Laser Hair Removal with KMC MedSpa. | Le Stylo Rouge

Extra LSR: Laser Hair Removal.

Beauty, Extra LSR, 72 Comments

by Ashley

Ashley Style Blogger + Creative Director

Curious about laser hair removal?

For those of us who shave our legs, there’s nothing like the first few hours after a shave. Ah! Silky, smooth legs. But that feeling is so short-lived– especially in the fall + winter where one trip outside in the blustery Midwest wind and boom: goosebumps. Goodbye to those silky stems, hello prickly little hairs.

It’s estimated that over the course of her lifetime, a woman will spend $10,000 on shaving products. Ten. Thousand. Dollars. Excuse me? I could put that money to way better use. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you didn’t have to worry about squeezing in time to shave your legs before a night out? Or remember to pick up razors on your next Target run? What if you could enjoy the feel of freshly-shaven legs all the time?  This is why I’m so excited to partner with the Kansas Medical Clinic MedSpa to try out laser hair removal on my legs and share all the nitty-gritty details with you guys.

My Experience with Laser Hair Removal. | Le Stylo Rouge

I had always been curious about laser hair removal; the thought of being able to toss my razors in the trash was really enticing. I’ve also noticed that my skin has become increasingly sensitive over the past few years, which means that a normal round of shaving in the shower could leave me with red, irritated skin and ingrown hairs. No one has time for that! I noticed my skin was increasingly itchy and dry, and shaving only made things worse. And the fact my hair would grow back in less than a day? Pass. Laser hair removal seemed like a great option, but where to go? The provider would need to be safe, first and foremost. I had heard too many horror stories of people getting burned from spas that weren’t trained properly or didn’t have the best equipment. I was also concerned about price; quite frankly, the idea of paying thousands of dollars to laser my legs just wasn’t in the budget.

Enter stage right to save the day: KMC MedSpa. Who are they? They’re a branch of the Kansas Medical Clinic, a well-established network of doctors in Kansas. KMC MedSpa has 5 different locations that offer state of the art laser hair removal in a trusted medical environment. (Locations: The Legends, Shawnee, Overland Park, Topeka, and Manhattan; addresses + contact info at the bottom of the post.) Safety of the patient is paramount, as every location is under the close supervision of a trained dermatologist. Affordable laser hair removal by a trained staff under the supervision of a physician? I am all ears (and legs).

So how exactly does laser hair removal work? Essentially, a focused beam of light aimed at the hair follicle damages the follicle so it cannot grow new hair. A stun gun for hair growth, if you will. All your follicles don’t produce hair at once, they grow in cycles, rather– which is why you usually need at least 6 treatments to really clear an area of unwanted hair.

 

When I got to my appointment, my tech took a look at my legs (and helped me exfoliate off a little leftover spray tan with an alcohol wipe) to gauge my skin tone, type, hair color, thickness, etc. She input those into the machine to calibrate the laser, which she started at a moderate intensity. Over the course of 6 treatments, the intensity of the laser will be dialed up to keep the hair follicle from getting used to the laser (the body adapts!) and increase the effectiveness.

My tech used a white eyeliner to make a grid pattern on my legs. This helped her efficiently + completely treat an area before moving on to the next (otherwise, it’s easy to lose track and thus miss spots). Once the grid was marked, we were off! The laser adds a shot of cryogen with each pulse, which is super chilled air. This helps protect the skin and keep the procedure comfortable while the laser blasts your follicles with heat + light.

The entire procedure took about 90 minutes, including calibrating the machine and a short break halfway through so the tech could clean the laser. Which, considering we lasered both my legs, top to bottom, is pretty efficient. You could easily book it over a lunch break.

I took some questions via Insta stories the day before my first treatment + coupled ’em with a few questions of my own to ask my technician during my appointment. Here we go, let’s unpack ’em:

What did you do to prep? I shaved before and exfoliated off my spray tan. Note: antibiotics + laser hair removal don’t mix, so make sure to schedule your appointment at a time when you aren’t taking this type of medication. If you’re getting your face treated, do not any retinol or acids 2-3 days before your appointment.

