Located in YEG, Dérmica offers permanent hair removal treatments.
Our IPL Hair Removal treatment will deliver permanent results on any area of face and body. Above all, razor burn, ingrown hairs, and embarrassing stubble will be a thing of the past!
Your safety is our first concern, therefore, please review the following criteria before booking online.
PLEASE REVIEW THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA BEFORE BOOKING ONLINE.
*PLEASE SHAVE AREAS TO BE TREATED TO SKIN BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT.
Time frame: Dependent on size of area being treated.
Pre-treatment protocols:
Must not currently be on or have used Accutane or any other oral prescription acne medications in the past 12 months
If currently using any products containing AHA/BHA/Retin A/Vitamin A on the area being treated, you must discontinue usage 2 weeks prior to procedure
Must wait a minimum of 4 weeks (or up to 6 weeks for darker skin types) from last tanning (artificial or natural) AND/OR waxing session
If currently on any prescription medications, check with your physician regarding possible photosensitivity
Recommended sessions: 8-12
Downtime required: 24 hrs
Contraindications:
Diabetes
Pregnancy
Disorders stimulated by light
Cancer (remission under 2 years)
Epilepsy
Use of photosensitive medication and herbs
Active infection of Herpes Simplex in treatment area
Can you do IPL or laser hair removal over a tattoo?
Phototherapy treatments such as IPL or LASER hair removal cannot be done over tattoos. This is due to the fact that phototherapy targets the melanin (pigment) cells in the hair bulbs. As it happens, the tattoo contains pigment as well. Therefore, IPL or LASER hair removal is going to blast those pigment cells as well. This could cause adverse reactions and side efefcts such as burns.
Also, phototherapy over a tattoo can diminish the pigmentation or even partially remove the tattoo. While laser is used to remove tattoos, the laser equipment used to remove hair does not use the appropriate forms and levels used in tattoo removal light treatments.
Phototherapy around a tattoo
If you are getting IPL or LASER hair removal around a tattoo, it is always recommended that you stay within a centimetre of the border of the tattoo. If there is a faded effect on the tattoo, stay about 2 cm away . The reason for this is that when the light penetrates into the skin we get an effect called ‘scatter’. Although the light pulse is going straight to the target, a bit of light literally scatters on to the surrounding tissue.
How long does IPL take to remove hair permanently?
Plan ahead! Depending on the area being treated, it can take anywhere from 12- 24 months. This is because different areas of the body are treated at different cycles. For example, facial areas are treated on a 4-6 week cycle, whereas body areas are treated on an 8-12 week cycle. The reason for that difference in treatment cycles is because the face has a different growth rate than body hair.
Safe Methods of Hair Removal After Tattoo
If you’re looking for safe hair removal methods after getting a tattoo, shaving and waxing are the most popular methods.
What about hair removal creams?
Epilation creams are typically made of corrosive material that interacts with the keratin protein in the hair which is also found in the skin. In addition, some epilation creams can cause irritation which can distort the pigment in the tattoo.
Located in YEG, Dérmica offers short and long term solutions for hair removal.
Waxing- Short term hair removal
Traditionally, waxing involves the use of warm wax, typically honey or pine resin-based and cloth strips. The esthetician first preps the area by disinfecting and applying a protective barrier to the skin. The warm wax is then applied using a wooden spatula and covered with a cloth strip; this is referred to as strip waxing or soft waxing. The strip is then quickly pulled off parallel to the skin and voilà your skin is left smooth and hair free!
Prior to booking a wax service ensure your hair is at least ¼ inch long, and has not been sunburned, treated with AHA/BHA, or prescription acne medications. Avoid caffeine for a couple hours before your appointment to reduce sensitivity. Results are visible for about 2 weeks, with 4-6 weeks before you are ready for your next visit. After care for waxing includes: avoiding heat, sun exposure, strong/fragranced, lotions, and washes for 24 hours and frequent skin exfoliation.
IPL- Long term hair removal
For a permanent solution, opt for IPL hair removal treatments. These advanced treatments should only be performed by trained and certified technicians. They are somewhat of an investment and can cause injury to your skin if not delivered properly, so do your research and make sure operational requirements are met by both the business and technician.
If you choose to have your treatment performed by the experts at Dérmica, here’s what you can expect:
Our tech begins by disinfecting your skin, she provides you with your protective eyewear, then off she goes zapping away.
Some lasers, like ours, are equipped with cooling systems, making your service a breeze. The cooling system makes your treatment significantly less painful (if at all), and 100% less messy than other lasers.
