There’s been a number of lists put together by various people as to what to ask at your consultation. In most cases they feature or highlight certain areas where the affiliated salon or spa have strength or to diminish the competition. Since this blog is not affiliated with any spa, laser removal center, laser cosmetic salon and so on, we decided to put our own list of things to ask at your laser treatment consultation. The main reason why we think this list is better is because you will be able to understand the technician’s responses or at least spot a bias pretty quickly. Make sure you are talking to a person who will be providing the laser treatment, as we noted before is isn’t always the case, at least in some New York City’s laser hair treatment places.
We highly recommend visiting a few spots, especially in New York, and provide your feedback. Feel free to tell us what worked and what didn’t.
1. What is my skin type?
Also known as Fitzpatrick skin type, it is basically telling how dark your skin is, its level of melanin and what settings the technician needs to use for your skin. The determination of your skin type is the first and most important step in any laser skin or hair reduction procedure, because almost all the settings are based on that. You might want to write down the type at each place you visit to see how they differ.
2. What is the laser treatment machine you plan to treat me on? Is it approved by FDA?
Depending on your skin type certain laser treatment machines will either burn your skin or just won’t do you any good. What you should expect is an explanation of the quality of treatment. There are many machines for each type of skin, so there could be a case when experienced technician can give you better laser skin treatment on the available laser machine than someone with three hours of the training on the best machine ever. It takes two (machine and technician) to get the best result, so keep that in mind.
3. What kind of pain should I expect?
Depending on the settings – speed, intensity and pain numbing gel applied before treatment your experience will vary. Note, however, that if it doesn’t hurt – you’re doing it wrong. There are, of course, cases, when laser treatment goes lightly on you, but it is not the rule. Your skin should give you some feedback, so if you are treated for the first three times and you don’t feel anything – chances are the technician isn’t killing follicles, but just burning hair on the surface. Which means you will keep coming back for treatments again and again.
4. What are the after-effects for this procedure?
Depending on the procedure, your skin type and amount of hair the after-effects could vary drastically. Ask and compare.
5. What if something goes wrong?
Ask what happens if you get burned (it is usually pretty obvious right away). Does the place have any cream or solution for burned skin? Will the doctor prescribe something or can they administer it right away? Things happen, so be cautious, pay attention to answers.
6. How many treatments should I get? What is your policy if I still have hair after these treatments?
Basically, the hair never goes away completely. After proper laser hair treatment the growth of hair is reduced dramatically and the remaining hair cannot be removed by laser anymore because it gets too light. However, some touch ups might be needed, depending on your individual skin and hormonal features. The way you will respond to treatments should tell your laser technician the outcome.
To conclude – please don’t forget that laser hair removal or reduction, laser skin treatment and other laser-administrered procedures can greatly damage your skin. It is in the hands of the technician who is treating you to give you either a smooth silky skin or burned and damaged one. You have to work with your technician to achieve the best results based on your individual skin features.
