At Dermal Laser we use the Fitzpatrick Skin Type Scale to know your skin type. The Fitzpatrick Scale is a skin classification system developed by Harvard Medical Schools Thomas Fitzpatrick, MD.
Essentially, this scale classifies the typical response of different types of skin to sunlight and allows our technicians to know how your skin will react then during laser hair removal treatments.
At Dermal Laser we treat skin types 1 through 5 safely. Those skin types and classification mean your natural skin colour without the addition of any melanin, whether it be from the sun or from adding pigment to the skin with the use of topical tanning products. A chronic tan, where a person has permanently altered their natural skin colour with ongoing unprotected exposure to the sun, is something that while it can affect with your skin type is, does not mean you are not a candidate as long as you fall into the skin types that are safely treatable with our in office lasers and have had no recent sun exposure.
If you come and pay us a visit with blond hair or fine hair, we will have to be honest when we say that the laser works by targeting melanin, and blond hair has none making it non treatable. The hair itself acting like a highway for travel by the laser means that even a dark hair that is baby fine, lacking texture and thickness, is also not treatable. If treated, what will happen is the stimulation of hair. And no one wants to add hair to the body!
How do our technicians ensure your safety during your treatment series? Let us educate you on what it is they are looking for at every treatment in your series. Your technician will be ensuring that you have had no sun exposure as your skin would then be at risk for being targeted by the laser possibly causing damage to the skin. And at the time of your treatment, you cannot be taking photosensitive medications as your skin will be far more sensitive to the laser.
What can you do prior to your office visit to ensure that we do not postpone your treatment and that your skin is kept safe? As we have touched on recently here at House of Beauty we always want to see you protecting your skin from the sun. During laser hair removal treatments, this is of the utmost importance for the body parts being treated. That means wearing a sun screen daily, applying 30 minutes prior to sun exposure and reapplying every 2 hours when staying exposed to the sun. Walking in the shade, and wearing hats to cast shade on your face when outside are added additions to protecting your skin from sun exposure.
Between treatments, while you can shave any hairs that may be growing, you can not be waxing, threading or tweezing the areas being treated by laser at all. These methods of hair removal completely remove the hair and with the laser targeting the root of the hair, by using one of the above mentioned methods, you have removed the lasers target making your treatment not able to proceed.
With fall upon us here in Vancouver and winter around the corner, it is laser hair removal season at Dermal Laser. This is such a large topic with so much that we want to share with you and educate on! So stay tuned for us to revisit this topic in November. In the posts ahead we will be getting into skin rejuvenation (just in time for you to pay us a few visits before Christmas Party Season is upon us!)
Come in for a complimentary consultation with one of our technicians to see if Laser Hair Removal is right for you. Call us at 604.638.SKIN (7546) or Book Your Consultation here for more information, medical evaluation, test patch on desired body area and pricing.
~DLC