What is the Best Laser Hair Removal Machine for Dark Skin?

For many years, laser hair removal was a procedure that was marketed towards patients with fair skin, and for good reason: for a long time, we simply didn’t have the technology to safely treat dark skin tone patients with the laser hair removal procedure.

However, with advancements in laser hair removal technology, we can now safely and effectively treat patients of any skin and hair type with laser hair removal.

So what is the best laser hair removal machine for patients with dark skin? Patients with dark skin should be looking for trusted and experienced clinics who are equipped with Nd:YAG laser machines, as these are the ideal wavelengths for dark skin treatment.

How Laser Hair Removal Works

Before we can understand why there are different processes involved with laser hair removal for dark skin, it is necessary to understand exactly how laser hair removal works.

Laser hair removal is a procedure that utilizes a laser, or a concentrated beam of light, to remove hair from the body and face. During the procedure, the device is aimed at the skin with unwanted hair. The laser emits from the device, and the light is absorbed by the melanin or the pigment in the targeted hair.

This light becomes heat when absorbed, and the heat travels down the hair follicle to its root. Due to the damage, the root of the hair follicle becomes temporarily or permanently unable to grow hair.

Why Laser Hair Removal Favored Fair Skin and Dark Hair

When laser hair removal was first developed, doctors and technicians found that results worked best on patients who were light-skinned with dark hair.

The reason for this was because of the way the technology worked: as the light goes into the hair follicle due to its attraction to the melanin of the hair, there needed to be a distinct contrast between the pigment of the hair and the pigment of the skin. The greater this contrast, the more successfully the light energy could convert into heat in the hair follicles.

So what happened with patients who didn’t have light skin and dark hair? Simply put, doctors could not guarantee effective hair removal treatments on them, and in many cases, it was dangerous to even try.

Without the advanced technology that we have today, devices that emitted wavelengths that weren’t absorbed into the hair follicle could lead to scarring, blistering, irregular skin color, and more, with some side effects being permanent. Without the sophistication of today’s devices, women of color who wanted hair removal were putting the safety of their skin up for gamble.

Source: MDSkin

The diagram above is known as the Fitzpatrick skin scale, and it’s the typical scale used to identify skin tones for treatments. While the scale is now considered outdated, it was the original chart for determining skin types, based on a study involving the effects of ultraviolet light on skin types (an outdated chart because lasers actually use infrared light, not ultraviolet light).

With older hair removal technology, only patients who fell under Skin Type 1 and Skin Type 2 could safely undergo treatment. Patients under 3 and 4 could risk it, while patients of 5 and 6 were almost guaranteed an unsafe procedure.

Why Laser Hair Removal is Now Safe for Darker Skin Tones

Thankfully, advancements in hair removal came quickly, and within a few decades doctors were safely offering hair removal to patients of all skin tones. Admittedly, the reason why hair removal for darker skin tones came arrived much later was because companies hadn’t done much research in the relevant markets, and believed they were disinterested in the treatments.

According to Dr. Fran Cook-Bolden, founder of a research facility for medical procedures for people of color, “When lasers were first being developed, they were only used on people with lighter skin types. Companies were aware of the risks [of giving the procedures to people of color] and they didn’t want to be bothered. There was enough need with lighter skin types already, so companies thought, ‘Why take on that additional liability?’”

But what exactly did recent advancements bring to laser devices to make the procedure safe for darker skin? For this we have to understand how lasers are made up – with wavelengths.

Laser devices typically operate with a single wavelength, and the output wavelength of the device makes it better suited for some skin types over other skin types. The original wavelength for hair removal were ruby and argon wavelengths, measured at 694.3 nanometers (nm) and 488 nm respectively.

Since then, the Alexandrite wavelength (755 nm) has become the default wavelength for light skin. The shorter, older wavelengths are now considered dangerous for the skin. The shorter the wavelength, the higher its frequency; the higher the frequency, the more energy carried in each photon.

To make the procedure safe for darker skin, filters needed to be applied to the machines to create even longer wavelengths. By increasing the length of the wavelength, they further lowered its frequency, thus creating lasers with less energy in each photon.

The Differences with Longer Wavelengths

With longer wavelengths, darker skin could safely be treated with hair removal, as the longer wavelength lasers would no longer burn their skin. The longer wavelength lasers are known as the pulsed diode array laser at 810 nm and the Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm, which is the recommended laser for patients with dark and black skin.

How important is it to make sure that the device and wavelengths you use matches your skin tone? Very important, especially if you have darker skins. While people with fair skin won’t have to worry much about experiencing other wavelengths – other than a less efficient laser treatment for them – people with black skin tones can experience blistering, scarring, and burning from treatments with Alexandrite devices and other wavelengths that aren’t meant for their skin.

It is best to consult with your chosen specialist prior to your procedure to make sure that they have the device that best fits your skin. Less experienced and reputable laser providers will try to get by with a single laser device, claiming a “one size fits all” situation, but this simply isn’t the case.

IPL Machines VS Laser Machines for Dark Skin: Is IPL Suitable for Dark Skin?

One way they will make the “one size fits all” claim is with IPL devices, or intense pulsed light machines. Many people interchange IPL machines and laser machines, but they are actually two different devices. While laser devices work on a precise wavelength, selectively targeting the skin and light hair styles that they were built to treat, IPL machines use a range of wavelengths during the procedure.

This means that an IPL device will hit a patient with wavelengths of 500 to 1000 nm. The entire range of wavelengths will be exposed to the skin at the same time, making it impossible for the light to properly be absorbed into the melanin of the hair follicle. With a broader spectrum of wavelengths, the energy being emitted out of an IPL device will be much less effective than that which comes out of a laser device.

This means that IPL devices are forced to emit higher levels of energy to achieve the same results as laser devices. With higher levels of energy emitted and exposed to the skin, there is a much greater risk of complications, such as burning and blistering of the skin, particularly when used on black skin tones.

IPL does have its uses – it is a great way to treat certain skin issues such as capillaries, redness, and pigmentation, however if a laser hair removal clinic claims to use IPL effective for hair removal, it is best to find another specialist. IPL is not a suitable stand-in for laser when it comes to hair removal, and when performed on a patient with darker skin, it can lead to long-lasting and painful side effects.

