More information about getting smooth, hair-free skin, ask about laser hair removal in our Portland, Oregon-area office.
Peter Goodkin M.D.
9775 SE Sunnyside Road #500
Clackamas, Oregon 97015
P / 503-654-7546
F / 503-786-3542
For men and women both, unwanted hair can be a nightmare. Getting rid of it can be painful. Choices for removal have included smelly hair removal creams (depilatories), sharp razors, tweezing, hot wax, and painful electrolysis needles. Neither men nor women enjoy the hassle.
Today, advanced medical lasers provide the ultimate solution. These lasers deliver better results, with less pain and with longer-lasting effects compared to the old methods. Our patients are very pleased with the results made possible by the laser hair removal achieved with the GentleLASE®. Find out whether laser hair removal at our office near Portland , Oregon is a good option for you —schedule a private consultation with Dr. Goodkin today.
All lasers work on the same principle. Different substances absorb light of different color. The wavelength/color of the laser is chosen because its energy is absorbed by a certain target substance. The target for all hair removal lasers is melanin, the brown pigment in and around the root of the hair. The laser destroys the root of the hair, preventing the hair from growing any further. Laser hair removal treatments disable hair growth, leaving your skin looking and feeling smoother and silkier.
One pulse of our GentleLASE® treats a circle of skin containing many hairs, the average pulse being about the size of a dime. It is therefore possible to treat larger areas such as the back, shoulders, arms, legs, face, and neck. Best of all, this advanced hair removal treatment is a safe, fast, gentle, and effective method. If you look forward to smooth, hair-free skin through laser hair removal, contact our Portland, Oregon area office.
Hair removal lasers work by targeting the melanin. By precooling the surface of the skin and adjusting the power settings on the GentleLASE®, we can focus on the melanin in the hair and not the melanin in the skin. By lowering the power settings we can treat patients with darker skin successfully. Treating at lower energy, however, means that fewer hairs will be permanently removed with each treatment. This laser works best for dark-colored hair and light-colored skin.
Electrolysis is a slow process. With electrolysis, a needle is actually inserted into each hair follicle, one at a time. Once inserted, an electric current attempts to destroy the follicle to retard hair growth. Our laser uses cool light to scan the treatment area; within minutes all of the hairs in the laser beam are treated. Most patients who have had both treatments say that treatment with the GentleLASE® is less painful, faster and more convenient. Find out about laser hair removal for yourself — contact our Portland, Oregon area practice.
Laser hair removal is a relatively gentle process. Some people prefer to arrive a few minutes early so that a numbing ointment can be applied. We cleanse the area to be treated. Then the area is scanned with the laser handpiece, one pulse at a time, about one pulse per second. A cooling spray is automatically applied to the skin before each laser pulse. The light energy passes through the skin and is absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicle. The absorbed light energy heats the follicle, disabling hair growth. Most treatments last just a few minutes.
The number of required laser hair removal treatments varies from one person to the next, with the darkness of the hair, the lightness of the skin, and the depth of the hair follicle. On a single person, armpits may take only three treatments to achieve a 90 percent reduction in hair. In that same person, it may take six treatments to reduce the hair on the upper lip by 50 percent. Usually a few hairs grow back after each treatment. The hairs that do grow back are often finer and lighter in color.
Some hair follicles will start their growth cycle after your first treatment. The laser treats only the hair follicles that are already in their growth cycle. Thus, more than one treatment session will probably be necessary to treat all of your hair. Most patients like us to treat until the hair is gone, or at least until 80 percent to 90 percent is gone. At Dr. Goodkin's practice, the laser hair removal regimen for our Portland, Oregon area patients is uniquely tailored to the patient's desires.
After a laser hair removal session, a soothing, cooling gel is applied, and you can get back to your normal activities right away. Dr. Goodkin may recommend that you use a specially formulated skin care product line or prescribe a skin care regime formulated for your skin type after laser treatments. Sunscreen use is always recommended for treated areas that will be exposed to the sun. Tanning the skin reduces the effectiveness of the laser.
Find out more about laser hair removal at our Portland, Oregon area office — it can be the answer to your problems with unwanted hair.