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Questions about Hair Removal and Hair Reduction?
June 19, 2010 by Ruth Nuckols Cox
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.
Living Well Aging Well in Texoma
June 17, 2010 by Ruth Nuckols Cox
Mark your calendars and make sure to attend the Living Well Aging Well in Texoma Expo on June 25, 2010 from 9:30 AM – 4:15 PM at the Life Center Hospital on Gallagher Drive in Sherman.
What’s it all about?
* Free Health Screenings and Exhibits * Informative Seminars * Elder Issues * And More!
Presentations include:
9:30 AM Communicating with your Healthcare Provider by Judy Conner or Volunteering, Community and Faith by Jim Pledger or Elderly Safety Issues Inside and Outside the Home by Lisa Dunlop
10:30 AM RX Drug Plans & Qualifying for Medicare/Medicaid by Benelle Fitts or Spend Smart, Live Well by Marian Ross or Saying Goodbye by Vicky Lindsey
11:30 AM Your Health, Your Responsibility by Todd Whitthorne
12:30 PM Exercise for Life! by Todd Whitthorne
1:30 PM Osteoporosis by Colleen Grafa or Keep Your Mind Young as You Age by Debbie Estes or Caregiver Comfort Thyself by Paula Perkins
2:30 PM Sniff, Sniffle, Itch, ACHOO! by Hunter Richmond or Just Say NO! to Fad Diets by Tori Parks or Who Decides? by Karen Miller
3:30 PM Why Obesity Matters by Tori Parks or Cut the Clutter by Joyce White or Transitioning: What are My Options by Ina Miller
Free Health Screenings include skin, “Fall” Testing, Cholesterol, Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure, Pulse Ox, Hearing, Memory, Muscle Tension, Dental Screening (6 mos. – 20 yrs.) and more!
We’ll be there checking out your skin and alerting you and informing you about fungal infections or skin cancer or other skin disorders. Take care of your skin, it is your largest organ and is the primary process for detoxification! Ask us about it at the Living Well Aging Well in Texoma Expo or come in for a free consultation.
Pottsboro and Lake Texoma Area
June 14, 2010 by Ruth Nuckols Cox
The Red River in North Texas was known for being wild, dangerous and the area around Sherman, Denison and Pottsboro was known as Helldorado on the Red River. The River flooded on a regular basis, affecting farmland, livestock and river traffic. A short history of the Lake Area can be found on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers site telling about old Fort Washita, the Overland Butterfield Stagecoach, the Chisholm and Shawnee Trails, and the building of the dam. From that article is the following description of the dam,
Denison Dam and Lake Texoma were authorized for construction by the Flood Control Act approved June 28, 1938, (public Law No. 761, 75th Congress, 3rd Session) for flood control and generation of hydroelectric power. The dam, spillway and outlet works were started in August 1939, and completed in February 1944 at a cost of $78,307,000. When completed in 1944, Denison Dam was America’s largest rolled, earth-filled dam. The dam is now the 12th largest in volume in the United States. The project was put into operation for flood control in January 1944. The first hydroelectric turbine was placed in operation in March 1945 and a second unit in September 1949. The power-intake structure will permit future installation of three additional power units.
The lake has crested the dam’s spillway at a height of 640 ft (195.07 m) three times: once in 1957, again in 1990, and most recently on July 7, 2007.
When you are in historic downtown Sherman, to visit the Spa or eat at one of our wonderful restaurants, please take time to drive down Travis, Crockett and Walnut Streets and view some of our Victorian Homes. One of the most remarkable is the home of the Sherman Preservation League. You can find out about the life and times of the Roberts family, as well as this area by visiting during their open hours or one of their events. To find out more by visiting their website click here.
Within 30 yards of the Spa you will find the Red River Historical Museum. Take a few minutes or hours to enjoy their exhibits and find out even more about the history of our area. The website can be found by clicking here. One of my favorite projects concerns Sophia Suttonfield Aughinbaugh Coffee Butt Porter. Well known because of the Sophie Porter series with Joanna Clark portraying Sophie and other local players portraying her husbands. Here is a link to a recent article and information about the series. You can also visit her cabin at the Loy Lake Frontier Village in Denison, Texas.
Always something new to learn about the deep history and characters of the Helldorado on the Red that is now known as Pottsboro, Sherman and Denison, Texas and Calera, Ardmore and Tishomingo, Oklahoma!