Are There IPL Devices That Work on Dark Skin?

If you want to persist with home IPL devices for your hair removal solution, then you’re in luck: there are a few IPL devices on the market that are clinically proven to be safe for dark skin tones.

As IPL devices emit a range of wavelengths and demand more energy to be as effective as laser machines, safe home IPL devices are made to emit much lower intensity ranges, and have certain filters to further weaken the emitted energy.

When searching for an ideal home IPL device for black skin, you should be looking for products that are made with Colorblind RF and ELOS technology features.

• ELOS Technology: Short for Electro-optical Synergy, ELOS technology combines radio frequency (RF) and intense pulsed light (IPL) to better selectively target hair follicles efficiently and safely. This combination of ELOS makes hair removal quicker, easier, and gentler on black skin tones.
• Colorblind RF: RF is a colorblind electric technology, making it ineffective when on its own in IPL devices. It may heat up the skin with the pulses of light, but there will be no selective targeting without ELOS. When paired with ELOS technology, it can effectively reduce hair on dark-skinned users.

You should also be on the look-out for IPL devices that have durable features, as users with darker skin tones will need to use the IPL devices for longer and more frequent sessions for visible results.

The most important factor that makes or breaks a home IPL device’s durability is its bulb. For this, you want to find a device with a Quartz bulb, as these bulbs last much longer than xenon flash bulbs, especially when set on higher temperatures for longer sessions.

Finally, your chosen home IPL device should be FDA-cleared. Safety should be your top priority when searching for home IPL devices for darker skin, so only trust devices that have been cleared by the FDA.

Some home IPL devices that are safe for most skin tones include:

• Silk’N Infinity
• Smoothskin Muse
• Braun Pro 5 IPL
• Lumea Prestige

If your skin tone resembles Skin Type 6 on the Fitzpatrick skin scale, it is strongly recommended not to try any IPL devices at all. Stick with laser machines for maximum safety. And for those with darker skin tones who purchase a home IPL device, remember: while you may see some results, it will never be as effective as what you would achieve with proper hair removal treatment.

The Best Laser Hair Removal for Dark Skin: Nd:YAG

As we said earlier, dark skin patients who are looking for the most effective hair removal machines should look no further than Nd:YAG machines, and in some cases, diode machines.

Simply put, Nd:YAG machines produce the Nd:YAG wavelength, the longest wavelength available, making it an absolutely foolproof solutions for dark skin tone patients. With the longer wavelength, it goes deeper through the epidermis than diode lasers, allowing it to bypass the initial layer of skin pigmentation.

Who can benefit from Nd:YAG devices? Any patient with dark skin tones, as well as patients with light skin tones who have recently tanned their skin. It is without a doubt the safest option available for dark skin tone patients, while also boasting higher success rates than other types of laser machines.

Does this mean that the diode – the other “long” wavelength, although not as long as Nd:YAG –has no place in clinics? This doesn’t seem to be the case. Some dermatologists and hair specialists claim that the diode solution is actually the least painful laser hair removal procedure. This is because the diode energy is delivered much slower than the Nd:YAG, giving the skin more time to cool down from the heat.

Diode devices also typically come equipped with a cooling device that instantly cools down the skin, preventing any risk of overheating or skin damage. One popular diode device is the Lumenis LightSheer device, which is equipped with a built-in suction mechanism that helps distract patient from the pain of the procedure.

Does TRIA Work on Dark Skin?

One popular hair removal machine is the TRIA line of devices, specifically the Tria Hair Removal Laser 4X. Unfortunately, the Tria Hair Removal 4X is designed specifically to be used on patients up to Skin Tone 4.

This means light skin and light to medium brown skin tones can safely experience TRIA devices for hair removal, but anyone with darker skin should avoid these devices at all costs.

Learn more: 8 Reasons Why Laser Hair Treatment May Not Be Working For You

Other Hair Removal Options for Dark Skin

For Indian patients and other patients with brown skin, as well as patients with darker skin tones, Nd:YAG machines are the ideal hair removal solution on the market. It is effective for thick and dense hair, and can be used for bushy hair, facial hair, and body hair removal.

Not only do Nd:YAG machines reduce the hair growth in the targeted area, they also lead to finer and softer hair growth, should it ever begin growing again. However, some individuals with dark skin tones might be considering other hair removal solutions. Here are other ways you can remove your body hair:

• Shaving: Shaving is plain and simple, however, it is an easy solution with short-term results. The hair is only gone from your body until it can regrow, and when it grows back it leaves an awkward and uncomfortable stubble that you nor your partner will enjoy feeling.
• Threading and Waxing: Threading and waxing salons are quite popular, especially for individuals who aren’t looking for the long-term commitment of a series of hair removal sessions. However, like shaving, threading and waxing do not permanently destroy the hair follicle. They may lead to hair follicle removal, which only prompts the regrowth of the hair follicle rather than paralysis.
• Electrolysis: Another safe and effective method for hair removal of unwanted body hair in dark skin individuals is electrolysis. Electrolysis is a great solution for those who aren’t ready for laser hair removal, especially amongst patients with darker skin who are generally more prone to folliculitis, or excess ingrown hairs. Advantages of electrolysis include permanent unwanted hair removal, hair removal along any part of the body, and effective treatment on all skin and hair pigment.

Schedule Your Laser Hair Removal with Ethos Spa Today

Want to know more about laser hair removal for dark skin? Looking for a laser specialist you can trust in the New Jersey area? At Ethos Spa, Skin and Laser Center, we have treated countless patients of all skin and hair types for hair removal.

We understand the importance of matching patients with the best laser device suited for their hair and skin, and will always make sure that patient safety and comfort is our top priority.

Call us or contact us through our website today, and find out why laser hair removal is the perfect solution for all your unwanted body hair needs!

The post What is the Best Laser Hair Removal Machine for Dark Skin? appeared first on Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center.

from Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center https://www.myethosspa.com/best-laser-hair-removal-machine-dark-skin/
via https://www.myethosspa.com

Chest Laser Hair Removal: The Only Permanent Solution to Irritating Chest Hair

Getting tired of having a carpet of hair over your chest? Sick of ingrown hairs and razor burns when you try to wax or shave it off?

