At Exhibit Medical Aesthetics, we’re dedicated to helping patients feel like their best selves inside and out. That means offering a wide range of services—including laser hair reduction in Denville!
With laser hair reduction, we can effectively target many areas of the body, including the bikini area, arms, legs, and more! Here, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about laser hair reduction and how to determine if it’s the best treatment option for your needs.
What is laser hair reduction?
Laser hair reduction is when you use the thermal energy (or heat) from laser light to destroy and remove body hair. There are many methods to remove unwanted body hair, but laser hair reduction is the most effective one that delivers the longest-lasting results.
How It Works
To remove the unwanted hair, you have to go beneath the skin and target the hair down at the follicle. The follicle is a tube-shaped sac that surrounds the root of your hair, and is where your hair begins to form and grow. There are 4 different stages of hair growth:
1. Anagen (The Growing Stage)
This stage is where the hair begins to grow. The duration of the anagen stage is different for different types of hair. For example, anagen lasts 1 to 3 months for leg hair, but can last 2 to 8 years for the hair on your head.
2. Catagen (The Transition Stage)
When the anagen stage is over, the hair transitions to the catagen stage. Lasting about 2 weeks, this stage is where the hair follicle shrinks and hair growth slows down. The hair separates from the bottom of the follicle while remaining in place.
3. Telogen (The Resting Stage)
This stage is when the hair simply rests—it does not continue to grow but also does not fall out. During this time, follicles that just released hairs during the catagen stage begin to grow new hairs.
4. Exogen (The Shedding Stage)
At the end of its life, the hair sheds from the follicle, typically falling out when you bathe, exfoliate, or brush your hair. As the old hair falls away, the follicle is typically in the middle of growing a new hair to replace it.
How the Hair Growth Cycle Affects Laser Hair Reduction
We can only target hairs in the anagen stage during laser hair reduction in Denville. This is because the laser targets the melanin in the hair follicle, using heat to damage the follicle and prevent future hair growth. Melanin is a complex polymer that your body naturally creates to generate your hair color, eye color, skin color, and more. Your hair has the greatest amount of melanin during the anagen stage. While the laser light can target hair during the other stages, the results will not last as long as when the laser is used on the hair during the anagen stage.
This is why you will need 2 to 6 sessions of laser hair reduction, each scheduled about 4 to 8 weeks apart. To ensure you can target all the hairs during their anagen stage, we need to give your hair time to cycle through the natural phases. This allows us to achieve the most effective results. The number and frequency of treatment sessions needed will depend on several factors, including the location and size of your desired treatment area, as well as the color and texture of hair.
The Laser
Laser hair reduction has been a popular treatment for many years, and there are many lasers that can accomplish your goals. But for laser hair reduction in Denville, we use the MOXI BBL laser.
Technically, the MOXI laser and the BBL Hero are separate treatments, but we pair them together as one because they are developed by the same company and designed to complement one another.
MOXI Laser
MOXI is a non-ablative laser that uses a 1927 nm wavelength of light to address unwanted hair. It is effective for all skin types and requires no downtime after a 30- to 45-minute appointment. Plus, it is effective at treating a variety of skin concerns like hyperpigmentation, sun damage, and texture.
BBL Hero
Instead of using a specific wavelength of light, the BBL Hero uses flashes of broadband light to deliver laser hair reduction in Denville. This device comes with multiple wavelength filters to safely treat all skin tones, and spot adaptors to adjust the size of the treatment area.
The Laser Hair Reduction Process
Here is what you can expect when it comes to getting laser hair reduction at Exhibit Medical Aesthetics.
Consultation
Your first appointment with our team will be an initial consultation. During this time, your provider will talk to you about your concerns and discuss your medical history. Once you both determine that you are a good candidate for laser hair reduction in Denville, your provider will help you schedule your sessions.
