FAQ'S

How does laser hair removal work?

Laser hair removal uses a process called selective photo thermolysis. Heat from the laser destroys cells that have a darker pigment than the skin. The hair transfers heat to the hair follicles during the growth phase of the hair (anagen phase explained below) and destroys them, so the hair can no longer grow.

Removal is only effective in the first stage of growth (anagen phase) which occurs every 4-6 weeks, hence why we wait this amount of time between appointments.

The are 4 stages of hair growth:

Anagen Phase

Also known as the ‘Growth Phase’ or ‘Active Phase’, the Anagen Phase is when the cells in the root of your hair are most rapidly dividing so more new hair is formed. During the Anagen Phase, the hair grows around half an inch a month. This stage lasts around 3 – 5 years.

Catagen Phase

Following the Anagen Phase, the hair cycle enters a short transitional phase known as the Catagen Phase, which signals the end of active hair growth and cuts individual hairs off from the blood supply. This lasts around 10 days.

Telogen Phase

This is the resting period whereby strands remain in their follicles but are not actively growing. This lasts around 3 months or 100 days.

Exogen phase

When individual hair strands are released from their follicles and fall out to allow the entire process to start again.

Is laser hair removal permanent?

Laser hair removal is ‘deemed’ permanent. However, most clients will need top-up appointments to keep hair growth fully at bay. This is different from client to client and is highly dependable on hormones, especially with female clients. So, we would suggest top-ups either every three months, six months or annually.

What are the different types of technology used for laser hair removal?

There’s a wide range of equipment for laser and light treatment available on the market for hair removal. Starting with the types of lasers available for these treatments:

Intense pulsed light (IPL)

590 – 1200 wavelength. The pulses are generated by a lamp or pulsed “flash lamp”. Filters are used to determine the most appropriate spectrum according to the patient’s skin and hair type.

Diode laser
800 – 810 and enables the variation of pulse duration.

Ruby laser
Filters are used to determine the most appropriate spectrum according to the patient’s skin and hair type.

Alexandrite laser
This emits a wavelength of 755 nm.

What is Intense pulsed light (IPL) laser for hair removal?

IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light and it works by concentrating a beam of light into the hair follicles by heating them up and therefore stunting their growth. Technically this isn’t actually a laser treatment. Different wavelengths can also be used for other skin conditions including rejuvenation, acne treatment, thread vein and pigmentation treatment.

What is a diode laser for hair removal?

A diode works differently to IPL in so far as it delivers high energy into the skin to be selectively absorbed by the melanin surrounding the follicle whilst keeping the surrounding tissue intact. As the melanin heats, it destroys the root and blood flow to the follicle, again stunting growth.

What is an nd: YAG for laser hair removal?

This laser emits light pulses which is absorbed by the melanin transferring it to the root where the energy destroys this in much the same way as the diode. These are the safest on darker skin types as they leave the surrounding skin untouched.

What is the best type of laser for hair removal in the UK
As you can see from above, there’s many types of technologies available and it all depends on your budget and also skin colour may play a role in your decision on which technology to go for. For example, an nd:YAG laser can be used on all skin types.

When will laser become regulated in the UK?

The industry has been discussing regulation within the laser industry for some time now. However, this still hasn’t come to fruition. What this means is that any practitioner looking to offer laser treatments within their clinic, can do so only with an accredited qualification.

Here at The Laser Academy Group, we believe knowledge is key to gaining the best and safest results for clients and therefore, we encourage all our learners to attain their qualifications via the correct channels to achieve a Ofqual regulated Level 4 in laser and intense pulsed light (IPL) and above should this be necessary.

What this will also mean, is that when the regulations do come in, which could be any day now, you will be ahead of the game, and have achieved all you can at present to ensure that your knowledge is of a high standard.

What is the current legislation for laser and light treatment and the importance of compliance with regulations?