For men who are serious about permanently removing their chest hair, there is only one real solution to consider: laser hair removal.

Laser hair removal for the chest is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures amongst men today. For those who are seeking that perfectly bare and smooth chest, there is no better method than laser hair removal.

In this article, we discuss everything there is to know about manscaping, chest hair removal options, and why laser hair removal is the ideal permanent hair removal solution.

Chest Hair – To Manscape Or Not?

For a long time, chest hair has been considered a staple of male masculinity and male beauty. A man with a not-too-thick layer of hair over his pecs, with strands peeking out from his shirt collar, could be considered a “real” man.

But these days the standards of male beauty and what makes someone a “real” man have loosened up a bit. More and more men are considering manscaping, or trimming or completely removing their body hair – including hair in their armpits, legs, back, neck, arms, and of course, the chest.

Here are some common types of styles for chest hair today:

Style	How	Pros	Cons
All Natural	Just leave your chest hair as it is, without ever touching it or bothering with it.	You have nothing to worry about. No time or energy spent styling it, cutting it, or trimming it. No risk of irritating your skin.	This is definitely the ideal option for some men, but not all. While some men have chest hair that naturally stop growing after a certain point, other men have chest hair that grows too thick, making the chest hair look unattractive.
Trimmed	Maintain your chest hair instead of letting it grow all out. You will need a men’s body trimmer, generally set on the lowest setting, applied to the chest once or twice a month.	For men who have thick chest hair but still want to have chest hair without looking like a bear, the trimmed style is a great way to go.	It can be difficult to get it right, as you will have to learn how to cut your chest hair properly at the level you want. You run the risk of giving yourself patches or cutting your hair to a stubble, which can feel very weird. Also a possibility of razor burns and ingrown hairs.
Hairless and Smooth	Have your hair completely removed. This can be done through laser hair removal or with wax. Shaving is not recommended.	It can look amazing if you have a great chest that you work out at the gym. You also will never have to deal with razor burns from shaving.	Not everyone can pull off the hairless and smooth chest look.

Chest Hair Removal Advantages

There are actually many advantages to having your chest hair removed. These include:

1. Attractiveness

While some men are blessed with the lucky perfect amount of chest hair, most of us don’t have that luxury. When you take off your shirt, you don’t want your partner or your date cringing at the carpet of body hair between your pecs, do you? The truth is that most women actually prefer the smooth and clean option, especially if the alternative is a bear’s chest.

2. Less Odor and Sweat

When it comes to hygiene, having more hair is never the answer. Body hair and hygiene do not go hand in hand – with chest hair, you leave room for more bacteria and sweat to get trapped on your chest, causing extra odor and general discomfort.

3. Bald Patches

If you’re in your 20s or 30s, you might not realize it yet, but chests tend to experience bald patches just like scalps. You don’t want to be the older man at the beach getting weird looks because of irregular bald patches on your chest, and your partner doesn’t want to be with that man either.

4. Hair and Clothing

If you tend to wear tighter tops, then you might have experienced the discomforting and sometimes painful feeling of having your chest hair tugged and pulled out by your clothes. And for those few elite triathletes in the audience, chest hair also increases your resistance while you bike or swim.

5. Unclogged Pores

Like the rest of your body, your chest has pores, and keeping these pores open is essential towards keeping your skin healthy and fresh. Having no chest hair clears up the pores on your chest.

We understand that for many men, manscaping your chest doesn’t necessarily feel like the right option, especially when you are considering it for the first time. However, more and more men are manscaping their chest hair, with some studies finding that 40-60% of men work on their chest hair.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to see if you are ready to manscape your chest hair for the first time:

• Does my chest hair bother me?
• Do I think I have the type of chest and style to pull it off?
• Would my partner prefer me with no chest hair?
• Do I care about my grooming and hygiene?
• Do I know the best way to have my chest hair removed?

If you have asked yourself all the questions above and you’re still ready to learn more about manscaping, then it’s time to understand your best options for chest hair removal.

Chest Hair Removal Options for Men

1) Trimming

Trimming is the first-choice men generally take, simply because it can be done on their own, in front of the bathroom mirror with a pair of scissors or a trimmer. If you are manscaping for the first time, you might want to test the waters with trimming, just to see if you are happy with the idea of lessening your chest hair.

Pros: You can try out the concept of manscaping without over-committing just in case it’s not for you.

Cons: As trimming won’t get much done, you will have to go back at it every few days or once a week to maintain your chest hair at the level you want.

2) Shaving

When you’re ready to step up from trimming, you can put down the scissors or trimmer for a razor. Shaving can help you achieve the bare and smooth look without needing any professional help, and it can be done in just a few minutes.

Pros: Simple and stress-free.

Cons: Shaving is terrible when it comes to stubble. Having stubble on your chest can be a very strange feeling, as the feeling of it grazing against your shirt will bother you all day. There is also the chance of giving yourself pimples and razor burns, causing intense itchiness on your chest.

This is also known as folliculitis, in which you cause inflammation to the hair follicles (which in turn is caused by a fungal or bacterial infection). In the worst case scenario of razor bumps (or pseudofolliculitis barbae), you might end up giving yourself dark raised scars, known as keloids.

3) Waxing

Waxing your chest hair involves applying a creamy lotion to the chest, and then applying cloth strips over the cream, letting the strips dry on the cream. When the strips are pulled off, the hair is pulled out with the dried cream.

Pros: A single waxing session can guarantee you a bare chest for anywhere from 3-6 weeks, depending on how fast your body hair grows.

Cons: Bruising, burns, and pimples are all possible side effects caused by waxing on the chest.

4) Electrolysis

One popular method for hair removal is known as electrolysis. This method involves the use of an ultra-slim needle, which delivers tiny electrical shocks to the hair follicles beneath the skin, causing the death of the hair-producing cells. A single session can take 10-20 minutes, however quite a few treatments are necessary to truly leave a part of the body hairless.

Pros: Effective at hair removal, as it targets hair production at the cellular level.

Cons: Can be painful, will take several treatments (with the entire treatment sometimes lasting up to a year), and in some cases, there might still be some patches of hair in the area.