Treatment
During your laser hair reduction session, your provider will make sure your skin is clean and ready before administering the MOXI BBL laser treatment. You will need to shave the area 24 hours prior to your appointment to facilitate an easy, more comfortable treatment.
This process could take anywhere between 30 and 45 minutes. There’s no need to worry about pain—most patients describe the sensation as a rubber band lightly snapping against your skin. You should not need numbing cream, but if the discomfort is a concern for you, we are more than happy to do everything possible to ensure you feel comfortable.
Results
Once you are finished with treatment, you will notice that hair in the treated area begins to fall out within 1 to 2 weeks. Eventually, some of the hair will regrow, but it will be lighter, thinner, and more sparse than before. After each treatment session, you’ll see less and less hair grow back.
Hair Reduction, Not Removal
Your provider will let you know during your consultation that laser hair reduction is not a permanent solution to unwanted body hair. The follicle is one of the few structures in the body and can degenerate (stop working) and regenerate (start working again). While laser hair reduction in Denville is a degenerative process, there are other triggers that can cause the growth of hair to begin again, including hormone fluctuations, PCOS, certain medications, and more.
A Side-By-Side Look
There are many other methods of removing unwanted body hair, so let’s take a look at all the different methods compared to laser hair reduction.
| Method of Hair Removal | Cost | Pain | Results Duration | Side Effects |
| Shaving | $ | None | 1 to 3 days | Ingrown hairs, razor burns, small cuts |
| Waxing | $ to $$ | Moderate | 4 to 6 weeks | Ingrown hairs, risk of minimal bleeding, redness |
| Tweezing | $ to $$ | Minimal | 3 to 6 weeks | Ingrown hairs, redness |
| Hair Removal Cream | $$ | Minimal | 2 to 5 days | Possible chemical burns, allergic reactions, redness |
| Laser Hair Reduction | $$$ | Minimal | 6 months to many years | Redness |
Care Instructions
There are ways to prepare for laser hair reduction and to enhance your results once you finish your treatment series. While your provider will give you personalized instructions, here are some general pre- and post-care instructions for laser hair reduction in Denville.
Pre-Care Instructions
- Avoid waxing, tweezing, or other hair removal methods that remove the hair from the follicle.
- Shave within 24 hours of your appointment. This will help prevent the laser from burning excess hair on the surface of your skin and making treatment more uncomfortable.
- Avoid exposing your skin to direct sunlight. We recommend wearing mineral sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30 whenever going outdoors.
- Refrain from undergoing other laser treatments or using harsh skincare products for at least 4 weeks.
Post-Care Instructions
- Continue to avoid other laser treatments or using harsh skincare products on the treatment area for another 4 weeks.
- Do not remove any regrowing hair using methods that remove the hair from the follicle. You may shave any additional hair, though.
- Avoid going into hot or humid environments like the pool, a hot tub, or a sauna.
- Bathe using lukewarm water for about 3 days after undergoing laser hair reduction.
- Continue to protect your skin by wearing a mineral sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30 whenever going outdoors.
Paired Treatments
We deliver whole-body wellness and beauty enhancements at Exhibit Medical Aesthetics, so we often like to pair certain treatments together depending on your needs. While your treatments pairing are personalized to you, here are some services we commonly pair with laser hair reduction:
Back Facial
The back facial targets the pores on your back, addressing acne, hyperpigmentation, dehydrated skin, and more.
DiamondGlow Facial
The DiamondGlow facial uses diamond-crusted tips to provide gentle yet effective exfoliation and deliver smooth, glowing skin.
Brow Waxing
Eyes may be the windows to the soul, but eyebrows are the decorative curtains. Make sure you get the right shape to complement your facial structure with brow waxing.
Feel Confident in Your Body
You don’t need to let unwanted body hair keep you from feeling confident and comfortable in your own skin. You can either use our treatment planning tool or schedule an appointment with one of our providers to find your solution to unwanted hair.
Treatment Planning Tool Book an Appointment
