Electrolysis is a tedious, invasive and painful process that involves inserting a needle into each hair follicle and delivering an electrical charge to destroy them one at a time. Electrolysis often requires years of treatments at regular intervals. Electrolysis kills one hair follicle at a time. The LightSheer diode laser delivers light energy non-invasively to hundreds of hair follicles at a time.

Electrolysis treats the hair one follicle at a time by inserting a tiny needle into the hair shaft to heat the hair and disable it. Electrolysis will work on any color of hair, being effective only on hairs in the growth phase. Laser hair removal treats many hairs at once. Each pulse of the laser treats all of the hairs in an area about the size of a quarter. The laser disables the hair in the growth phase by heating up the melanin in the hair.

With electrolysis the operator inserts a needle into each and every hair follicle and tries to have the tip reach the hair root, which is a tedious process and a difficult undertaking for patients. Even a small area like the face, in a case like a woman with heavy facial hair, may require electrolysis for 2 to 3 hours (2 to 4 weeks apart) for 2 years, with further treatments over an undetermined period of time, for a total treatment time exceeding 200 hours.

It is safe and even recommended because laser will not affect the blond, white or red hair. Many people have hair of almost every color in some areas. It is common for a client to combine the treatment modes for the sake of times saving. It is common to continue with electrolysis on the light and choose laser for the dark hair.

Electrolysis is one hair at a time and the electrologist can only get the hairs that (s)he can see. The laser "sees" all of the hairs that are actively growing, even those beneath the skin. Electrolysis can require many years of regular treatments. The laser treats large areas in a fraction of the time and requires many fewer treatments for better results.

Electrolysis is a common term used to describe hair removal with electrical current. This came about after Dr. Charles Michel, a St. Louis, Missouri opthamologist devised a method to ablate ingrown eyelashes without significant scarring. This method today is called "Electrolysis, Galvanic, or Multiple Needle Galvanic". Subsequent technologies, although different from Dr. Michel's method, are also referred to as "electrolysis".

Surprisingly, a lot of our patients are men. After receiving treatment they are very happy and refer others to our offices. Laser hair removal for men is a popular solution for excessive hair on back, chests and legs. Many athletic men enjoy the benefits of laser hair removal as a way to achieve better athletic results. Unwanted hair in the nose and the ears can also give you that added confidence you so much desired.

Laser hair removal is now being utilized for mass hair removal from large areas of the body. Lasers target pigment (darker color) in the hair follicles. Laser does not work on blonde, red or white hairs. Several lasers have been granted clearance by the United States Food and Drug Administration for "permanent reduction", proving to be very effective for removing hair from areas of the human body that have been considered impractical because of their size by conventional methods.

Lasers have been used for hair removal since the mid 1990's. They are safe in the hands of trained technicians but have several short comings: Lasers work well only when a hair is in the anagen, (growing) phase. On some parts of the body, less than 50% of the hairs are in the growing phase.

Yes, the laser we use for hair removal at Leesburg Laser Center has been given FDA approval for the claim of “Permanent Hair Reduction”. Reduction is defined as 85% less hair. The hair that you will be left with after a series of laser hair removal treatments will be hair that is too fine and light in color to be effected by the laser hair removal treatment. What you are experiencing is called the “shedding phase” of laser hair removal.

Laser hair removal is fast, convenient, and has minimal side effects. It can save you up to 10 minutes a day just by skipping the full leg shave. Think of the money you have spent on razors, shaving creams, bleaching creams and eyebrow waxes. We offer solutions to expensive as well as time-consuming hair grooming.

One of the benefits of laser hair removal is that it is virtually painless, especially compared with waxing or electrolysis. For the occasional patient who experiences discomfort with the LightSheer Laser Hair Removal, the Doctor prescribes a Novocain type of topical cream, which should be applied 1 hour prior to treatment. This helps minimize discomfort. The LightSheer has a cooling tip, which also cools your skin during treatment.

Men like to do hair removal at the back and shoulders, front of the neck (common place for ingrown hairs) as well as the glabella (space between the eyebrows). We do arms, legs, toes, underarms and more!

Both men and women can seek laser hair removal. However, it does not work equally well for all people. Those with pale skin and dark coarse hair tend to make the best candidates. Not all laser hair removal systems perform the same on all skin and hair types. Alexandrite long pulse and diode types of lasers work best on light-colored skin, while Nd:YAG long pulse lasers are better and safer on darker skin (skin types IV and darker).

No. There is absolutely no reputable scientific evidence that shows any other method of hair removal being as safe, effective and permanent as electrolysis for all hair colors and skin tones.

Many unethical claims are being made that Laser has been approved as permanent by the FDA. Laser has not been approved for permanance! Don't take our word for it, here is a link to the FDA page spelling out the facts. According to the FDA, Laser is not not permitted to advertise as permanent or painless (Laser is extremely painful). What attracts people to laser is it's supposed speed. Laser, however often requires 5-8 treatments spaced 4-5 weeks apart from each other.

Probe type electrolysis is the only safe method of permanent hair removal. "Consumers should be particularly careful about using and of the home electrolysis devices... Considerable skill and dexterity is required to perform electrolysis properly, and most people would probably be better off going to an expert instead of trying it themselves." (FDA Consumers) No. If permanent hair removal is desired, consider a combination of laser/light and electrolysis.

Laser Hair Removal has been designed to selectively treat only the hair follicle while leaving surrounding tissue unaffected. The laser uses pulses of light to remove the hair, so there is no irritation to the skin, as with other removal methods. Also, depending upon your body's response to the treatments, the laser hair removal systems can offer partial permanent hair reduction.

The main difference between this technology and the traditional method known as electrolysis, is that lasers can treat multiple hair follicles at one time, no longer requiring the need to identify and probe each individual hair follicle, as is done with electrolysis. Laser hair removal is relatively new technology.

On average, it will take from 4 to 6 laser hair removal treatments spaced approximately 6 to 8 weeks apart to complete the laser hair removal process. Results can vary from person to person and from body part to body part. When you visit Leesburg Laser Center for your complimentary consultation we will be able to help you with realistic expectations of laser hair removal. We need to evaluate your skin and hair types to more precisely answer this question for you.

Yes, you can always shave between laser hair removal treatments. In fact, we ask that you shave the area before your appointment. Laser hair removal works best if there is not much surface hair.

Yes, laser hair removal works quite well on ingrown hairs since you do not need to have surface hair for the laser to be effective.

Laser hair removal has many of the same benefits as intense pulsed light hair removal. Operating a laser, however, often requires more expertise than operating an intense pulsed light system.