5) Laser Hair Removal

Our choice of hair removal is laser hair removal, and it’s not hard to see why. Laser hair removal involves the use of laser technology – harmless lasers are directed at the skin, which travel down the hair follicle and burn it at the root, thus disabling its growth factors.

Pros: Efficient, quick, and harmless, with the lasers feeling like light pinches against the skin. This method has zero side effects and can reduce the growth of hair in an area for a long time. Maintenance is also simple, as a session requires no preparation and demands zero downtime from the patient.

Cons: It is important to work with a trusted professional laser hair removal provider, as there is a slight risk of blisters and dark scarring if performed by an inexperienced technician.

Out of all the options for chest hair removal for men, our recommended method is laser hair removal. Below, we discuss everything you need to know about chest laser hair removal and how you can find the ideal providing clinic.

Laser Hair Removal for the Chest

Can You Get Laser Hair Removal on Your Chest?

One of the first questions that people ask is whether laser hair removal can be performed on the chest. While laser hair removal is a popular option for hair removal in the armpit, bikini area (Brazilian laser hair removal or laser hair removal Brazilian style in women), and the face, laser hair removal for chest hair is a lesser known procedure, however it is indeed possible.

Laser hair removal can be performed on any part of the body, as long as it has hair that the patient wants to be removed. For the smooth and bare chest look, laser hair removal is the best option available, as it completely removes the hair in the area, leaving no patchy areas behind.

How Does Chest Laser Hair Removal Work?

Chest laser hair removal works through the use of laser technology. The patient is asked to lie or sit down, and the doctor or technician applies a cream over the area to be treated. This cream protects the skin from the heat of the lasers.

The type of laser to be used generally depends on the treated area; for the chest area, doctors will typically use lasers made for larger and wider areas, allowing them to cover more space in the same treatment time.

During the treatment, flashes of high-energy lights (the lasers) are directed to the skin. The heat from the laser flashes are absorbed into the hair follicle, where they travel down to the root of the follicle and destroy it. For a complete hair removal, patients are required to return for an average of 6-8 sessions.

Patients will start to see results within a few weeks after their first session, and best results will be seen after all the recommended sessions are complete. This is because only a small percentage of the hair in an area can be targeted per treatment. 

After all recommended treatments are completed, patients should expect the result of a bare, hairless chest with a semi-permanent reduction of unwanted hair growth.

Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Chest Laser Hair Removal

1) Research and Find the Best Provider

Before anything else, it’s important that you do your research. Don’t walk into the first laser hair removal clinic you see; look online and find laser hair removal clinics you can trust, with quality, real reviews, and a strong, transparent online presence.

It is crucial that you only work with trusted laser hair removal professionals, as laser hair removal is a process that can lead to scarring or burning if performed by an amateur.

2) Shave Your Chest

While you will most likely be advised to do this during your consultation, it is important to remember to shave your chest the day before your first treatment.

This is because the heat must travel down the hair strand and into the hair follicle root. By leaving your chest unshaved, the heat must travel further to get to the root. If you don’t shave your chest, the clinic will be required to do it before your treatment can begin.

3) No Pain, Skin Irritation, and Ingrown Hairs

You might have bad experiences in the past with hair removal in your chest, particularly when doing other hair removal options, such as shaving or waxing.

You will be happy to know that when performed by a trusted laser hair removal doctor or technician, you should experience very little pain (a snapping or pinching sensation caused by the lasers), and no ingrown hairs or skin irritation. Feel free to sit back and relax during your treatment.

4) Don’t Miss Your Treatment Calendar

After you get your first laser hair removal treatment for your chest, you will be scheduled to come back for your next treatment on a specific date. It is important that you clear up your schedule to make sure that you do not postpone your following treatments, as this date is not arbitrarily selected.

The treatments are planned to align with the cycle changes of your individual body hair strands. Missing or delaying a treatment can make the overall result less ideal.

Chest Laser Hair Removal FAQ

How much is chest laser hair removal?

The cost of a laser hair removal treatment depends on the location of the provider, the expertise of the provider, and the area to be treated. For the chest area for men, patients can expect a typical cost range of $350 to $600, but this can vary state by state.

How can I remove my chest hair permanently?

Searching for hair removal permanently can be difficult, as solutions for hair removal aren’t always as permanent as some people would prefer. There are cases where methods such as laser hair removal do lead to long-term hair removal, but it is always possible for the hair follicle to grow back (and thus the hair to grow back).

However, the best solutions for long-term hair removal are electrolysis and laser hair removal, with laser hair removal being the less painful and more accessible treatment.

How long does hair laser removal last?

Laser hair removal can cause a permanent marked hair reduction in the targeted area, but some hair might begin to grow back after 6-12 months. Maintenance treatments can be done after the patient sees some hair growth to continue keeping the area hair-free.

Chest Laser Hair Removal and More at Ethos Spa

Whether you are looking to learn more about laser hair removal for your chest and other areas, or you are ready to schedule your first laser hair removal appointment, there is no better place than Ethos Spa, Skin and Laser Center.

Ethos Spa is the premier provider of laser hair removal and other laser and skin treatments in New Jersey, and has successfully provided safe and effective laser hair removal to countless patients for years.

Contact us today for your free consultation, and find out more about how laser hair removal for your chest is perfect for you.

The post Chest Laser Hair Removal: The Only Permanent Solution to Irritating Chest Hair appeared first on Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center.

from Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center https://www.myethosspa.com/chest-laser-hair-removal-permanent-solution/
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12 Simple Things You Can Do to Detox Your Body After Laser Tattoo Removal

Expert techniques are crucial for successful laser treatments, but it turns out it’s not the only deciding factor in effective tattoo removal. The lymphatic system is a network responsible for carrying, filtering, and metabolizing waste, including tattoo ink. Undergoing a detox can improve the results of your laser treatments. 

So, how do you detox in preparation for a laser tattoo removal? Drinking more water, working up a sweat, getting a massage, and reducing the consumption of processed foods are all great ways to prepare for a treatment. 

In this article, we share all the different ways you can detoxify. By helping your body eliminate waste in the form of tattoo ink, you can make the most out of every session and get ink-free skin in no time. 

What Happens to the Tattoo When It Is Removed

Tattoo removal might look like a breeze compared to getting inked in the first place, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth. 

