Five questions to ask before you commit to a course

Laser hair removal is a run of appointments over several months, so choose the practice with care. These are the questions worth asking anywhere, with Bellava’s answers.

1. Can the settings be adjusted for my skin?

The light is absorbed by the pigment in each hair follicle, which heats and is damaged enough to stop producing hair, while the skin around it is spared. Dark hair on lighter skin gives the light the clearest target. Bellava treats with IPL technology calibrated to your own pigmentation, and for darker skin that means lower energy and a cooling handpiece, which guard against burns and against patches that turn lighter or darker.

2. Who will actually treat me?

Licensed medical estheticians Semira Crecco-Donnelly, with more than 20 years in the field, and Natalina McEwan, with over 12 years in plastic surgery and medical aesthetics, carry out every session.

3. How many sessions, and why that many?

The usual first series is six treatments, four to six weeks apart. Not every follicle is active on the day, so treated hairs begin to shed after the first couple of sessions and the best reduction tends to appear around the fourth or fifth. A touch-up every six to twelve months then deals with hair from follicles that were dormant. Your total depends on the area, how thick the hair is, your ethnicity and your hormones, and it is set at a free consultation after your growth pattern is assessed.

4. What do I have to do between visits?

Four weeks clear of sun and tanning beds before each session.
No waxing or electrolysis for a month beforehand; shave the area a day or two ahead instead.
Clean skin on the day, with no lotion, makeup or powder.
A list of your medications, since some make skin more sensitive to laser light.
For 24 to 48 hours afterwards, no direct sun and no exercise hard enough to make you sweat, with gentle cleansing and moisturizing.

5. What can go wrong, and how is it prevented?

Redness, swelling or sensitivity can follow a session and usually fade within a few hours; an ice pack helps. Careful settings are the defence against pigment changes, good aftercare against folliculitis bumps, and the eye protection you are given stays on for any area on the upper body.

Session length and areas

Anything from about 15 minutes for an upper lip to an hour for full legs or a back. The face and neck, underarms, arms and hands, the legs down to the toes, the bikini area, and the back, chest and shoulders can all be treated.

A trip you will make several times

When I-684 was completed through North Salem in 1974, it came with an exit at Hardscrabble Road, and that is the quickest way out of Croton Falls toward Bellava, about 13 minutes without traffic to 182 Route 117 Bypass Road. Purdys, beside its own entrance, is about ten minutes away, and the town’s centre on Titicus Road about 19.

North Salem patients ask

Does it hurt? Most people compare each pulse to a rubber band snapping against the skin, and optional cooling makes it more comfortable.

Can I come on a Saturday? Yes, from 10 am to 2 pm; on weekdays Bellava opens at 9 am.

Can I book online? Yes. Press Book Now to reserve the free consultation or a session.

Laser Hair Removal for North Salem, NY