Laser hair removal is the only proven, effective and safe hair removal method today. In a given area, 80 to 90% of the hairs will be permanently destroyed. It is a medical procedure; doctors use lasers. Lasers for hair removal were born in the 90s and revolutionized hair problems.

The motivations for using laser hair removal are many and varied. The latter is most often aesthetic, but many athletes such as cyclists and swimmers also use them for aerodynamic reasons. In addition, it is for people with infectious problems such as the appearance of follicles and cysts after traditional hair removal methods.

Dr Aimé uses the latest generation laser: the GentleMax Pro Laser containing Alexandrite and Nd Yag Technology. Indeed, Alexandrite technology, the benchmark in laser hair removal, offers a treatment that is not painful, fast and requires fewer sessions than other lasers. It is to treat dark or darker skin. Recommend Nd Yag technology.

The basis of action laser in permanent hair removal on thermal effects causes denaturation and hair elimination. Each laser has its wavelength and mode of emission to ensure the destruction of its target without damaging surrounding tissue. In the case of a hair removal laser, the wavelength is around 800 nm (between 600 and 1000 nm), and the target is melanin (the hair pigment). Thus, devices meeting these criteria and specifically designed for hair removal are:

• The Alexandrite Laser (755 nm)
• The Diode Laser (800 nm)
• The ND YAG Laser (1064 nm) is for patients with dark and dark skin.

Your doctor uses the latest generation laser: the Gentle Max Pro Laser containing Alexandrite technology and Nd Yag Technology, thus making it possible to effectively treat all phototypes from fair skin to dark skin.

Laser hair removal is a medical act since only doctors are authorized to use laser devices. It is therefore impossible to perform Laser sessions elsewhere than in an office or a medical centre.

Concerned about providing each patient with the most rigorous and safest treatment, Doctor Aimé is specifically trained in the use of lasers and has the European Inter-University Diploma in Medical Lasers. With more than 15 years of experience in the use of hair removal lasers at her office located in Antibes, Dr Aimé perfectly masters her laser devices, which offers the guarantee of efficient and safe treatment.

Laser hair removal is a medical treatment that corrects the hair growth of women and men on various parts of the face and body. We can laser all areas with sufficiently pigmented hair, except for the eye area, safety reasons and accessibility of the handpiece.

The bikini line, armpits, legs, thighs, face, forearms, and arms are the most frequently shaved areas.

The area’s most in-demand are generally the back, torso, shoulders and arms.

Laser hair removal is a medical act: before starting the sessions, you will benefit from a consultation during which the doctor will explain the treatment to you in detail. Your doctor will also examine the areas to treat to ensure they are well sensitive to the laser and the average number of sessions to expect. We can then establish a precise estimate, and we will give you an information/consent document.

To avoid any risk of burns, you should stop exposure to the sun at least 3 weeks before the session for a more effective treatment. Protect your skin with a high protection sunscreen that is renewed every 2 hours in the event of exposure.
Taking tanning activators (oenobiol type ..) and applying self-tanner to the treatment area must be stopped at least 15 days before laser hair removal sessions.

For treatment, you should shave skin: you will depilate the area the day before; you can also use the depilatory cream or the curved scissors. It would help if you stopped any hair removal technique (wax, electric epilator, tweezers, etc.) or discolouration for the duration of the treatment.

Doctor Aimé carries out treatment with GentleMax Pro® in his practice in Antibes.

During the session, you will feel a warming sensation and pinching during the laser shot, quite bearable. Indeed, the laser employed uses a handpiece coupled to a Zimmer device which allows cooling air. The thermal effect on the skin is therefore limited.

The laser impacts with the latest generation devices being rapid; it takes around 3 to 5 minutes for permanent armpit hair removal, less than 10 minutes for the bikini line, 15 to 20 minutes for the legs and 15 minutes for the back.

The side effects after the session are usually minor: more or less intense redness and a feeling of heat are usual reactions on the treated area. They disappear within a few hours. Oedema of the hair follicle resulting in an irregular and slightly swollen appearance of the area indicates good reactivity of the hair to the treatment.

Itching is possible on larger areas like the legs; it is essential to hydrate your skin well after the session and until the next session if you have dry skin and Prescribe an emollient

You must protect the treated surface with a sun protection factor of 50. Failure to follow sun avoidance guidelines can lead to burning, or even hypo/hyperpigmentation, lasting for several months.

It is essential not to carry out mechanical hair removal (wax, tweezers, electric epilator are to avoid).
In the week following the session, you may have the impression of regrowth which is none other than the hair detached from its follicle, which comes out naturally from the hair shaft before falling out.

Within 3 weeks of laser hair removal, the treated hairs fall out. During this period, you can exfoliate the shaved area to remove these hairs.

The treatment stops as soon as the expected results are promising. At the end of the latter,
patients appreciate the elimination of 80% to 90% of their hair permanently.

Interview sessions may be necessary and schedule an interview with your doctor.

The hair is an organ of touch (by the nervous nets which surround it). It also has a thermoregulatory function (by the sebaceous glands). When performing laser hair removal, the tactile sensation alters the elimination of hair shafts, and a slight decrease in sweating in the armpits, for example, is caused.