The body’s natural reaction to foreign bodies, including tattoo ink, is removal. Ever notice that new tattoos seem to “fade”? That’s because white blood cells called lymphocytes eat away at pigment particles and process them as waste. 

The reason why tattoos are permanent is because even though lymphocytes try to chip away at the pigment, pigments are typically composed of heavy metals like copper, lead, and manganese. These pigments are hard to dispose of, rendering the white blood cells’ continuous effort moot. 

Tattoos may fade overtime but the only thing that can really remove them for good is a laser treatment. Microscopic evidence shows that pigment particles are physically larger than lymphocytes. The only way lymphocytes can “engulf” ink and process it out of your body is if the ink particles were broken down into smaller mass. 

That’s precisely what laser tattoo removal does. It breaks down the ink into smaller particles, allowing lymphocytes to surround the ink, usher them through the skin’s lymphatic channels, and is then removed in the form of waste. 

Why Detox In the First Place?

Foreign material is expelled through the lymphatic system. Because the ink is considered as a foreign material, it’s processed and expelled in the same way as waste. By treating tattoo removal as part of a biological process, this means that there are things you can do to improve your results.

Just like any system in your body, the lymphatic channel is constantly at work and needs to remain optimal in order to prevent immune and detoxification issues. The lymph flow can become congested, leading to toxin and waste build-up in the body. Undergoing a detox will unclog the lymphatic flow and improve your overall well-being. 

Why do we need a well-functioning lymphatic system for tattoo removal?

How optimal your lymphatic system is will determine how successful your tattoo removal will be. By targeting your lymphatic system, you’re able to influence the tattoo removal process and produce the outcome you want. 

A well-functioning lymphatic system gives you two benefits:

• Better results: With better lymphatic flow, more tattoo pigments are carried out of the skin. The risk of inflammation and allergic reactions due to the laser removal are reduced. More pigment is flushed out of your system, improving your chances of completely removing all traces of ink on your skin. 
• Faster removal: Healthy, fast-acting lymphocytes mean a more optimal lymphatic flow. Every time the laser breaks down the ink, more lymphocytes can act on the pigment and zoom past the lymphatic channels. This means less sessions needed to get the results you want. 

Tattoo Removal Detox: 12 Things You Can Do

Luckily, detoxifying your body isn’t as complicated as it sounds. There are different ways to improve your body’s lymphatic flow – from getting a massage to working up a sweat. Listed below are 12 things you can do to detoxify your system and speed up the tattoo removal process:

1. Hydrate

When you’re dehydrated, your body will take this as a sign of stress, and as a result will not work optimally. Improve blood circulation, hydration levels, and lymphatic flow by increasing your water intake. 

Skip the soda and juice; water is the best liquid for hydration. Drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water a day (or more) will surely improve your body’s detoxification processes. 

2. Limit Alcohol Consumption

The liver is responsible for processing about 90% of your alcohol intake. The liver metabolizes alcohol into a toxin called acetaldehyde before further converting it into a harmless chemical called acetate.

A never-ending cycle of metabolization can affect liver function. Continuous alcohol consumption can damage the liver, leading to inflammation and toxin build-up. As such, the liver can no longer properly process alcohol or other toxins, including tattoo ink. 

By limiting alcohol intake, you’re allowing the liver to work on a steady pace and clean out your body more efficiently. Because it’s not focused on metabolizing alcohol, it can prioritize cleaning tasks and improve the results of your tattoo removal. 

3. Get Enough Rest

Chronic sleep deprivation can make you feel sluggish and fatigued. It turns out that long periods of poor sleep can also affect your body’s detoxification processes. 

Sleep is the body’s cue to reset. Without proper sleep, the little “sweeping” tasks the body does to rid itself of waste and toxins are left unfinished, or worse, undone. Getting the standard seven to nine hours a night will not only improve cognitive function, but also improve your general health. 

If getting a full night’s sleep is a challenge, consider natural sleeping aids like herbal tea or melatonin. Limit your exposure to blue light screens (TV, computer, phone) at least an hour before bed. 

4. Rethink Your Sugar Intake

The body relies on the lymphatic organs for proper detoxification. Unfortunately, today’s diet is filled with high amounts of sugar. Over time, the overconsumption of sugary beverages and foods can cause impaired liver and kidney function. 

Keep your body’s detoxification system healthy by regulating your sugar intake. Weed out any foods with an unnecessarily high amount of sugar such as junk food and desserts. Instead, incorporate healthier sources of sugar into your diet.

5. Eat Healthy Foods

Restricting “bad” sugars is just the tip of the iceberg. To really improve your detoxification system, you have to prioritize healthy foods, specifically foods rich in antioxidants. 

Antioxidants are fighting cells that protect your body from damage caused by free radicals. Although free radicals are naturally-occuring in the body, their production can be sped up with a poor lifestyle. An excessive amount of free radicals have damaging effects to the body and have been associated with major conditions such as heart disease and even cancer.

A diet rich in antioxidants will help your body combat free radicals. After making dietary restrictions, eating healthy foods will help with the “clean-up” and improve your digestive and lymphatic functions. 

Foods rich in antioxidants include:

• Lean meat such as chicken, fish, and turkey 
• Spices such as thyme, oregano, turmeric, ginger, parsley
• Cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage
• Vegetables such as garlic, onions, sweet potatoes, and carrots
• Sources of vitamin C including oranges, mangoes, and strawberries

6. Mind Your Digestion

A healthy digestive system means having a more effective waste disposal system. This translates to improved metabolism and a better response to the laser treatments.

Improve your gut healthy by increasing fiber intake and eating foods with prebiotics. Foster good bacteria in your gut to increase your defenses against contaminated food and reduce your overall risk of inflammation and disease. 

7. Exercise

It’s no secret that an active lifestyle makes a healthier individual. Improving your blood flow will also improve lymphatic flow. Engaging in physical activities is one of the best ways to get a good heart pump.

Choose exercises that increase the heart rate such as cardiovascular activities like running, jogging, jump roping, and swimming. 

Pressed for time? Try out HIIT (high intensity interval training) exercises which are designed to increase your heart rate in a short amount of time. When done right, 20 minutes of HIIT will give you the same benefits as doing 45 minutes of steady state cardio.  

