The Smooth Skin You’ve Been Dreaming Of

Unwanted body hair is often frustrating, and removal options such as shaving, tweezing or waxing range from uncomfortable to dangerous. If you’re fed up with trying to deal with your body hair on your own, there is an alternative. Dr. Afifi offers laser hair removal to Newport Beach residents, providing effective long-term hair removal for smoother skin with a simple treatment.

How It Works

Laser treatment targets the hair follicles, bombarding them with concentrated light. As the hair absorbs this light, the laser destroys the hair while leaving surrounding skin unharmed. Each laser pulse lasts only a fraction of a second and can target many hairs at once. This allows for quick, comfortable treatment that can often be done in an hour or less, depending on the area(s) receiving treatment.

What You Can Expect

Our precision lasers can specifically target whichever areas we designate. We can treat back hair, abdominal hair, and even sensitive areas such as the underarms or bikini line. This hair removal is generally long-term, lasting several months. Patients who undergo multiple treatments may see even longer periods of smooth, hairless skin. Permanent hair removal, however, cannot be guaranteed.

Not Just for Women

While hair removal is typically associated with women, more and more men are discovering the benefits of laser hair removal for themselves. Our hair removal services are versatile and allow us to target the specific areas you designate. Whether you just want a little less back hair or a completely smooth torso, we’ll develop a treatment pattern that meets your wishes.

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General Information

Trying to get rid of unwanted hair on the face or body is a common problem. Laser hair reduction offers results that cannot be achieved with conventional shaving or waxing. The laser works by targeting the hair in the follicle, below the skin's surface. The lasers we use in our medical office are FDA approved and safe and effective. The laser energy is transformed into heat, which destroys the hair follicle leaving the surrounding skin unaffected. facial areas, bikini area, upper and lower legs, arms, chest, and back may be treated leaving skin smooth, stubble free and without the irritation of ingrown hairs. In an hour or less, most body areas can be hair free. While some areas of the body are more sensitive than others, most patients report little or no discomfort. Again, this is a no down time procedure.

Hair grows in cycles. A minimum of four to six treatments will be necessary, as the process is most effective on hair during the early growth cycle. After each session, you will see substantial visible hair reduction. Each laser hair removal treatment will results in a hair growth reduction. Additionally, hair will grow progressively slower, lighter, and finer with each treatment. It takes more than one treatment to affect all the follicles growing in an area.

The number of sessions will vary for each individual. During the initial visit, the laser light disables those follicles in the "active" phase of the growth cycle. Follicles in the "dormant" phase will not be affected. Since follicles cycle through "active" and "dormant" phases, additional sessions may be desired once the "dormant" follicles become "active". For this reason, we recommend a series of treatments. Most people achieve satisfactory clearance after four to six treatments, but individual results may vary depending on medical and genetic factors. Lighter colored hair may require more treatments than darker colored hair.

Since no procedure can guarantee permanent hair removal, most patients can expect a sixty to seventy percent reduction in hair growth.

Remember the laser is FDA approved for permanent hair reduction not removal. The extent of long-term hair reduction will vary among clients because of the nature of hair and the many factors that influence the growth of hair. After the initial full course of treatments, there should be little hair re-growth. This re-growth will require future laser hair removal treatments to sustain hair reduction.
Note: Multiple treatments will be required to achieve optimum results. All payments are strictly non-refundable.

Pre-treatment

Avoid tanning for 2 months
Avoid waxing, tweezing, threading, depilatories and electrolysis for 2-6 weeks prior to treatment and throughout treatment
Avoid any deep exfoliation treatments or creams containing a chemical exfoliator for 2 weeks such as microdermabrasion, Retin-A, or glycolic Acid
No Accutane for 6 months prior to treatment
Shave the desired treatment area the night before laser treatment
No deodorant, creams, oils, perfumes, etc. on area prior to treatment

Wear loose, comfortable clothing on the day of treatment, so as not to irritate the treated area

Caution is advised to persons with a history of herpes simplex in the treatment area. Those who carry the herpes simplex virus and receive laser treatment on their upper lip, chin, lower cheeks or bikini area may have a "flare-up" of their condition. The risk of this complication can be reduced if you take a prescribed antiviral medication for a few days before and after each treatment. If you have an active herpes outbreak, your appointment will have to be reschedule.

