There are a number of options for body contouring, from the simple to the extreme. The most basic way to lose excess fat from your body is through diet and exercise. You can also try liposuction, which is an invasive procedure that involves removing excess fat with a tube inserted into your body through small incisions.
Laser therapy has become popular as a non-invasive option for people who want to reduce their overall body fat percentage but don’t want to undergo a surgical procedure or change their lifestyle habits. Laser therapy uses light energy to target specific areas of the body and destroy fat cells. It’s important to note that laser therapy is not recommended if you plan on having children or if you have certain medical conditions such as diabetes or heart disease.
Read on to learn more about Laser For Body Contouring, Costs of Laser Hair Removal, Benefits of Laser Hair Removal
Laser For Body Contouring
Body contouring, or body sculpting, can eliminate fat, shape areas of the body and tighten skin. Lipolysis is a nonsurgical option that uses cold, heat, lasers and other methods. Surgical options include tucks, lifts and liposuction. Surgery has more risks and longer recovery, but it usually provides more noticeable results.
What is body contouring?
Body contouring, or body sculpting, is a medical or surgical procedure that aims to reshape an area of the body. It may involve procedures to:
- Get rid of extra skin.
- Eliminate excess fat.
- Reshape or contour the area.
Body contouring does not usually help you lose weight. Instead, it helps shape the body and address specific areas where weight loss isn’t effective or after significant weight loss results in extra skin.
What are the different types of body contouring?
Nonsurgical body contouring is called lipolysis. There are several lipolysis methods:
- Cryolipolysis uses very cold temperatures to destroy fat cells (for example, CoolSculpting®).
- Injection lipolysis involves putting deoxycholic acid into the body to target fat cells.
- Laser lipolysis uses lasers to destroy fat cells (for example, Zerona®).
- Radiofrequency lipolysis uses ultrasound waves and heat to target fat cells (for example, truSculpt®).
Sometimes, the results can vary.
Options for surgical body contouring include:
- Lifts and tucks: These surgical procedures remove excess fat and extra skin. Examples include a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), facelift (rhytidectomy), breast lift (mastopexy) and double chin surgery.
- Liposuction: Liposuction (lipo) suctions out fat deposits.
Why is body sculpting used?
People choose to have body sculpting to look and feel thinner or to attain a certain shape. It’s often used on specific areas of the body when diet and exercise aren’t making a difference.
Surgical options can also remove extra skin to make the skin look smoother and younger. Such procedures can help people who have excess skin after significant weight loss. It can also improve loose, saggy or wrinkled skin that occurs with natural aging.
Body contouring can target most areas of the body. Common sites include:
- Arms.
- Back.
- Belly and flanks (love handles).
- Buttocks.
- Neck and chin.
- Thighs.
PROCEDURE DETAILS
What happens before body contouring?
First, you’ll meet with a plastic surgeon. You’ll discuss:
- Your goals.
- Your medical history, including health conditions, allergies and previous surgeries.
- Any medications you’re taking, including vitamins and over-the-counter drugs.
- Use of alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs.
The healthcare professional will also:
- Examine and measure the area(s) you want to change.
- Draw on the area(s) with a marker or pen.
- Take pictures.
- Discuss your options and make recommendations.
- Review the risks and options, as well as discuss anesthesia and post-operative pain control if you’re considering surgery.
If you decide to move forward, you’ll have to sign a consent form. By signing it, you give permission to the healthcare provider to perform the procedure. You also agree that you understand the risks of the procedure and have realistic expectations.
Depending on what kind of body sculpting you choose, the healthcare team may ask you to:
- Get blood work or have a physical exam with your primary care provider.
- Stop smoking.
- Stop taking certain medications (for example, aspirin, NSAIDs and herbal supplements).
What happens during liposuction and other surgical body contouring?
Most cosmetic surgeries take place in a surgeon’s office, surgical center or hospital. The procedure can last 45 minutes to a several hours, depending on what you’re having done.
There are three different types of lasers that can be used for laser hair removal:
Nd:YAG Laser
The Nd:YAG laser — which stands for neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet — is a type of long-pulsed laser that works by emitting an intense beam of light that targets the melanin in your hair follicles. This causes them to heat up and destroy each follicle individually.