8. Schedule a Massage 

Not a fan of cardio? Schedule a massage instead. It also gets your blood flowing, minus the exhaustion. A specialized technique called the lymphatic drainage massage specifically targets the lymphatic system. 

This technique involves rhythmic strokes to help the lymph fluid move throughout the body. Light pressure is needed to complete this massage, and is reliant on continuous stimulation of the target area in order to get the proper flow. 

9. Step Into a Steam Room 

Sweat is one of the avenues of waste expulsion. Going to a sauna will open up your pores and remove toxins on your skin. About 15 to 20 a day should give you the boost you need. 

10. Go Natural

Swap out chemical-ridden household and hygienic items with their more natural counterparts. Using chemical-free alternatives means less exposure to toxins. As a result, your lymphatic system can focus on cleaning out the rest of the body, and work on removing tattoo pigments more effectively. 

11.  Don’t Stress Out

Lymph congestion and inflammation can slow down the lymphatic flow. Limiting your exposure to stress doesn’t have to mean eliminating the source. It just means you have to be better at coping with stress, and reduce its burden on your mind and body.

Discover coping mechanisms you can do on a daily basis. Write in a journal, talk to a therapist, or take a walk – all three things are useful in alleviating stress and anxiety. Maintaining a positive disposition, fostering a healthy self-image, and surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals are other ways to improve your mental health and reduce stress. 

12. Wear Loose Clothing

Lymph obstruction can occur as a result of wearing tight-fitting clothes. Prevent this altogether by wearing loose clothing on most days. You can still wear skinny jeans and athletic wear – just don’t make it the bulk of your outfits. 

How Can I Speed Up Tattoo Removal

A successful tattoo removal relies on a healthy lymphatic system. In order to get the best out of your laser treatment, consider detoxifying your body to increase lymphatic flow and improve your body’s response to the pigment. 

At Ethos Spa, Skin and Laser, we help patients get the blank slate they’re looking for. By using state-of-the-art laser equipment coupled with advanced removal techniques, we’re here to make sure every inch of your tattoo ink is removed. 

Contact us to learn more about how we can help with your tattoo. Book a laser removal session or an appointment today. 

Read more: Why is my Tattoo Darker After Laser Removal?

The post 12 Simple Things You Can Do to Detox Your Body After Laser Tattoo Removal appeared first on Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center.

from Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center https://www.myethosspa.com/detox-your-body-after-laser-tattoo-removal/
via https://www.myethosspa.com

Why is my Tattoo Darker After Laser Removal?

You might have recently decided that you were tired of a tattoo on your body, and you decided to have it removed. Thankfully, laser tattoo removal is a growing industry, with more advanced lasers being developed to increase treatment effectiveness every year. However, your tattoo seems to be darker after your first few treatments and you want to know why.

Why does your tattoo seem to be getting darker after laser removal treatment? Simply put, your tattoo has become darker because the metals in the ink have become oxidized, leading to a temporary greying or darkening until the tattoo fades. Thankfully, this proves that your treatments are working according to plan, and it is just a matter of time until your tattoo has cleared up.

To properly understand how this happens, it’s first important to review the laser tattoo removal process, and how exactly laser tattoo removal works.

The Laser Tattoo Removal Process

Laser tattoo removal works due to the breakdown of the tattoo pigment by the laser used in the procedure. Similar to the use of a laser in laser hair removal treatments, the laser is pointed at the tattoo and the heat is directly absorbed by the tattoo’s ink due to the pigmentation of the ink, which naturally attracts heat.

When the laser’s heat is absorbed by the tattoo, this causes the ink to breakdown. Once the ink has broken down, the immune system will proceed to flush it away, making the tattoo more faded with every session.

But how exactly does it take several treatments for laser tattoo removal to remove a tattoo completely? The answer is that the tattoo’s ink is inked deep enough in the skin that the skin naturally works overtime to preserve its placement. Even if the cells carrying the ink die, new cells form to actively ensure that the ink pigments remain in place.

These cells are known as macrophages, and they carry the foreign bodies in our system, whether it is tattoo ink pigment or bacteria. When the ink pigment is broken down, the macrophages aren’t completely destroyed, and they still have the ability to pass on the ink pigment to new macrophages that replace them.

Laser tattoo removal takes more than one session because of the efforts of the macrophage cells, requiring up to 10 sessions for a complete removal.

Tattoo Removal Oxidation: Why Does My Tattoo Look Darker?

So what is going on when a tattoo becomes darker after a laser tattoo removal treatment? As discussed above, laser tattoo removal involves breaking down the ink beneath the skin, and letting the immune system flush it out bit by bit.

However, as we break down the ink, we also release the components that make up the ink. In some pigments and inks popularly used in tattoos, some of these components are actually metals.

White ink gets its color from its high amounts of titanium dioxide, which is a white metal oxide that is known for its high reflectiveness (mostly used in sunscreen products). Other metals used for other pigments include chromium, iron oxide, and mercury.

When the laser treatment breaks down the ink and releases these metal components, they oxidize, or undergo a reaction in which they chemically combine with oxygen. This turns the white pigmentation into a darker, gray shade, spreading a darker color over the tattoo.

Does this mean that the laser tattoo removal treatments aren’t working? No; in fact, it means that the treatments are working, because it proves that the ink is being effectively broken down.

You might also notice that while the parts that were previously lighter have now become darker, other areas that were darker are becoming more faded. Just keep attending your laser tattoo removal treatments and your tattoo should be gone in no time.

Other Laser Tattoo Removal FAQ

How long does it take for a tattoo to fade after laser tattoo removal?

Laser tattoo removal is a slow and meticulous process that cannot be rushed, as it needs to follow the natural healing cycles of your skin. The exact timeline for your laser tattoo removal will depend on a number of factors, including:

• The color of your skin: You may experience hyperpigmentation (your skin becoming darker) if you have a darker skin tone
• The colors of your tattoo: The greater the contrast between your tattoo color and skin color, the easier it is to remove, which explains how black tattoos are generally easy to work with. And colors such as purple, yellow, and green can cause a lot of difficulty to remove
• The location of your tattoo: The closer your tattoo is to your heart, the more blood circulation there will be around the area, meaning the body will have an easier time flushing out the ink. Tattoos on the ankles, while great for beauty photos, are known for taking the longest to remove

What should I do after laser tattoo removal?