Post-treatment

The treatment area is very delicate and should be treated gently. It is common to experience immediate swelling and redness at the treatment site. This will generally fade within 2-3 days. The treated area can be washed normally with mild soap and water. Wash the area gently with your fingertips. Use of a washcloth or other abrasive instrument is not recommended.

Avoid direct sun exposure to treated areas for at least 2 weeks post-treatment and until all signs of redness and irritation has subsided. Cover the treated area with a sunscreen of SPF30 or higher that blocks UVA and UVB rays, and avoid sun exposure to the treated area for 4 to 6 weeks.

Avoid exfoliation treatments such as glycolic acid, Retin-A, and microdermabrasion in the area 5-7 days. Avoid any trauma to treatment area such as scratching, picking, or rubbing. No deodorant to treated area for 48 hours.

Minor crusting or scabbing of treated area can occur following treatment. Do no rub or pick the scab. Wash gently with fingertips and mild soap. Apply on antibacterial ointment to the treated area. Apply aloe very or 1% hydrocortisone cream twice a day for 3 days to treated area for redness, swelling, and irritation occurs. You can also apply cold compresses or ice packs to the treated site to ease discomfort.

You should apply an antibiotic ointment twice daily to blisters, crusted or irritated skin and call the office immediately. If you experience any discomfort at the treatment site, you may take a non-aspirin pain reliever.

Hair remaining in the follicle will extrude typically within 1-2 weeks after treatment. This will look like growth, but is simply the body's way of eliminating the hair from the inured follicle. On the third day of post-treatment, you may shave or gently wash the area to help loosen hair that is still embedded in the follicles.

No exercise until perifollicular edema (red bumps) resolves. No jacuzzi, sauna or steam baths for 3 days and until the skin is back to normal.

Risks of Laser Procedure

Scarring- Although good wound healing after a procedure is expected, abnormal scars may occur within the skin and deeper tissues. In rare cases, keloid scars may result. In some cases scars may require surgical revision or treatment.

Burns- laser energy can produce burns. Additional treatment may be necessary to treat laser burns.

Accutane (Isotretinoin)- This drug may repair the ability of skin to heal following treatments or surgery for a variable amount of time even after the patient has ceased taking it. Individuals who have taken this drug are advised to allow their skin adequate time to recover from Accutane before undergoing laser treatment procedures.

Fire- Inflammable agents, surgical drapes and tubing, hair, and clothing may be ignited by laser energy

Laser smoke (plume)- Laser smoke is noxious to those who come in contact with it. This smoke may represent a possible biohazard.

Infection- Although infection following laser skin procedure is unusual, bacterial, fungal, and viral infections can occur. Herpes simplex virus or zoster infections can occur following a laser treatment. Should an infection occur, additional treatment including antibiotics, hospitalizations, or additional surgery may necessary. if you have cold sores, herpes or zoster, do please tell us prior to the laser treatment. Mediations must be prescribed and taken both prior to and following the laser treatment procedure in order to suppress an infection from the virus.

Damaged Skin- Skin may heal abnormally or slowly following treatment by lasers or other surgical techniques. The occurrence of this is not predictable. Additional treatment may be necessary.

Skin Contour Irregularities- Contour irregularities and depressions may occur after surgery. Visible and palpable wrinkling of skin can occur. This may improve with time, or it can be surgically corrected.

Pain- you may experience some mild pain after the laser treatment. Chronic pain is very rare.

Unsatisfactory Result- Although good results are expected, there is no guarantee or warranty expressed or implied, on the results that may be obtained. This would include risks such as unacceptable visible deformities, skin sough, loss of function, poor healing, wound disruptions, permanent color changes in the skin and loss of sensation. Additional procedures may be needed to attempt to improve results.

Lack of Permanent Results- Laser hair removal is not permanent. Most clients however can expect permanent reduction of hair.

Visible Skin Patterns- laser procedures may produce visible patterns within the skin. The occurrence of this is not predictable.

Distortion of Anatomic Features- Laser procedures can produce distortion of the appearance of the eyelids, mouth, and other visible anatomic landmarks. The occurrence of this is not predictable. Should this occur, additional treatment including surgery may be necessary.

Skin Discoloration/ Swelling- Some swelling normally occurs following laser procedures. The skin in or near the surgical site can appear either lighter or darker than surrounding skin. Although uncommon, swelling and skin discoloration may persist for long periods and, in rare situations, may be permanent.

Frequently Asked Questions