Every one of us can relate to the daily struggles with unwanted hair. Whether you are battling with the razor on “yeti legs” before a night out, or having to make regular back wax appointments; all of us can relate to the hassle of hair removal.
But it doesn’t have to be like this. More and more people are choosing longer term hair removal options, such as laser treatments, to save time and inconvenience. These treatments promise to free you from the shackles of ongoing hair removal, once and for all.
Choosing a quality treatment center is the number on consideration for those looking to try laser hair removal. One of the most well known and popular choices for laser hair removal in the US and Canada is “Ideal Image”.
In this review, we will take a closer look at Ideal Image hair removal - to find out if they are the best choice for your appointment.
Who Are Ideal Image?
Ideal Image are a cosmetics and medi-spa with branches all over 130 locations across the US and Canada. They say that they have a simple mission: to make clients look and feel their best. They are the national leader in laser hair removal, serving thousands of happy clients every year. Ideal Image also offer a wealth of other, non-surgical beauty treatments; such as botox and fillers.
Ideal Image have been in business for more than 15 years, and are proud of their use of the latest innovative equipment and technology in their spas. They only employ highly trained and licensed medical and nursing professionals in their clinics, so clients can feel assured of the best quality treatment.
What Is Ideal Image Hair Removal?
Ideal Image offers laser hair removal; a long-term, sometimes permanent method of hair removal. It utilizes the use of light to target highly pigmented areas of the skin, heating them up to a level which eventually destroys the hair follicle. This destruction serves to inhibit the further growth of the hair by shrinking the hair follicle and eventually causing the disappearance of hair from that area altogether
How Does Ideal Image Hair Removal Work?
Imagine a beam of light being swept over the skin, close to the surface. The light emits energy which is in turn absorbed by the skin. This occurs more intensely in areas of high pigmentation, such as hair follicles, which absorb more light and heat energy.
It is because heat energy is more highly absorbed in areas of highest pigmentation that laser hair removal is more effective on people who have lighter skin, but darker hair. In these individuals, the hair has much more pigment than the skin, thus drawing the energy to itself more intensely.
Laser hair removal was developed on the same principle, that intense light/heat can target hairs more than surrounding skin. A laser is essentially a focused beam of light which can be concentrated upon a very small area. The laser light has a very narrow spectrum, meaning only a single light color can be released.
Laser hair removal uses the qualities of lasers to direct the light beam straight down into the pore of the hair follicle. This concentrated beam specifically targets and heats the follicle to high temperatures - effectively destroying it.
What Are The Benefits Of Ideal Image Hair Removal?
Value Over Time
Laser hair removal has a much larger upfront cost than a waxing appointment; but over the long term you will save yourself money. If you consider the amount of money spent upon shaving, waxing and other hair removal products over the course of a year, this surely adds up!
Ideal Image say they will work with budgets of all sizes to make sure laser hair removal is affordable for everyone.
Convenient and Effective
Shaving and waxing can cause regular irritation, as well a being rather inconvenient. Waxing in particular requires the individual to wait until the hair has grown to an acceptable length before it can be removed. This can mean spending much more time with some length of hair than without.
Laser hair removal is a very effective treatment. Many Ideal Image clients reach a permanent hair free state after a few sessions. Results will naturally vary across individuals, but generally they are very positive.
Licensed Professionals
Ideal Image only employs fully licensed professional therapists in their clinics, so you can rest assured that you are in good hands. In fact, out of the top licensed medical and nursing professionals in the US - 250 of these professionals are employed by Ideal Image.
Quick and Easy
One of the great things about laser hair removal is that it is quick and easy. The length of the appointment will vary depending upon the size of the area being treated, but the longest period of time is usually around an hour. In most cases, appointment length averages at only around 30 minutes!
How Many Sessions Of Ideal Image Hair Removal Will I Need?
Everyone is different when it comes to hair growth. The rate of growth will differ depending upon the individual and the area of the body. For this reason, some people will require more treatments than others to achieve the results they desire. For example, some individuals are happy with the results after one session, while others need 10 sessions before they are satisfied.
The stage of the hair growth cycle at which you receive treatment can also contribute to its effectiveness. Hair follicles are most responsive to the therapy when they are at the initial growth phase, known as “anagen”. This is the stage at which the hair is actively growing and therefore contain the greatest concentration of melanin (pigment). As explained previously, the higher the pigmentation, the higher the amount of heat and light energy they will be exposed to. Thus, this stage provides the greatest chances of completely destroying the follicle during treatment.
Is Ideal Image Hair Removal Suitable For Everyone?
When assessing whether you are a good candidate for laser hair removal; Ideal Image therapists will use the “Fitzpatrick Scale”.
The Fitzpatrick Scale is used to determine skin tone. It considers the individuals ethnic heritage, genetic disposition and how the skin reacts upon exposure to sunlight. The scale runs from “Type I” to “Type VI”. The first type describes skin which contains very small amounts of melanin, is pale and burns particularly easily. At the other end of the scale, type VI skin contains very high amounts of melanin, is much darker and hardly ever burns. Ideal Image practitioners employ this scale to figure out whether the treatment is right for you, but also which are the best settings to use during the appointment.