What you should do after your laser tattoo removal mostly depends on what stage of the tattoo removal you are on.

If you just went through your first laser tattoo removal and you’re wondering how you still have your tattoo, remember that you’ve barely begun the tattoo removal process. It can take anywhere from 3-10 sessions spaced 4-8 weeks apart for proper skin rejuvenation and healing, depending on the size and color of your tattoo.

For laser tattoo aftercare, it is important to take care of your treated area, or you risk the possibility of bruising, scabbing, blistering, and swelling, as well as a kind of whitening of the treated spot. For best results, you will want to practice the following tips:

1. Keep the treated area bandaged for up to 3 days after every laser removal treatment, with ointment applied regularly.
2. Avoid picking any scabs and try not to worry about any blisters that may form. Itching is normal as well and should be avoided for optimal skin rejuvenation.
3. If you experience signs of redness, oozing, or dark crusting, there is a possibility your treated skin has become infected. Call your doctor immediately.

What else can I do to maximize my laser removal recovery and results?

It is essential that your body is as healthy as it can be, so the biggest piece of advice we can give you is to be healthy, and avoid unhealthy habits. This means that you should be eating only nutritious and organic food leading up to and between your laser treatments, as well as regularly exercising to keep your body pumped. Maximize your beauty by maximizing your health.

You should also avoid excessive stress, as stress can drastically reduce a body’s ability to properly heal. Smoking is also one way to dramatically lessen the effects of laser tattoo removal, with some patients who regularly smoke experiencing up to 70% less effective tattoo removal during the process.

Get Your Tattoo Lasered Off with Laser Experts Today

Looking to have your tattoo removed by the best laser clinic in New Jersey?

At Ethos Spa, Skin and Laser Center, we treat patients with unwanted tattoos all the time. Our state-of-the-art laser equipment coupled with our laser expert team makes us one of the best providers of trusted and reliable tattoo laser treatment and various other skin and laser treatments in the New Jersey area.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you with your tattoo, or any other laser concern you may have. We are more than happy to answer any questions and concerns!

The post Why is my Tattoo Darker After Laser Removal? appeared first on Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center.

from Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center https://www.myethosspa.com/why-is-my-tattoo-darker-after-laser-removal/
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5 Tips on How to Reduce Swelling and Speed Up Healing After CoolSculpting

CoolSculpting is safe, easy, and noninvasive, but that doesn’t mean that patients don’t walk away with side effects and symptoms after the treatment. While some patients do report experiencing little to no symptoms such as swelling and bruising, others deal with these lingering discomforts for days or weeks afterwards.

So what are the best ways to reduce swelling and decrease your recovery time after a CoolSculpting procedure? Here are our 5 tips:

• Prepare and learn everything you need to know
• Drink tons of water and eat healthy
• Wear compression clothing
• Get a massage
• Stay active

We go more into each point below, as well as everything else you need to know after CoolSculpting.

CoolSculpting: Your Treatment is Done – Now What?

While CoolSculpting is a noninvasive procedure, meaning individuals can mostly expect to return to their daily routines immediately following the treatment, there are some temporary symptoms and effects that any patient might possibly experience afterwards.

The most important thing to remember is that your body will look worse before it looks better. Although it is noninvasive, the body might negatively react to the treatment for a temporary time. In the worst cases, bruising, swelling, and pain can last for several weeks, making some patients think that their treatment has failed or gone wrong.

Every person reacts uniquely to the CoolSculpting procedure, with symptoms varying depending factors such as the treated area, the expertise of the doctor and the type of applicator used, the person’s individual pain tolerance, and more.

Some individuals may experience little to no symptoms, while others might experience symptoms that can persist for several weeks following the treatment. Either way, symptoms of CoolSculpting are almost always mild symptoms that cause minor or no discomfort; they also always subside over a certain amount of time and no patients report long-lasting complications due to symptoms.

Here are some of the symptoms you might experience:

• Tenderness, swelling, and bruising directly around the treated area. These symptoms can last a few days or 1-2 weeks
• Stinging, cramping, tingling, nerve pain around the treated area, particularly if treated on the stomach or abdomen. This will only last for up to a day in most cases
• Feelings of nausea in the abdomen
• Itching or dulling of sensation on the treated area
• Numbness on the treated area that persists for 1-3 weeks

It is normal to look and feel swollen and bloated on the treated area following a treatment, which is why compression clothing is a popular garment of choice for CoolSculpting patients.

Many individuals also report an increase of symptom sensation 4-10 days after the treatment, and become worried when they believe that the symptoms are worsening instead of going away. These symptoms are generally mild to moderate, but feel worse during night time when the patient is trying to sleep.

If you experience this, there is no need to worry; these symptoms are caused by your body’s natural inflammatory response to the presence of dead fat cells. When the body properly removes the dead fat cells, your last symptoms should start to fade away. If you have trouble with sleep, prescription sleeping aid may be prescribed to you.

The Road to Recovery: 5 Tips on Reducing Swelling and Increasing Healing Following Your CoolSculpting Treatment

No one likes downtime, and even with the noninvasive nature of CoolSculpting, swelling and recovery time can still be quite a burden. But there are ways you can improve your body’s natural healing time, reduce your overall recovery time, and get back to normal as fast as possible.

Here are our 5 tips on how to maximize your recovery:

1) Prepare and Learn Everything You Need To Know

Now we know what you might say – “But it’s CoolSculpting! There’s no preparation involved!” While that’s mostly true, if you want to make sure to maximize your recovery and get the most out of your downtime, it’s important that you know everything that’s going to happen. “Winging” your experience and learning what you need to know step-by-step can lead to less efficient recovery and preparation.

Here are a few things you need to make sure you cover before your treatment:

Ask about your number of treatments: Your overall recovery time might depend on the number of treatments you want to have. Talk to your doctor and discuss with them the number of procedures that might work best for you.

While some individuals only have a single treatment, others repeat their treatments every few months. This depends on the amount of fat reduction you would like, as well as any other areas you might want to have treated.

Document your experience: Before you step in for your CoolSculpting treatment, you might want to document your entire experience. While some might want to share their experience with their friends or online, we understand that others might prefer to keep it to themselves.

