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Questions about Hair Removal and Hair Reduction?

We are the experts in hair removal and reduction in North Central Texas and South Central Oklahoma.  Our employees have been waxing and using lasers to reduce hair growth and visibility for years.  Both waxing and laser hair reduction treatments require a 4 to 6 week interval between treatments.  I get a lot of questions about hair removal, so to make it easier for you to decide what to do where, here are some of those more frequently asked questions:

What happens when Waxing?

At Bella Fontana Spa we use warm soft wax with strips or hard wax depending on the area to be treated.  The wax will feel warm, but is not typically described as hot, even though the term hot wax may be used.  The wax locks onto the hair shaft and the hair is pulled from the skin interrupting the growth pattern and often putting the root of the hair removed into a dormant stage.  Hair must begin a new growth cycle.

What happens with the Laser?

The laser is a light that operates at a wavelength designed to be absorbed only by dark pigment or melanin.  Therefore, it is the hair that absorbs the laser energy.  The laser energy then travels down the hair shaft to the follicle (root) where it heats and destroys the hair follicle.  This is why the hair must be there and be actively growing to be treated.  The laser energy is not absorbed by the skin.

Does it hurt?

The perception of pain is unique to each individual.  Laser hair reduction feels similar to a rubber band snap, sometimes you feel a little heat. Once we have used the laser in the area to be treated, ice can be used to both numb and cool during or immediately after the service.  Most people tolerate the sensation easily and we can work at their pace during the scheduled time of the service.  Waxing pulls the hair and it may break at the skin, below the skin or optimally by the root.  The more hairs pulled by the root the longer it takes to grow back, but it does produce a little more discomfort over a larger area.  We can adjust the size of the area to be waxed in order to adjust to your comfort level.  Many people prefer it to be completed quickly, rather than more times however.

Is is permanent?

Laser is permanent, but only the hair in the active growth cycle will be killed.  Once the laser kills the root of the hair, it will not grow back. You have 500-1000 hair follicles for both terminal and vellus hair per square ince of your body and only a fraction of those hairs are actively growing.  The rest are dormant/inactive follicles.  Changes in your body due to stress, diet, normal aging processes, hormonal changes in pregnancy or menopause, etc. can cause dormant follicles to become active follicles.  Waxing is not permanent, but the hair may go through a dormant phase and new growth cycle prolonging the time before the new hair appears.

Shaving makes hair grow thicker, and waxing makes it thin out, right?

Not exactly! The reason shaved hair appears to be coarser and more dense is because the hairs are being cut at the skin level and are in an active growth phase.  As hairs grow, they start out with a slimmer tip and widen toward the base.  Hairs grow every day, so the longer the hair remains the thicker it seems and cutting it produces a sharp edge.  Waxing and other hair removal processes interrupt the growth cycle, causing the hair to go dormant, and the new hair has a slipper tip as it emerges and thickens as it grows to its preprogrammed full length.  Then it is shed and goes dormant again.  Over time waxing may damage the root and cause the hair to become more like vellus hair, those thin and lighter colored hairs that cover our body.  Alternatively vellus hair can become terminal or the thicker hairs on our heads, beards and other parts of the body.