For the following 24-48 hours you will be required to avoid direct heat, perspiration, sun exposure, strong/fragranced soaps, lotions and washes. Ensure your skin has not been sunburned, treated with AHA/BHA, or medications/vitamins that may affect your skin.
Typically you will notice a stunt in the growth of hair, followed by what seems to be continued growth, then towards your 4-6 week the hair will begin to fall out. At this point you are ready for your next session.
Treatment frequency for IPL Hair Removal (HR) sessions is 1 treatment every 6 to 8 weeks apart for body areas, and 4-6 weeks apart for facial areas. If you are having sessions too close together, you are basically working on hair that is most likely no longer alive. In other words, you are losing financially!
We need a live hair bulb in order to achieve results. Therefore, we need approximately 4-8 weeks of regrowth to have some live bulbs in the skin again. IPL is also something that you don’t want to be using too often. For this reason, we advise our clients that anything beyond 12 treatments within a 12 month period is far too much.
Like any light based treatment, IPL is a form of radiation so you want to make sure you are not overexposing your skin.
Does IPL or LASER remove hair permanently?
IPL and other light based treatments do not remove hair permanently- as in “forever”. There is always a small chance that you may have some regrowth through the years. The amount of regrowth can range from 2-50%. There are certain things that can influence that percentage. For example, hormonal changes, whether that be with age, pregnancy, or health conditions that can bring back hair growth or decrease hair growth.
Another factor to consider is the amount of reduction that was achieved during your treatment course. Regrowth percentage will influence reduction rate. A higher reduction rate, for example, 98% will have a lower regrowth percentage. On the other hand, a lower reduction rate such as 50% will see higher regrowth.
There are some things to consider when deciding between IPL or LASER hair removal. Below are some popular questions clients ask when making their choice.
Is IPL as strong as LASER?
The short answer is yes. IPL is as strong in terms of delivering results. The amount of sessions required are similar with both systems. In other words, you get the same results in the end. The main different between IPL and LASER is the type of light they are emitting. LASER uses a single beam, whereas IPL delivers a broad spectrum. This means that the system delivers different types of treatments because you have more range in that light spectrum.
What are the advantages of IPL over LASER?
If we are basing it on results, they are on par with each other. Now, based on the comfort level of the service, IPL tends to be more gentle with the surrounding tissue. The reason for this is that broad spectrum we mentioned earlier. Within that spectrum, depending on the person’s hair tone, skin tone, and the number of sessions they’ve had, the machine will filter out a specific depth of penetration that will only affect the target so that the surrounding tissue is not compromised.
Do IPL and LASER hair removal feel similar?
IPL and LASER do not feel similar. With IPL, the system wIll make direct contact with the person’s skin, whereas LASER will hover over the skin.
Another difference is that LASER typically uses a hose that outputs cold air to cool the skin. On the other hand, with IPL, depending on the system, the technician may use an ultrasound jelly to keep the skin cold. Other systems, for example the Sharplight system that we use, uses contact cooling, via the actual window that touches the skin.
Yes, you can safely switch because they are both light based treatments. Some differences you may notice are the way the treatments are delivered. Examples include the cooling mechanism, the sitting time, and possibly the frequency of treatments.
When it comes to your currents results, it should not have an effect on your current results or cause any regrowth to happen. If this happens, it’s most likely not the system. However, it could be that your settings are not set accordingly. This is why it’s important to let your technician know that you have had previous treatments, how many treatments you’ve had and also the efficacy of those treatments.
What happens if you stop using IPL before you get to your results?
If you stop IPL laser treatments prematurely, there will be a short period of time before you start seeing some growth come back. Most areas that clients have treated are influenced by hormones that drive growth. Therefore, it is inevitable that the hair will come back because hormones change.
In conclusion, stopping treatments prematurely will decrease hair growth but won’t get you maximum results. Furthermore, stopping IPL prematurely will not result in more hair than you started out with.
What happens if you stop IPL after reaching your goal?
Once you finish your full treatment course and we get to your goal, you will see an extended period where you wont have any hair growth at all. Very seldom do clients experience earlier regrowth, and if they do, when they do it is significantly less hair, typically thinner, and takes a lot longer to grow to the point of needing to shave more than once every few months. It takes about 3-5 years on average before you need a touch up.
Can IPL make hair growth worse?
No, typically in most cases it does not have that effect. On the rare occassion that this occurs, this is considered an adverse reaction symbolic of something abnormal going on in the body.
