Hair Removal

In the past, the usual remedies for unwanted hair were plucking, shaving, waxing or chemical depilatories. Some are painful, some are messy and all are only temporary.

For long-term hair removal, electrolysis has been effective but it can be uncomfortable and slow. Hair by hair, an electric current passes through a needle to destroy the hair root making it unable to grow. Now there is a more effective solution. The Diode, protected by a cooling tip, is a state-of-the-art system able to remove unwanted hair faster, with less discomfort, and more reliably than many other methods.

The Diode laser produces a beam of highly concentrated light that is absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicles. The laser pulses for a fraction of a second, just long enough to vaporize the pigment, destroying many follicles at the same time, eliminating or slowing hair re-growth. During treatment the upper layers of skin are protected by a cooling tip, thus permitting effective treatment of patients with any skin type. Because it is the pigment that attracts the laser energy, it is important that your skin is not overly pigmented (tanned or sunburned) at the time of treatment as this increases the chances of side effects. The length of a laser treatment session may be a few minutes to an hour or more, depending on the size of the area being treated. Because the laser treats the follicles that are actively growing most efficiently, often 4 to 6 treatments or more will be necessary to destroy the other follicles as they enter their growth phase. The laser treatment itself can cause a slight tingling or heat sensation. Most patients tolerate the procedure well, but because some areas of the body are more sensitive than others, topical anesthetic cream is an option. The appearance of the treated area after a laser session will vary from patient to patient, depending on the extent of treatment and the skin type. Redness and swelling may occur, but are usually gone in minutes. Most patients return to their normal routine immediately following treatment.

Spider Vein Treatment

Dr. Cavalier performs the gold standard for spider veins, sclerotherapy. Small, fine vessels can be treated with laser.