There is lots of legislation surrounding laser and light treatment, including:

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations. This requires employers to assess the risks that arise from the use of substances used on the client and those used for cleaning.
Data Protection Act/General Data Protection Regulations - GDPR stands for General Data Protection Legislation. It is a European Union (EU) law that came into effect on 25th May 2018. GDPR governs the way in which we can use, process, and store personal data (information about staff and clients.
Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations – All businesses should have at least, one member of staff that holds an emergency first aid at work (EFAW) qualification, should the need occur.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) including gloves, aprons, masks and glasses for both practitioner and client.
Fire safety and evacuation plans.
Appropriate waste disposal.
Appropriate hazard signage for the area.
All relevant insurances to be held by the business, most importantly, public liability insurance, treatment risk insurance and product liability insurance.
Different regions have different legislation and so it’s important for the practitioner to thoroughly investigate the requirements for their specific region as well as national regulations.
Manufacturers Guidelines: Always refer to these for specific use of the equipment and work to these protocols.

Non-compliance to regulations could be costly. The responsibility is to the client, but also to staff. The practitioner needs to ensure all legislation is in place so as to prevent injury and have in place processes and procedures in the event of something negative occurring. Otherwise, penalties and fines could be incurred, there could be a risk to reputation and the business could be shut down.

What is the Fitzpatrick scale of skin typing?

The Fitzpatrick Scale classifies six different skin types based on their melanin content. The amount of melanin within the skin is responsible for UV sensitivity. Pale skin doesn’t have a lot of melanin and is consequently a lot more sensitive to UV exposure than darker and more pigmented skin colour. This plays a vital role in laser treatments as different phototypes, or skin types, react differently to laser exposure.

Before commencing treatment, each client should complete a Fitzpatrick survey themselves to identify their skin colour/type. In addition, the practitioner should then analyse the skin by looking at the client and also testing via an electronic handpiece if available. These should all match-up.

This can then be utilised to determine the level of the laser (depending on which laser the practitioner uses).

Inaccurate identification of client skin type/colouring can be damaging. Many traditional lasers are only suitable for skin types 1 to 3, while causing damage to skin types 4 to 6 – This could include pigmentation issues (hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation), blistering, burning and/or other potential issues. Fortunately, there have been advancements in laser technologies, allowing for devices to treat all skin types.

However, it is vital to determine the right laser setting for each client and adjust treatment parameters to suit the individual.

How many treatments do clients need for laser hair removal?
This is dependent on two things – the client and the machine used. As a practitioner, you would hope that the maximum amount of sessions a client would need would be 12 at 4-6 week intervals. However, the more expensive machines will decrease treatment sessions, some down to 6 sessions only.

If a client has hormone issues, for example, polycystic ovary syndrome, then maintenance will be required (more than likely) as an ongoing process. However, the difference laser makes to this subset of clients is incredible. Most go from shaving every day to once per month.

How do clients prepare for laser hair removal
Your clients need to shave 24 – 48 hours prior to their session. The laser needs the root of the hair to target and so waxing and epilation are not permitted. For clients of darker skin tones and should the machine used be safe for dark tones, patch tests will need to be left longer prior to the treatment commencing for safety and to ensure no pigmentary changes occur.

How does tattoo removal work?

In short, lasers remove tattoos by breaking up the ink with pulses of light energy. What people don’t realise is that the ink from a tattoo remains within the skin as a liquid and does not harden. Therefore, when this light hits the ink, it breaks into tiny fragments and in the coming weeks, the body flushes the ink out via the lymphatic system which is the body’s natural cleansing system.

The easiest colour to eradicate is black and the hardest colours to remove are white, yellow and green.

How many sessions do clients need with laser tattoo removal?

This all depends on the tattoo. We utilise a calculator to determine approximately how many sessions a client will need, taking into consideration the colour of their skin, the size of the tattoo, if there was any scarring, the density of the ink, the colours within the tattoo and the positioning on the body.

Many clients will approach a practitioner for cover-up purposes and therefore only require a 50% removal, so an artist can cleverly cover-up over the top. As a practitioner, you will learn how to effectively calculate the amount of sessions required.

What is a q-switch ND: Yag laser for tattoo removal?

These laser utilise short pulses of intense light to shatter tattoo ink into tiny particles.