Skin which has a low score on the Fitzpatrick scale, combined with dark colored hairs, will be the most responsive to laser hair removal treatment. Darker skin, which has a higher score, will be the least responsive. This is because the more pigmented skin will absorb a greater quantity of the light and heat energy from the laser. Generally, type VI skin is not suited to laser hair removal, because there is a risk of burns due to the skin absorbing too much of the light.
It is not the tone of the skin which determines the effectiveness of the treatment; the color of the hair itself plays a role too. In much the same way, different colors of hair also absorb light in differing ways according to the amount of melanin they contain.
Light colored hair, such as gray and white hair, contain very small amounts of melanin. Dark black, brunette and brown hair contains larger amounts. Just like with skin, the hair that contains the most melanin will absorb the most light energy. It is for this reason, people with darker hair experience better results than individuals with light hair. Those with darker hair also need less treatments to get the same results as a lighter haired client. Red or blond colored hair doesn't respond well to laser hair removal.
Aside from hair and skin color considerations, clients at Ideal Image will need to ensure they do not have a history of any of the following diseases:
Also, clients must not have used these drugs in the last 12 months:
Furthermore, those who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to get pregnant should avoid treatment.
Which Areas Are Suitable For Ideal Image Hair Removal?
Women are able to have laser hair removal treatments across most areas of their body. Men can also have laser hair removal, although they shouldn’t have it on their facial hair as this hair is too dense. Neither sex should have hair on the top of the scalp, genitalia or nipples treated.
Ideal Image offer laser hair removal treatment for these main areas:
What Are The Side Effects of Ideal Image Hair Removal?
The side effect of laser hair removal are mostly minor and do not last very long after treatment. In the majority of cases, any side effects have disappeared within 24 hours. On occasion, symptoms may last for a few days.
Pain Or Discomfort
Laser hair removal can feel a little uncomfortable to some individuals. Generally, clients will describe the discomfort as feeling like a rubber band being stretched and snapped repeatedly against the skin.
Once the treatment is over, the pain usually subsides very quickly. Of course, everybody has a different level of pain threshold, so you may not experience any discomfort at all. If you are not happy with the sensation, the Ideal Image therapist will provide you with some numbing cream.
Skin Irritation
The most common side effect of laser hair removal is skin irritation. The nature of the irritation can vary, some individuals will experience redness, tingling, swelling or itching after treatment. This is normal and should go away after a few hours. Clients are advised not to scratch or rub at the skin directly after treatment as it will be more sensitive.
Burns
Because laser hair removal burns away the hair at follicle level; this means the surrounding skin should be unaffected. But, there is still the potential for mild burns on the skin. This is rare, but not impossible. Any burns will feel much like sunburn and should be treated in the same way.
Scarring
It is incredibly rare that laser hair removal causes scarring, but this is still a possibility. The best way to avoid any risk of this is to make sure you are moisturizing the skin regularly after treatment.
Pigment Changes
In some cases, clients will find that there has been a pigment change in the area that was treated. What was previously dark hair could regrow as blond or gray hair. In especially rare cases, clients will experience an increase in hair growth.
Is Ideal Image Hair Removal Permanent?
Laser hair removal is extremely effective. Overall, those who receive laser hair removal will experience a 60% reduction in hair growth. However, as with any hair removal treatment, the results will not last a lifetime.
Laser hair removal is the best way to get long term results. The follicles are so damaged that any hair which does grow back does so at a much slower rate than pre-treatment. Any hair regrowth is often much finer and thinner than before too. Many clients find that after they have reached a satisfactory state of hairlessness, they should return occasionally for top up treatments to maintain the results.
Ideal Image Hair Removal Testimonials
Ideal Image is one of the leading laser hair removal clinics with a large clientele. Here is what some happy customers had to say about Ideal Image Hair Removal on their website.
Shireen said:
“I went to Ideal Image and I had my face done, my underarms done, my legs done, my arms done, and my bikini line done, and now I'm completely hair free. For me, Ideal Image was the best solution for hair removal. I haven't picked up a razor since 2007. It's been 5 years since I shaved my legs. Ideal Image was a great investment. It was extremely cost effective. Between the money I spent on razors, bleaching, wax appointments, and the time spent, I spent a lot of money getting Ideal Image. No more waxing, no more shaving, no more tweezing, Ideal Image has changed my life.”
Sammy said:
“Now that I’ve had the Laser Hair Removal, I feel like my life is so much simpler. I feel like I look better; I feel better; I have more confidence. The flexibility to be able to play with my children, being able to throw on a bathing suit and just go get in the pool without a second thought has been really a life saver. “
Tina says:
“I went to Ideal Image because I've always had a problem. When I'd shave I get bumps. I would get a skin rash from the razor and I was very self-conscious about it. I didn't wear tank tops, always had long sleeve shirts on, and it just made me very uncomfortable.
After I finished with my first laser hair removal treatment, it was at least four to five months before I even picked up a razor and when I did, I still didn't even really have to shave because it was so fine. So, it was almost six months before I even touched a razor and it just was so wonderful.”