If you’re not happy with shaving, tweezing, or waxing to remove unwanted hair, laser hair removal may be an option worth considering.
Laser hair removal is one of the most commonly done cosmetic procedures in the U.S. It beams highly concentrated light into hair follicles. Pigment in the follicles absorb the light. That destroys the hair.
Benefits of Laser Hair Removal
Lasers are useful for removing unwanted hair from the face, leg, chin, back, arm, underarm, bikini line, and other areas.
Benefits of laser hair removal include:
Precision. Lasers can selectively target dark, coarse hairs while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged.
Speed. Each pulse of the laser takes a fraction of a second and can treat many hairs at the same time. The laser can treat an area approximately the size of a quarter every second. Small areas such as the upper lip can be treated in less than a minute, and large areas, such as the back or legs, may take up to an hour.
Predictability. Most patients have permanent hair loss after an average of three to seven sessions.
How to Prepare for Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal is more than just ”zapping” unwanted hair. It is a medical procedure that requires training to perform and carries potential risks. Before getting laser hair removal, you should thoroughly check the credentials of the doctor or technician performing the procedure.
If you are planning on undergoing laser hair removal, you should limit plucking, waxing, and electrolysis for six weeks before treatment. That’s because the laser targets the hairs’ roots, which are temporarily removed by waxing or plucking.
You should also avoid sun exposure for six weeks before and after treatment. Sun exposure makes laser hair removal less effective and makes complications after treatment more likely.
Laser hair removal is a process that uses laser light to stop hair growth. It can be used on all areas of the body, including the face, neck, underarms and legs.
Laser hair removal is not effective for everyone and may not work on all skin types or colours. It’s usually more effective on darker hairs than lighter ones, but it can also be used to remove lighter hairs. Many people find that their hair grows back after treatment, but it takes longer than it did before they started the treatments. Laser hair removal may also cause burns if you have tanned skin or if you’re taking certain medications that make your skin more sensitive to light.
Laser for body hair removal works by targeting dark pigment in the root of the hair follicle (melanin), which absorbs light energy and destroys both the root and shaft of the hair. The light energy is delivered through an optical fibre using pulses of intense energy at wavelengths that are absorbed by melanin. The laser causes damage to these cells without affecting surrounding healthy tissue, which results in permanent reduction in hair growth over time.
The procedure is painless and there are no side effects, although some people experience temporary redness or swelling after treatment
What to Expect During Laser Hair Removal
Just before the procedure, your hair that will be undergoing treatment will be trimmed to a few millimeters above the skin surface. Usually topical numbing medicine is applied 20- 30 minutes before the laser procedure, to help with the sting of the laser pulses.The laser equipment will be adjusted according to the color, thickness, and location of your hair being treated as well as your skin color.
Depending on the laser or light source used, you and the technician will need to wear appropriate eye protection. It will also be necessary to protect the outer layers of your skin with a cold gel or special cooling device. This will help the laser light penetrate the skin.
Next, the technician will give a pulse of light to the treatment area and watch the area for several minutes to make sure the best settings were used and to check for bad reactions.
When the procedure is completed, you may be given ice packs, anti-inflammatory creams or lotions, or cold water to ease any discomfort. You may schedule your next treatment four to six weeks later. You’ll get treatments until hair stops growing.
Recovery and Risks
For a day or two afterward, the treated area of your skin will look and feel like it’s sunburned. Cool compresses and moisturizers may help. If your face was treated, you can wear makeup the next day unless your skin is blistering.
Over the next month, your treated hair will fall out. Wear sunscreen for the following month to help prevent temporary changes in the color of the treated skin.
Blisters are rare but are more likely in people with darker complexions. Other potential side effects are swelling, redness, and scarring. Permanent scarring or changes in skin color are rare.
Costs of Laser Hair Removal
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost for laser hair removal was $389 per session in 2020. The cost varies widely, depending on factors that include:
- Size of the area being treated and time required for treatment
- Number of treatments required
- Whether a doctor or someone else is performing the procedure
- The part of the country where you are having the procedure
Ask for a consultation to get a better idea of the cost for your particular case.