960s sent out a continuous wavelength which caused damage to the surrounding skin tissue. In the late 1960s, Dr. Leon Goldman was the first to begin testing a ruby laser for hair removal. It was also in this time frame that the Q switch with developed for use with a laser. With the development of the Q switch it was possible to control the energy of the laser beam to be sent to out in controlled pulses. The Q switch worked much in the same way as a camera shutter.

Early devices for laser hair removal proved to be ineffective. In order to remove the hair follicle, there was severe damage to the surrounding skin area. The ruby laser, as well as the argon laser, are no longer used for laser hair removal.

Throughout the next several decades, researchers and physicists continued to experiment and test lasers for successful hair removal. It wasn’t until the 1980s that the first laser was introduced as a safe and effective method of hair removal. This discovery actually happened by chance when scientists noted that birthmarks treated with certain types of lasers caused the hair in that area to disappear and not grow back.

The FDA cleared the first laser for hair removal in 1995 . This laser, called the Soft Light, was a NeoDymium Yttrium Aluminum Garnets laser and was manufactured by Thermolaise. This laser was used with a chromophore of carbon-based lotion. After the skin was waxed, the carbon-based lotion would be rubbed onto the skin and enter the hair follicle. The beam of light produced by the laser would heat the carbon quickly and destroy the hair follicle. However, this type of laser treatment could easily damage nearby skin cells. Eventually, this type of laser hair removal proved to be less effective than targeting the natural pigmentation that existed in the skin.

In 1997, several types of laser hair removal devices were cleared by the F DA. One of these was the ruby laser, which used a shorter wavelength system. However, clinical research eventually showed that the laser did not produce damage far enough down the hair shaft to result in permanent hair loss. Researchers also found that if a t the ruby laser was used on people with dark or tan skin there was a high risk of hyperpigmentation. Other types of laser hair removal devices today include alexandrite, diode, and NeoDymium Yttrium Aluminum Garnets lasers.

Research and development in the area of laser hair removal are still in the early stages. However, continuing research, testing and development in this area continues to produce safer and more effective equipment.

The Cost of Laser Hair Removal

The cost of laser hair removal depends on several factors including the area to be treated, the amount of hair growth on the area, the number of treatments needed, the type of laser used, the individual physician or practitioner, and your geographic location. Laser hair removal can be quite expensive, but many people feel that the results are well worth the expense. This is because results of the treatment have a long-lasting effect. It also produces a reduced hair growth.

Because every individual is different and is going to require laser hair removal treatments specifically geared to their unique hair patterns, the price ranges included in this article are average costs. If you are considering laser hair removal, it is important to set up an appointment with your physician to discuss all of the aspects of the procedure, including the costs.

Because laser hair removal is usually considered a cosmetic procedure, it is not covered by insurance. Each laser treatment is separate and usually incurs a separate charge, unless a specified treatment package has been purchased.

Generally the most expensive areas to treat with laser hair removal is the complete face and neck, back, and legs. The average cost of one treatment for complete face and neck or back hair removal ranges from $600 and $900. Laser hair removal for upper and lower legs each cost from $600 to $850 for each treatment.

Laser hair removal for chest hair costs between $350 and $600 per treatment. This is also the approximate price range for each treatment of the arms. Treatments for the bikini area can range from $350 to $550. The cost of underarm hair removal generally is between $250 and $350 per treatment. Treatments for smaller areas, such as the chin or upper lip, cost between $100 and $175 per treatment.

The national average for the cost of a laser hair removal treatment is $429. Each region of the country has a different average cost per treatment. In the Eastern part of the United States, the cost per session is $425, compared to the Midwest, where it is $450. In the Western region of the country, the average cost per treatment is $420, slightly above that of the South, which is $400.

Fees vary even within each individual region. One of the factors that causes this to occur is the location of the physician’s, or practitioner’s office. The fees that are charged for an office in an urban area are going to be different from those charged for offices located in rural or suburban areas. Another determining factor for the variance in fees within the same region is whether or not the doctor owns or rents the laser equipment.

Another determining factor is the choice of place to have the laser hair removal treatments. A luxury spa will obviously charge a higher fee then a clinic. A doctor who does the procedure himself may charge more then a laser practitioner, or a physician that oversees the laser hair removal treatments provided by a qualified technician.

The Cons of Laser Hair Removal

While the idea of laser hair removal may sound rather spectacular, you really can’t assume it will be. Yes, it will remove a high percentage of hair but there are things it might do that are not so great.

Laser hair removal is not guaranteed by any means. You will not go into a clinic being guaranteed anything. Some patients will require more sessions than others. This may not sound too bad to some. If money is not an issue you will have less to worry about concerning laser hair removal. Even if money actually is an issue, it will all depend on how bad you really want it done.

Laser hair removal is in fact not for everyone. If you have light skin and dark hair you are a great candidate for laser hair removal. Blonde and red hair is very difficult to treat. It is better for the hair to be darker than the skin. Dark skin is at a risk of being damaged with laser hair removal.

Laser hair removal is safe but not by any means painless. Since the laser uses heat to destroy the hair, you can bet you will feel some sort of pain. The heat can reach a pretty high temperature. If you are concerned with this, talk with your practitioner.

The definition of the pain will vary from each individual. One patient might say they felt a sting and another might say it was more of a snap. For some it might be a slight pain and for others a major pain. You will feel something either way. Some clinics offer numbing cream if you choose to use it.

Laser hair removal is not known to permanently remove the hair. It simply reduces the hair growth. The hair will grow back at some point, sooner or later. It will be lighter and slower when it does re-grow.

There is a chance that after laser hair removal you could experience redness and small bumps. It really will depend on your skin type. You have to avoid direct sunlight for up to two weeks after laser hair removal. It is recommended you do nothing causing you to sweat because that could irritate your skin. Do not pluck or wax after laser hair removal either. This may be the toughest for some people.

You might have a skin pigmentation discoloration after laser hair removal. This could mean it will be lighter or darker. This isn’t as common an experience but still a possibility. Consult your physician if this happens.

Here are more side effects that are not too common but possible:

Blistering
Peeling
Pussing
Scarring
Stinging
Inflammation
Infected hair follicles

If you experience any of these side effects after laser hair removal you should consult your physician immediately.

You will also experience shedding after laser hair removal. Yes, shedding. The laser damaged the root of the follicle, not the actual hair. Therefore, the hair follicles will be falling out. This could last anywhere from two to three weeks.

The cost of laser hair removal can be pricey. It will depend on what you are having treated and how many sessions it will require. If you are worried about the cost, consult your practitioner performing the treatment. He might be able to give you some insight. Talk with them and ask any questions you might have.