They are also known for their effectiveness in removing darker ink colours, especially black ink utilising a 1064nm wavelength. The 532nm works well with reds and browns.

These two wavelengths combined also work to treat fungal nail infection and add in a 755 and the three combined effectively treat skin hyperpigmentation.

The 755nm wavelength can also be used for the carbon skin peel.

What is a picosecond laser for tattoo removal?

These lasers utilise the same principle as Q-switched lasers, but emit pulses at a trillionth of a second, making them significantly faster.

This increased speed allows picosecond lasers to break down ink particles more effectively, often resulting in fewer treatment sessions. They are particularly effective for lighter and more stubborn ink colours.

What training do I have to do to become a laser specialist?

There are a couple of different options. However, we would always advise practitioners to go down the regulated route (Ofqual regulated level 4 laser and IPL). This will give advanced knowledge for the practitioner and ensure they are fully equipped for their clients. At device purchase, we can get you going with an accredited qualification, so that you can start practising straight away after your initial accredited training. However, we will want you to work towards your regulated qualification straight away.

Why do you offer machines at different budgets?

Anyone who buys a car doesn’t buy the same brand, colour and have the same amount of money to spend on their vehicle. As clients, you have different budgets. It may be that you’re starting out in this area and only have a small budget. In time, you may be able to invest and advance. A cheaper device, doesn’t mean it won’t do the same job ultimately. However, what it can mean is that your clients may need slightly more treatments to achieve their desired outcome.

How quickly will I make a return on my investment (ROI)?

This all depends on how you market your offering. This is something we can help with here at the Laser Academy Group. However, we can give you some personal experience here. On starting, we bought a mid-range device and ROI was 2 months only!

How much money can I make per month with laser?

This all depends on the individual and again, how well you market your clinic and your treatment offering. It also depends on your geographic location, as some areas are more expensive than others, i.e. you can’t buy a house in London for the same amount of money as you would in the north. Therefore, a practitioner needs to look at the local area and find their sweet spot and realistic price points.

Our experienced trainers can advise you on this.

Let’s give an example in Cheltenham:

- In 30 minutes you could treat full legs or back: £120

- You could book 4 clients per day and work 5 days per week = £2400 per week

- This equates to around £9600 per month GROSS

Initial outgoings:

- Machine and training payment (you get a starter kit with goggles etc in this also)

- Electric couch

- Trolley

- Kidney dish and spatula

Ongoing costs:

- Couch roll and gel

- Non alcohol wipes

- Marketing
- Booking system
- Insurance

What is the best way to market my clinic?

It’s really important to know your market - Understand who you are selling to and where they might be looking. Every business needs a marketing budget. Set a small b toudget begin with and measure the success of your campaigns. When you start generating income, you will then know which channel works best and can therefore attribute more budget to that area. It’s about trial and error and different marketing channels (i.e. social media, website, email marketing etc.) may work differently for different businesses in different locations. And remember, there’s so much more to gaining clients than implementing a few sporadic social media posts.

Natalie offers marketing consultation and implementation here at The Laser Academy Group, so please get in touch for more information. Alexandra offers a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to learners through various online & face to face programs, all designed to educate practitioners to be the best they can be in their businesses.

Why do you offer clinic interior design?

Laser is a clinical procedure. All too often we visit premises and they’re just not set-up for this purpose. Even from an organisation perspective and even logistical layout within the room and placement of plug sockets for your device.

Natalie qualified in interior design and so can help with this element and so you are in safe hands.

How does this work in an existing beauty clinic?

Laser is an excellent addition to any beauty clinic as the ROI is excellent. As you already have the space set-up and existing clientele, then you are in the perfect position to add this set of treatments. We will guide and support you throughout your journey.

How can I start this as a new venture?

You will see from Natalie’s story that she began with laser and then added in other treatments thereafter. You are perhaps looking at a change in career or a new venture and this is perfect. We have all you will need to set this up from scratch.

How does machine servicing work?

When you purchase a machine, there will be options for service contracts available also. We also have a team of experts located nationally to utilise for any issues as well as spare machines to avoid downtime.

Do you offer finance?

Yes, finance options are available.