How to choose a laser hair removal clinic

The last decade has seen an explosion of clinics offering laser hair removal. It’s proven to be a great way to get effective hair removal for most hair and skin types.

But we’ve also seen a string of bad publicity in which skin has been scarred or permanently discoloured as a result of misuse of hair removal lasers.

Hair removal lasers are effective when a specific wavelength of light and pulse duration are combined to obtain optimal effect on a target tissue with minimal effect on surrounding tissue.

Sound like a mouth full?

It is! The aim is to destroy the hair follicle without injuring the surrounding skin.

Generally, laser hair removal is a straightforward and safe procedure, when it is used correctly. But any laser use also runs the risk of side effects and complications. We all want safety to be assumed when we undergo laser treatment, but how can we be assured of it?

Choosing the right hair laser clinic

Amongst the myriad of clinics, seemingly offering the same service, how do you chose the clinic that is right for you?

Here’s our clinic must-have list to help you decide:

A long established history and staff who have experience
Experienced staff and a clinic with a solid track record of quality treatment is one of the best ways to ensure you get safe and effective laser hair removal treatment. You know you’re in the hands of staff who are competent and familiar with the machines they’re using.

Medical staff performing procedures
When your treatments are performed by doctors or nurses, you know you’re getting medical quality safety and a depth of understanding of the physical body that can ensure the best and safest outcome. And should accidents or side effects happen, you’ve got staff at hand who have optimum medical training to give you the best care available.

Commitment to staff training and continued education ,especially when it comes to aftercare
As technology and best practice in patient care evolve, it’s only when a clinic has a commitment to ensuring the ongoing education of their staff that you can have confidence you’re truly getting the best care available. We suggest asking the clinic staff what the ongoing training practice is before making your booking.

A selection of lasers available
Different skin types and hair colours mean finding the right combination of wavelength, pulse duration and risk for each person is paramount. The more lasers you have to choose from, the more customised and effective your treatment will be. Avoid clinics with a one-size-fits-all approach and always enquire about whether there is more than one hair removal laser available for consideration by your treating therapist.

Adequate pain relief
For some people, hair removal lasers are not painful at all, but for others they can be very hard to tolerate. Pain relief can be delivered in various forms, from cooling ice packs, through oral analgesics, to anaesthetic cream. A clinic with a full range of pain relief available will ensure your experience of the laser will be as comfortable as possible. And keep in mind that some forms of pain relief can only be legally administered by registered medical professionals.

Discreet surroundings
With the increase in cheap or discount hair removal clinics, we’re seeing corners cut in many ways. We believe that hair removal is no less personal and private than any other medical procedure and patients should be afforded the utmost privacy and confidentiality before, during and after treatment. If your clinic does not offer quality in this area, it may represent poor customer respect in others also.

Guaranteed follow up in case of problems
Short term side effects of hair removal laser treatment, such as redness on the skin, can last for some time after the treatment, but should disappear without residual signs of treatment. If something has gone wrong, it may not become apparent for a day or two, perhaps longer. In this case, you want to ensure your clinic has a high quality, patient-focused follow up protocol to ensure you get the very best treatment in the case of any problems with your lasered skin.

Integrity
Arguably the quickest sign of an untrustworthy clinic is whether they have an honest approach to risks and side effects and a realistic evaluation of how much hair removal can really be achieved. If your clinic does not tell you there are risks and side effects, there are. If they tell you they can deliver total and permanent hair removal, they can’t. An honest and informed choice should always be given to a patient before treatment is delivered.

At Neutral Bay Laser and Dermatology Clinic we pride ourselves on delivering the best quality hair removal, from our selection of hair removal lasers, with full disclosure about what patients can expect from their treatment. All our staff are medically trained and we offer the full suite of pain relief. If you’d like to talk further about hair removal, we’d love to see if our clinic is right for you. Call us today for an appointment.