For many men and women hair removal is a never ending, time consuming and laborious process, but it needn’t be so.
To date, a range of methods have been used to eradicate unwanted body and facial hair. These include shaving, plucking, waxing, sugaring, threading, creams and tweezing. For some, the desire to remove hair from areas of the body is simply a quest for a more convenient lifestyle; but for others, excess facial and body hair can be a huge source of distress.
Eager to solve this widespread problem. the laser industry has been developing increasingly efficacious methods for permanent hair reduction. SkinFirst offer the most advanced technology available for this purpose. It is a technology more comfortable and safer than single beam laser; and more effective and suitable for a broader spectrum of individuals than traditional IPL. SkinFirst registered the term MPL® (Multi Pulsed Light) in 2008, and combine this with radio frequency, to enable us to treat the widest range of skin types without discomfort and with excellent long term results.
The treatment is non-invasive, so there is no recovery period needed after treatment. Normal activities may resume immediately after the hair removal treatment.
If you would like a detailed explanation of how the SkinFirst MPL® technology provides more effective treatments which are safer and suitable for a wide range of skin and hair types, please read through the technology section.
How does the hair removal treatment work?
The MPL® energy is directed onto the skin through optical gel which is applied before treatment. The light energy is drawn to the melanin (the colour) within the hair shaft; then the radio frequency energy follows the light, down to the base of the shaft, to deliver extra heat and destroy the hair, preventing the hair from returning.
This process requires the hair to be in the ‘growing stage’ (there are 3 stages of the hair growth cycle as illustrated in the technology section). The MPL® and radio frequency energy sources cauterise the connection between the hair bulb and the dermal papilla, thus stopping all fresh blood supply to the bulb, preventing any new hairs growing.
As there are only a proportion of hairs in the growing stage at any point in time (and the growth cycles are of different lengths on varying parts of the body), a course of treatments is necessary to effectively achieve a permanent removal.
Who can have treatment?
A general rule is that if your hair is darker than your skin. then you could be a candidate; but in some cases we can also treat hair that is not as dark as the skin, provided there is some colour in the hair. We can advise on this at a consultation. The technology we use enables us to treat darker skin types than can be treated with IPL alone, due to the combined technology of MPL® and radio frequency. The hair does need some colour in it for the treatment to work. Blonde, white and grey hair cannot be treated. However very light hair can be treated using electrolysis which is explained below.
What areas are suitable for hair removal?
You can have any area of the face or body treated, where there is unwanted hair. For practical reasons it is not possible to access some areas such as into the inner nasal area (although we can treat around the base).
How does the treatment feel?
The sensation has frequently been described as being like an elastic band flicking against the skin (although most of our clients think it is more comfortable than that). It depends on the sensitivity of the area being treated and the coarseness and density of the hair. Due to the SkinFirst advanced technology the treatment is more comfortable than IPL only technology, and significantly more comfortable than traditional Laser hair removal. Our machines also have an inbuilt semi-conductor cooling system which provides additional comfort and protection for the skin.
How many treatments will I need?
On average we recommend between six and eight treatments. However some people may need more than this, which can be due to chemical imbalances in the body, or some hairs being in remission when the area was treated. This can be discussed in depth with your skin clinician. Thereafter occasional maintenance treatments are advised.
How long do I have to wait in between treatments?
This depends on the area being treated. Generally we recommend 4-6 weeks in between treatments.
What do I need to do in between treatments?
In between treatments you should refrain from plucking, waxing or threading the hairs in the area to be treated. You can shave the area or use depilatory creams to remove the hair in between treatments.
You must not use sunbeds or gain an ‘active’ tan throughout the course of treatments. You can only be treated 4 weeks before your sun based holiday and 4 weeks after or until the tan has subsided.
You should wear SPF 30+ with UVA and UVB every day during the course of treatments. Avoid using fake tan on the area 10 days prior to treatments; although you can use it 24 hours after the treatment.
You will be given a homecare leaflet at your consultation or after your first treatment, or patch test, to explain what you can and can’t do, other than the main points above. Our consultation and patch tests are free of charge and without obligation. If you would like to arrange one please contact us
What will happen after the treatment?
After the treatment you will have localised redness in the area treated, and the hair follicles may be raised, although these will subside within a few hours of treatment. The hairs will fall out during the next 2 weeks. After this time any regrowth of hair will relate to the hairs which were in the resting or transitional stage.
Why is the SkinFirst system safer when treating dark skin?
Due to the inclusion of radio frequency, which is a non optical heat energy that is delivered simultaneously to the MPL®, but heating from within rather than through the epidermis (skin surface), the light energy (which travels down through the skin) can be kept lower than with traditional IPL and Laser. without compromising the results. This not only enables us to provide a more comfortable treatment to all skin types, but also allows us to treat darker skins than IPL. This is because darker skins have higher levels of melanin. Melanin gives the skin it’s colour; and it also gives hair it’s colour. Clearly we want to target the melanin in the hair whilst avoiding that in the skin. This is done by keeping the light energy which passes through the epidermis at a safe enough level to fully protect the skin, whilst providing enough energy to successfully remove the hair. As we are treating the hair with heat based radio frequency too, which doesn’t target melanin, the dual energies (light from the MPL® and internal heat from the radio frequency), can, easily and comfortably, remove hair for Asian and other dark skin types, along with Caucasian and lighter skins (types 1 to 5 on the Fitzpatrick scale). IPL without radio frequency would not be able to achieve this on skin types 5, without a risk of causing pigmentary damage, other than by compromising treatment results. This is illustrated in the technology section.
The only hair colour that cannot be treated using this advanced MPL® technology (as with any IPL or Laser based technology) is white or very pale, including light grey.
If you would like to book in for a free hair removal consultation please contact us.
