Frequently Asked Questions

First, both you and the technician will put on safety eye wear for protection from laser light during the procedure.  We will do a test spot to determine how your skin will react before beginning the full procedure. A small hand piece will gently touch the skin to deliver the laser light. Depending on the laser used, you will feel constant cold air blowing on the skin or a light spray of cryogen will cool your skin just before each laser pulse actively removing heat from your skin and reducing any discomfort.

Our team of skin care specialists have been trained one-on-one with a trainer from Candela & Lumenis. For more information on each team member, click here.

Laser treatments can take as little as five minutes or as long as an hour.  Treatment times will vary depending on the location & size of the area being lasered.

It is completely normal for your treated skin to appear pink or red within 30 minutes of treatment; this may last from a few hours to several days and is relieved with the application of ice or cooling gels. On very rare occasions, minor blistering or scabbing may occur and this reaction is also normal for some individuals. If you are concerned, please contact us for instructions.

It is completely normal for hair to continue to grow after your laser hair reduction treatment. In most cases, your newly disabled hair follicles are expelling their hair. Some hair follicles were dormant during your treatment and are now becoming active. This normal cyclical nature of hair growth is why the full Hair Removal Protocol consists of a recommended eight to ten laser hair reduction treatments per area, scheduled four to ten weeks apart.

Laser Hair Reduction is a faster, gentler way to remove unwanted hair, with great results. Laser Hair Reduction applies precisely controlled pulses of energy (electrical and light, with cooling), reaching into the hair follicles that lie beneath the skin. The energy heats the hair, right down to the bottom of the root, destroying it without seriously damaging surrounding tissue or skin.

Each pulse, which lasts less than a second, produces a slight tingling feeling. In particularly sensitive areas, such as the upper lip, it may feel like a quick, light pinch. The cold air or coolant delivered to the skin a moment before the light pulse helps reduce any discomfort.

At Bare Aesthetics, we provide a free consultation to determine if this is a procedure that will benefit you. Then we customize your treatment to match your hair and skin color and type. If you have any questions concerning the effectiveness of the procedure with your specific hair color and skin type please feel free to contact us for a customized  and confidential consultation. 

With laser hair reduction, most people experience no side effects at all, though few exhibit some short-term local reddening of the surrounding skin and in rare cases scabbing can occur. If you are feeling any discomfort after the procedure, use ice or cooling gels on the affected areas.

With skin treatments, the treated area may scab over while new skin emerges underneath. You can usually return to your regular activities immediately, although it is advisable to keep the skin protected from exposure to direct sunlight while the new skin emerges.

Because our laser hair reduction technology only destroys hair follicles that are in the active growth phase, multiple treatments will be necessary. The number of treatments required also depends upon other factors including (but not limited to) skin color, hair color, and coarseness of hair. Normally, a series of eight to ten laser treatments (with each treatment every 4-10 weeks depending on the area of treatment) is recommended for best results. However, all skin types are different and you may require more or fewer than eight treatments.

Laser hair reduction is safe on the bony parts of the face (removing the uni-brow, for instance) but it is unsafe to use the laser too close to the eye, as this increases the chance for eye damage. Your vision is too important to risk!

We use the industry gold standard, dual wavelength Candela GentleLase Pro and Lumenis SplendorX laser systems.

Our process is often called Laser Hair Removal but this can be misleading. After your recommended treatment, you may experience complete or near-complete removal of hair, but most people need annual touch-ups. We think the term "reduction" better aligns with our commitment to transparency and honesty.

While laser hair reduction can be performed on virtually any skin color and hair type, hair color is the most important factor. The light emitted from the laser is attracted to the melanin, or dark pigment, in the hair follicle. This means that dark hair is treated most effectively. Gray hair cannot be treated. Treatments performed on red or blonde hair are not generally as effective and may require more treatment. Our multiple laser modalities allow us great versatility for accommodating the wide variance in hair and skin color.

Laser hair reduction is much faster. Electrolysis hair removal requires more time because it's a process that treats only one hair at a time, whereas laser hair reduction treats many hairs per every laser pulse. Laser hair reduction for an area like the underarms, for example, can be treated in only 5-10 minutes.

The Alexandrite laser is considered by many in the field of laser hair reduction to be the gold standard laser. The Alexandrite laser uses a longer wavelength for penetration to the hair follicle and energy that is particularly attracted to melanin - the target for hair removal and skin care.

Laser hair reduction is a lunch-time procedure. There is no recovery time. You can return to work or play immediately. These lasers do not remove skin, so the risks are very low. As with any procedure, we have an informed consent that explains all possible risks.

While most clients are fine, there may be elements of your personal health, medications and skin type that can increase risks associated with skin rejuvenation, vascular lesion and pigmented lesion removal. We will discuss your history and provide the information you need to make an informed decision.

There really is no age limit. Anyone under the age of 18 will require parental consent. Young people who are not finished growing will develop new hair as they grow, and will require touch ups to maintain the results.

At worst, people have compared it to a rubber band snapping against the skin. Compared to waxing, the treatment has very little discomfort. Of course, everyone's pain tolerance is different. If you feel like you may want a numbing cream, please have your physician write a prescription for you.

Area to be treated must be squeaky clean and shaven 24 hours before treatment. Do NOT leave any stubble on the skin. The area to be treated must be free of lotions, creams, deodorant, makeup, etc. Plucking or waxing should not be performed within 4-6 weeks of treatment or between laser treatments.