Do you have to have any hair growth in order for the laser to work? No, just shave 24-48 hours before your appointment. Laser hair removal is different from waxing (where the wax needs a bit of hair to grab onto in order to pull the hair out of the follicle). The laser is attempting to pinpoint the melanin (read: pigment) in the bulb of your hair follicle, not the hair itself.

Quick note: while a close shave is key, you do have to have active hair growth (i.e., hair producing follicles) in order for laser hair removal to work. So stop waxing 3-4 weeks before your laser hair removal appointment to encourage active hair growth (just return to shaving).

My Experience with Laser Hair Removal. | Le Stylo Rouge
A grid of white eyeliner helps ensure every inch is treated. Genius!

Does it hurt? Not really, guys. Certainly not as bad as I figured it would, or as bad as it’s been billed in the past. (Lasers have gotten better!) There were a few areas of my leg that were uncomfortable: the ankles and the backs of my thighs just under my bum. Those stung a bit. I felt a very brief little snap– similar to a small burning snap from a rubber band. However, the pain passed as quickly as it came. The cryogen that accompanies each laser pulse really works to keep the process quite tolerable in those tender areas. For the rest of my legs (shins, calves, knees, quads, thighs), I barely felt it.

You can see from the video below, the process is so quick.

Are there any after effects? You might have some redness and/or slight tenderness for a few hours after your appointment, which you can treat with lotion and/or aloe. A little redness and swelling right after is normal– it’s actually a sign the laser has effectively blasted the follicle and is working! I felt like I had a slight sunburn after (even though my skin didn’t look red or pink), but it was hardly noticeable and had resolved about a day or so after treatment.

How long before you start to see results? The lasers typically deliver a 15-20% reduction in growth (and likely finer hair) after the first treatment. Six treatments will get you pretty close to all-the-time-smooth, but individual people with different hair growth speeds, hair type, and resilience will vary. Someone who has very thick, very resilient hair might need a few more treatments to get everything silky smooth.

How often do you go in? For the legs, about every 8-10 weeks. It all depends on how fast (and how strong) your hair grows.  Hair near the top of the body grows faster than hair at the bottom. Laser appointments for the face would be every 4-6 weeks and 6-8 for the trunk of the body (underarms, chest, back, bikini).

Do you have to do your whole leg? What if my thighs don’t have much hair? No, you do not have to do the whole leg. (And thicker hair on the lower leg + thinner/more sparse growth on the thighs is very common!)

I’m so excited to share this with you in the coming months!

April 2018 note: Unfortunately, the partner canceled this partnership halfway through my scheduled appointments, so I am unable to continue this content series at this time. I’m currently researching other medspas to purchase laser hair removal packages from, in hopes I can report back on my final results.

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72 Comments

    1. Honestly, I barely felt it on most parts of my legs- it was amazing! And the areas where it was a bit tender, the pain was quick and passed SO quickly. Definitely tolerable.

    1. Honestly, it’s WAY less painful than I thought it would be! I think waxing your bikini line is muuuuuuch worse- which surprised me!

    1. I couldn’t BELIEVE it when I learned that women will spend about $10k in their lifetime on shaving/hair removal products- that is crazyyyyy! And laser has come such a long way- I’m so pumped to keep going!

    1. Definitely was not as painful as I had thought it would be- or that I had heard it was in the past. I think the type of laser matters, for sure!

  24. I cannot believe these prices- I live in the KC area and am so excited to go in and do this! Thanks for the great and honest review!

    -Lauren

    Reply

  29. I group of girlfriends and I were *just* talking about this. We all had mixed reviews but the thing were worried about other than safety, was price! Thanks for all of the info Ash!

    Reply

    1. I hear you- number 1, you want to be safe. Nobody has time for burns + scars because some random with a laser scorched them up. And 2- price is SO important! I have wanted laser for yearsssss, but I’m sorry, WHO has thousands and thousands of dollars to spend on it? Not me. Thanks for swinging by, babe!

    1. What is great about the laser KMC MedSpa uses is that it combines several lasers so it actually effectively treats all skin tones- from pale to dark! 🙂 I love that technology is improving and is more inclusive!

    1. Right? Totally true- but it definitely helps that laser tech is becoming more affordable through reputable medspas! Because who has thousands of dollars?!

  39. Pingback: Extra LSR: Judging the Transformations Charity Gala 2018. | LSR

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