Get a Perfect Bikini Line.

If You Decide to Shave 

• Make sure your blade is sharp and clean. We like the new crop of high-performance tools: Gillette Venus Vibrance razor, $10, stimulates your hair to stand up (like goose bumps) so the blade slices the hair extra close to your skin. Also, Noxzema 4-Blade System Razor, $6, and Schick Quattro, $9, have four blades that leave not a single hair behind.
• Try a transparent shaving gel. They allow you to see clearly where you're going. Some options: King of Shaves AlphaGel, $6, and Tend Skin Air Shave Gel, $16.
• To reduce irritation, shave in the direction of hair growth. It's also wise to defuzz at the end of your shower so that the steam has softened your hair and skin, says Will King, founder of King of Shaves.
• Prevent razor rash by applying a toner with witch hazel or rosemary. Try C.O. Bigelow Dr. Galen Herbal Skin Tonic, $5. If you still get bumps, try the antibiotic ointment Neosporin; your follicles could be infected.

If You Decide to Wax 

• Doing an at-home bikini wax? Make sure your hair is at least one-quarter-inch long before you start.
• Mist on an OTC number or pop an ibuprofen 20 minutes before you start, to minimize the pain. Veet Comfort Waxing Kit, $9, comes with a spray.
• Sprinkle on baby powder to remove moisture so the wax adheres to the hair, not your skin, says Iwona Kwansiak, head aesthetician at the Repêchage Spa de Beauté NYC.
• Want to go for a Brazilian-style look? Choose a hard wax formula. (It'll say so on the box.) It grabs coarse hair best. Try Sally Hansen All-Over Wax Kit, $10.
• After the deed is done, disinfect the area with hydrogen peroxide or an alcohol-free astringent, then ease irritation with an aloe-rich lotion like Clinique Aloe Body Balm, $16.50.
• If you're going to a salon or spa, find one that incorporates an anesthetic. Completely Bare in NYC offers a service called Relax Wax in which they numb your skin with LMX 4%.

Illumiwave Hair Rejuvenation

HOW DOES THE LASER WORK?

The laser uses 181 true laser diodes at 650nm and 670 nm wavelengths that output low level laser therapy (LLLT) to the scalp.  The LLLT has the following effects:

1) Increased scalp blood flow and microcirculation

2) Increases nutrient supply to enhance hair growth

3) Stimulates and accelerates hair growth

4) Stops the progression of hair loss

5) Repairs and improves hair shaft quality

6) Reduces the binding of excess levels of skin 5 alpha reductase and DHT which contribute to genetic thinning

7) Relieves scalp conditions such as psoriasis, seborrhoeic dermatitis, itchy/scaling scalp (anti-inflammatory properties)

8) Normalizes sebum production (also increases production in under activity and dryness and decreases production in over activity or greasiness)

9) Reduces tight, tender scalp

The results are:

99% of all patients will stop their progression on hair loss, meaning you are able to achieve stabilization of hair loss. All of these patients will also see fuller, thicker, shinier and healthier hair.

Patients will notice a 20% increase in thickness alone within the first 3-5 months of treatment.

Upwards of 85%of patients will also see hair regrowth of terminal hairs.

What is Photo Rejuvenation?

Photorejuvenation is a cosmetic treatment that helps to produce younger and healthier looking skin. It is a good treatment to target aging spots, sun damaged areas, broken blood vessels (a.k.a telangiectasia), rosacea, and pigmented areas of the skin. This is usually recommended in a series of 3 to 5 treatments.

Photorejuvenation has been called many things over the years. Most commonly you will hear people call this procedure a photofacial, using an intense pulsed light (IPL) or broad band light (BBL).

As we age, we begin to see the signs of sun damage, time, and lifestyle choices appearing in our complexion. Our aging skin may include freckles, rosacea, wrinkles, broken capillaries, dark spots, blotchy skin color, redness of the face and neck, enlarged pore size and uneven pigmentation.

Photorejuvenation is the best procedure that can treat the vascular redness of rosacea or broken blood vessels. It is an excellent treatment to reduce or rid yourself of pigmented brown spots and sun damage, improve skin texture, and stimulate collagen structure all at once. Althought this dramatic treatment has little to no down time, you can expect to have a "sunburned" feeling for approxiamtely 2-24 hours post treatment.   with and can be done in about 1 hour.

Treatments can usually be done within an hour and scheduled 3 -4 weeks apart.  They are often recommended along with microdermabrasion or peels.

Is Laser Vein Removal Right For You?

Almost anyone can be treated. Laser vein removal is an effective and gentle way to remove undesired veins. The Sciton Profile ^TM laser can be used to treat people of all skin colours. Older lasers and shorter wavelength lasers were unable to treat darkly pigmented skin on people without risking damage to the skin. However, the Sciton Profile ^TM laser has adjustable energy to allow treatment of all skin types.

Any part of the body can be treated with the Sciton Profile ^TM laser to treat unwanted veins. The most common areas treated in women – legs, thighs, upper body, & face and for men – upper body & face.

All skin colours can be treated. Skin types I through VI can be treated. Skin type I is very fair, always burns in the sun, never tans, and often has blue eyes and blonde hair. On the other side of the spectrum is Skin type VI which is darker skin, never burns in the sun and often has dark hair and eyes.

Unlike many older style lasers that could only treat the most fair skin types, the Sciton Profile ^TM laser can penetrate deep in the skin to destroy the unwanted vein. This can usually be done without disturbing the darker skin’s natural colour or causing it to heat up too much. The Sciton Profile ^TM laser can be adjusted for any skin type.

Tanned skin can be treated. The Sciton Profile ^TM laser can be adjusted to treat tanned skin effectively and safely.