We can, therefore, permanently eliminate body hair, without much physiological disturbance, for the benefit of an improvement of the external appearance, which is the most frequent reason. However, the laser will not affect poorly pigmented and fine hairs and white hair due to the lack of pigmentation.

One can treat all body areas in men and women as long as the hair is dark and the skin is not tan due to an increased risk of burning and hypopigmentation.

It is best to wait until the hair growth is roughly stabilized, around the age of 25, in both men and women. It does not apply to the pubic area and armpits where the hair is stable from the end of puberty. On the other hand, in men’s back and shoulder areas, hair growth can develop up to 50 and around 30 years on the thigh areas in women. These situations, therefore, require a few additional sessions.

In addition, this hair removal method is not advised in pregnant women because of the hormonal context, which may disrupt the effectiveness of the sessions and cause reactive pigmentation.

To avoid possible skin fragility, taking certain medications
Photosensitizers should be stopped one week before the start of laser treatment.

In addition, the presence of a pacemaker or areas with tattoos are among the contraindications to laser hair treatment.

Depending on the part of the face or body to be treated, the prices for laser hair removal and the treatment packages for several areas are estimated during your first medical consultation at Dr Aimé’s office.

The price of your permanent hair removal session depends on the size and complexity of the area to treat. For permanent facial hair removal, the latter starts at 90 euros, including tax. For body hair removal, it begins at 100 euros, including tax.

The prices for laser hair removal practised by Dr Aimés indication is in the table below:

Laser hair removal for men, is it different?

Due to the thickness and pigmentation of human hair, men are the ideal candidate for laser hair removal.

The importance of permanent hair removal in men is the same as in women. Only the shaved areas differ. Laser hair removal in men helps to go to the end of the hair on the back, shoulders and chest.

Hair removal for fair and dark skin

Hair removal for fair and dark skin requires special laser devices that prevent the risk of burning and hyperpigmentation. Therefore, to depilate phototypes V and VI, your doctor uses the ND Yag laser, which requires more treatment sessions than the Alexandrite laser, but removes 60 to 90% of the hair.

The precautions to be taken before ND Yag laser hair removal are the same as for Alexandrite :

• Stop all traditional hair removal 1 month before your laser hair removal
• Do not pull out the hair in the area to be treated between sessions
• Avoid the sun and tanning 1 month before your laser hair removal session
• Tell your doctor about your current medications and medication history during your first consultation at Dr Aimé’s office.

The Fitzpatrick Classification table given below will allow you to obtain indications on your skin phototype :

An indication of extreme cases of laser hair removal

• HIRSUTISM : it is hormonal; this is the appearance in women of hair on the male secondary sexual territories (chin, umbilical line, etc.) under the influence of hyperandrogenism. The most common causes are polycystic ovary syndrome, anorexia, obesity, or other rarer endocrine disorders. At menopause, it is common to observe hair growth in the chin and upper lip due to relative hyperandrogenism (due to the decrease in female hormones). It is, of course, essential to address the causes of the problem before starting laser hair removal sessions.
• HYPERTRICHOSIS : it is the exaggeration of a typically arranged hair growth; it is usually hereditary or ethnic, there is no hormonal influence.
• IATROGENIC HYPERPILOSITY : caused by certain drugs (anabolic steroids, first-generation progestins, ciclosporin, minoxidil, long-term cortisone, etc.
• PSEUDO FOLLICULITS : inflammation of the secondary hair most often as
  shaving or waxing

What is the hair cycle?

To better understand the mechanism of action of lasers for permanent hair removal, it is necessary know that the hair cycle which consists of three phases:

• A hair growth phase called Anagen: the matrix (actual umbilical cord of the hair) nourishes the base of the hair called the bulb, very loaded with melanin during this phase, and located in the dermis at a depth ranging from 3 to 7 mm according to areas. This phase lasts between 1 – 3 months depending on the location: it will be shorter on the face, longer on the pubic and armpit areas, and several years for the hair (which explains their length ..)
• A so-called Catagen rest phase during which the hair detaches from its matrix and stops growth. There is little melanin left in the bulb. This phase is short and lasts about 3 weeks.
• A phase of hair loss called Telogen, during which the involuted hair rises and falls, repelled by a growing strand. The laser is ineffective in this phase. It lasts between 3 – 6 months.

The laser only destroys the hair when it is rich in pigment and the anagen phase.

Within the same anatomical area, we find hairs at different stages. At regular intervals, several sessions will be necessary to eliminate all the strands: the treatments spaces from 4 – 5 weeks at least and 11 – 12 weeks at most.

The total length of the hair cycle is 6 to 18 months depending on the site (for hair, it is several years), and also varies according to age, sex, and under the influence of hereditary, hormonal and metabolic.

All these parameters explain the significant variation in the number of sessions performances according to the zones and individuals. In general, the thighs and the back require more sessions (minimum 10 sessions on average) than the armpits, the bikini line, and 1/2 legs (about 6 to 8 sessions on average).