• Traditional lasers use single high intensity ‘shots’ to deliver laser energy, heating up a small patch of skin to 45-50 celsius in a faction of a second. The laser is then moved slighty and another shot is made. This can be quite painful, traumatic for the skin and a real source of anxiety for many clients. Typically, ‘shots’ based lasers will use either the Alexandrite wavelength 755nm or the NdYag wavelength or a combination of the 2. Different wavelengths penetrate to different depths within the skin and damage different parts of the hair follicle. Many ‘shots’ based lasers cannot be used to treat tanned skin and many can only use the NdYag wavelength when treating darker skin types.
• Soprano Titanium lasers deliver laser energy in a different way. Rather than employing single, high intensity, painful shots, these lasers flash on and off 10 times a second at lower energy. The laser handpiece is passed back and forth over the area being treated and the hair follicle will gradually warm up to 45-50 celsius. This is far less painful.Imagine for a moment stepping into a hot bath. This can be quite painful. Now imagine stepping into a cold bath and turning on the hot tap to bring the temperature up to hot. As you gradually acclimatize to the increasing heat you get there without the pain.
• Soprano lasers also have a sapphire cooling tip which constantly cools down the surface of the skin during treatment while the laser energy heats up hair follicles making this system one of the least painful on the market.
• Soprano lasers also use the Alex wavelength 755nm, the diode/Speed wavelength 810nm and the Yag wavelength 1064nm during every treatment. Using all 3 laser wavelengths has been clinically proven to be more effective in reducing hair growth than using a single or dual wavelength laser.

Laser hair removal is traditionally thought to be very painful. There are 2 main types of laser hair removal systems available today. The traditional method, systems such as Candela, Magma and Cynosure employ ‘shots’ where the laser energy is applied all in one go on a particular small area to raise the temperature in the hair follicle instantly to 45-50 celsius and then moved slightly and the process repeated until the entire area has been covered. This tends to be rather painful, with some systems being a lot more painful than others. Typically it can feel like being repeatedly flicked with an elastic band or poked with a needle. Not pleasant. The Soprano Ice Titanium systems are virtually pain free. Most clients only experience a gentle warming sensation in the area being treated with some feeling a mild pins and needles sensation and stronger heat in more sensitive areas. These systems work by gradually heating the hair follicle to 45-50 degrees by emitting 10 low energy pulses per second and moving the handpiece back and forth over the treatment area. If you imagine stepping into a hot bath, it can be quite painful however if you step into a luke warm bath and turn on the hot tap and bring the temperature up, as you are gradually acclimatising to the increased heat there is little or no pain.

The main differences between laser hair removal and electrolysis are speed and pain level. Laser can be used to treat large areas quickly and depending on the type of laser used can be virtually pain free. Electrolysis works by treating individual hairs and passing an electric current down each hair which can be incredibly time consuming and quite painful. Electrolysis can be a good option for treating small areas of white hair which are not affected by laser treatments.

Laser hair removal is effective on darker skin types. Soprano Ice Titanium are the market leading and best-known systems for treating darker skin types safely and effectively.

You can perform laser hair removal on almost any body area. We do not treat the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet as hair will not grow there. Eyes must be protected during treatment so we cannot treat within the eye socket. We only advise to treat areas that have terminal hair (thicker darker hair) and you should avoid areas that only have very fine baby hair which will not be dense enough to be affected by the laser.

A minimum of 6 sessions, correctly spaced is recommended for a good result. Typically, a hair reduction of around 60-90% can be achieved for clients that respond well to treatment from 6 sessions. Areas such as the face and the bikini area tend to be more resistant to treatment and more sessions are usually required to get a good result. A small percentage of clients are more resistant to treatment and will require more sessions to reach that level of reduction. Everyone is different with different hair colour, skin colour, hormones, genetics and general resistance to the treatment.

We use the  Soprano Titanium systems at LaserPro Aesthetics. These market leading laser hair removal systems are safe, highly effective, suitable for any skin type, virtually pain free, can be used while you have a sun tan and employ all 3 of the laser hair removal light wavelengths for the best possible results.

After your first laser hair removal treatment you may see some redness or itching which quickly fades but most clients will have no after-effects. Soprano laser systems employ a super cooled tip which rapidly and effectively cools the skin before, during and after treatment (this is where the word ‘Ice’ comes from). A small percentage of clients may see redness that takes a little longer to fade.

• Facial hair and body hair grow at different speeds. It is recommended to come every 4 weeks for face sessions for the first 4 treatments and then spaced every 4-6 weeks thereafter with a longer gap between treatments if hair growth has slowed down.
• When treating body areas, it is recommended to come every 6 weeks for the first 4 treatments and then spaced every 6-8 weeks thereafter with a longer gap between treatments if hair growth has slowed down.

Laser hair removal is safe and effective. Since becoming commercially available in the late 1990’s laser technology has been refined and improved to the extent that it is now widely available on almost every high street. A well trained and experienced laser specialist is essential to ensure that the correct treatment and safety protocols are followed for each treatment. Laser is a safe and effective treatment as long as the therapist uses the correct settings and follows the safety and treatment protocols to the letter.