However, for the best results, we suggest that you do not tan, use sunless tanning products, or expose yourself excessively to the sun for the three weeks leading up to your laser vein treatment. Lighter coloured skin responds the best to laser energy.

If you have a new tan, have been exposed to the sun in the last three weeks, or have used a tanning product, please inform us before you laser. This allows us to adjust the treatment regimen accordingly to best laser your darker skin. If you’ve recently tanned, you may now require additional treatment sessions to achieve the optimal vein removal.

We may need to reschedule the treatment if you have had recent sun exposure.

Most blood vessels can be treated. Blood vessels that you can see with the naked eye respond very well to the Sciton Profile ^TM laser vein treatment. Cherry spots, broken blood vessels, and telangiectasia can all respond well to laser treatment.

Tiny vessels that are so small that they are difficult to see even with a magnifying glass may not be as easily treated. Larger vessels (greater than 3mm) may respond better to injection sclerotherapy than laser.

Your consultation with our physician will allow us to evaluate your blood vessels and determine how or if the laser treatment will provide you benefit.

Varicose Vein Myths

Fact or fiction: Wearing high-heeled shoes can contribute to varicose veins.

» Fact: While wearing high-heeled shoes doesn't directly cause varicose veins, it can worsen existing vein problems.

The calf muscle serves as the pump that circulates blood up and out of the veins. Optimal calf pumping action is generated from the systematic contraction and relaxation of the calf muscle. High heels keep your calf muscle in the contracted position, limiting its ability to pump blood up the veins.

While wearing high heels for limited periods of time is OK, wearing them eight to 10 hours per day is discouraged.

» Fact or fiction: Crossing your legs can cause varicose veins.

» Fiction: Sitting for prolonged periods of time in any position can increase your risk of varicose veins. However, there is no medical research to support the idea that periodic crossing of the legs causes varicose veins.

» Fact or fiction: Sun exposure can cause spider veins.

» Fact: Although exposure to UV light, either from the sun or tanning lights, probably doesn't increase the risk of leg vein disorders, it can contribute to the development of spider veins on the face and certain types of skin cancers.

» Fact or fiction: Leg discomfort and varicose veins are a normal part of the aging process.

» Fiction: Leg discomfort and varicose veins are not normal at any age. However, varicose veins and vein disorders do worsen with age. If you suffer from heaviness, aching, swelling or fatigue of the legs and/or varicose veins, you should be evaluated by a vein specialist.

» Fact or fiction: There are herbal remedies that can help varicose veins.

» Fact: There may be some truth to this, however, it must be interpreted with caution. There is limited evidence to suggest that horse chestnut seed extract may improve some of the symptoms associated with varicose veins such as swelling, pain and itching, but it does not treat the underlying vein disorder.

Any symptom improvement experienced while taking the herb typically returns again immediately upon cessation, and it doesn't prevent vein disorders from worsening. This herb can be expensive and has a very limited place in the management of varicose veins. Taking it should never replace formal evaluation and treatment by an experienced vein specialist.

» Fact or fiction: Varicose veins are only a cosmetic problem.

» Fiction: The American College of Phlebology estimates that varicose veins and related vein disorders affect more than 80 million Americans. These disorders can increase the risk of developing life-threatening blood clots, cause open wounds on the legs, cause significant leg swelling, pain and discomfort, and impair quality of life.

The good news is that varicose veins and vein disorders are highly manageable conditions.

Source: www.htrnews.com

What Do You Know About Spider Vein Treatment?

Spider veins are a descriptive term that refers to a small blood vessel found near the surface of the skin, that looks a bit like a spider. There will be a small central spot with smaller blood vessels radiating out like spokes from the centre (or like legs on the body of a spider). If you press down and let go over the spot you will notice that the blood first drains out and then refills from the centre spot.Laser Vein removal of upper back of thigh

Sometimes doctors also refer to spider veins as spider angiomata or star telangiectasia. Spider veins are actually a type of telangiectasia, which is basically a dilated small blood vessel that can be observed just below the surface of the skin.

Spider veins can occur for absolutely no reason at all. It may be quite normal for someone to have several spider veins with no medical reason for this. Spider veins can also appear in response to a variety of factors. The presence of certain diseases, hormones, and physical stress can cause spider veins. Chronic sun exposure, physical or surgical trauma, pregnancy, corticosteroid use, alcohol, and taking estrogen pills can cause spider veins.

What can Levulan do for your skin?

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is the process of using a topical medication called LevulinTM (aminolevulinic acid) and activating this medication with a light source (usually blue light). PDT has been used successfully for treatment of many skin problems. Probably the best usage has been to treat acne, aging spots called seborrheic keratosis, and precancerous skin lesions called actinic keratosis. Additionally, PDT has been studied and successfully used for many other medical uses.

At Laser Away, we have used PDT for a variety of medical treatments but by far we have used it most for acne treatments and skin blemishes.

LevulinTM is a photo-sensitizing medication that has the unique ability to reduce pores and glands, thus improving acne.

At Laser Away, this treatment is a 3-step process. First, we gently cleanse your skin using microdermabrasion to remove the dead skin on the skin’s surface. Next, we apply the topical medication Levulan over the face (or other areas to be treated). The LevulinTM  is left on the skin for 60 minutes (called the incubation time). Lastly, the LevulinTM  is “activated” using the Blu-U light for a short time (8-12 minutes).

The treatment is usually painless. However, sometimes people will report a stinging sensation during the activation of the LevulinTM. Afterwards you must stay out of the sunlight for 48 hours. Treatments can be repeated in 2-4 weeks if they are needed.  Usually 1 - 3 treatments are needed.