Even just documenting the experience for your own benefit can potentially help you with your next treatments – seeing pictures of yourself at certain stages, documenting recovery times and symptoms, figuring out what you can do to make your personal recovery better than last time.

Prepare for possible pain: A small number of patients, about 1 out of every 10, report experiencing moderate pain during the treatment, as well as pain that lasts a few days or a few weeks around the treated area. If you believe that you have below average pain tolerance levels, then you might want to talk to your CoolSculpting doctor about possible medication that you can take during your recovery.

Some doctors will recommend 600mg – 800mg of ibuprofen three times a day during recovery, for as long as the patient experiences moderate or greater pain in the treated area. In some cases, you might need a prescription medication, although this is a very rare necessity.

Prepare your downtime: CoolSculpting won’t stop you from engaging in your normal routines following the treatment; you can continue what you normally do as soon as you leave the office. However, if you want to care for yourself in the best way possible, then it might help to take it easy for the next week following the treatment. Prepare for your downtime and try to minimize any physically-demanding activities (although light exercise is still recommended).

If you fear that you might experience more swelling or pain than the average CoolSculpting patient, then you should definitely see what you can do to avoid intense activities for up to a week after your treatment.

2) Drink Tons of Water and Eat Healthy

You probably already know that the ideal patient for CoolSculpting treatments is at or near their ideal body weight. This means that most if not all CoolSculpting patients already practice a healthy lifestyle – water, healthy food, and proper exercise, and they have already experienced weight loss and are looking for fat reduction.

So it should come as no surprise to you that one of the best ways to reduce swelling and shorten your recovery time post-CoolSculpting is by practicing more of the same.

You want to keep yourself fully hydrated following every CoolSculpting session, for two main reasons:

1. Water naturally keeps you healthy and improves your vital systems
2. More specifically, recovery involves flushing the frozen and dead fat cells out of your body, and the more water in your system, the more effectively and quickly you can flush those fat cells out.

Try to avoid alcohol and sugary drinks for a week following your treatment; stick to water exclusively until you feel like your old self again.

As for your diet, you want to continue eating the kind of diet that helped you attain your ideal or near ideal body weight in the first place. This means avoiding foods that are high in sugar content and starch, as well as processed and fried food. Try to eat only whole grains, protein, vegetables, and fruits in the first week following your treatment. While it might be tempting to sneak in a pizza post-treatment to help yourself feel better, it’s not what your body needs during recovery (just save it for next week!).

3) Wear Compression Clothing

One tip that many doctors recommend is wearing compression-style clothing such as Spanx after the procedure. While a compression garment won’t necessarily create better overall results, some individuals have reported feeling better more quickly while wearing compression garments for a few weeks following a treatment.

So how exactly does compression clothing help with recovery? Compression clothing is the kind of skintight clothing that many women wear at the gym as fitness clothing; super tight garments that wrap around the skin. Aside from being skintight and outlining the wearer’s body shape, there does some to be some science behind the design of compression clothing.

Compression clothing is said to shorten recovery time and improve performance in both high-performance athletes and average gym-goers, due to its tight hold around the skin. This tightness increases lymphatic flow and blood flow to the limbs, giving the body more power in those areas.

While compression clothing was first popularized by female triathletes and runners, the last few years has seen a spike in popularity in compression clothing amongst all kinds of athletes, both men and women. Other benefits of compression clothing include reducing the pooling of sweat around certain areas and keeping the body warm, without restricting movement of the joints.

Popular pieces of compression clothing include socks, shorts, upper body tops, and of course, Spanx. Wearing these after a cool sculpting session is guaranteed to help with your recovery. And remember: listen to your body. Wear them for as long as you still feel uncomfortable and swollen. If you don’t want to go out wearing compression clothing, you can always wear them secretly under your regular clothes!

4) Get a Massage

Any good CoolSculpting provider will vigorously massage the treated area after the CoolSculpting applicator has been removed – a 2-5-minute uncomfortable, deep tissue massage that really targets the dead fat cells under the skin – but you will need more massages than that if you want to maximize results and minimize recovery time.

Your provider might teach you how to give yourself these massages a few times a day for 5-10 minutes each, directly on and surrounding the treated area. For maximum effect from your massage, you will want to get lymphatic massages on the treated area.

A lymphatic massage, or lymphatic draining massage, is a type of massage that maximizes the body’s waste and toxin removal systems, allowing your body to more effectively remove the frozen dead fat cells from your system. To perform a lymphatic massage, you will want to keep in mind the following tips:

• Be gentle – the massage should only affect the skin, not the muscles underneath
• Keep the massaging hands relaxed
• If swollen, be extra gentle with the massage
• Help flush the body by drinking 2-4 glasses of water after every lymphatic massage

To perform this massage, you will want to massage mostly with your palms and your fingers. Move in slow, repetitive, circular motions, and gently continue until the area feels tight after a few minutes.

If you are performing the lymphatic massage properly (or having it performed on you properly), you will notice a significant reduction in your swelling over the next day or two, as well as less stiffness in the general area. You will fall in love with this type of massage in no time!

5) Stay Active

Our final tip: stay active. While you can take 1-2 days off from your regular exercise routine after the CoolSculpting experience to give your body a short break, we don’t recommend going on an extended hiatus from any kind of exercise.

Your body needs activity so that you can keep your blood flowing, allowing for quicker swelling reduction as well as more effective fat cell drainage. We’ve observed that most individuals who experience extended bouts of post-CoolSculpting symptoms are those who took extended breaks from even light exercise after their treatment.

So stay active! If you feel too bruised or sore to engage in your regular exercise routines, then try something else; stretching, jogging, and swimming are easy ways to keep your body moving without exerting too much effort.

Looking to Learn More About CoolSculpting? Contact Us at Ethos Spa Today

If you are interested in learning more about CoolSculpting or would like to schedule an appointment for a CoolSculpting consultation, contact us at Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center today!

As one of the premier providers of CoolSculpting and other skin and laser procedures in New Jersey, our team and staff at Ethos Spa has successfully treated countless men and women with CoolSculpting all over the body.

Let us know what you are looking for with CoolSculpting and we will help you achieve your dream body and aesthetic as soon as possible.

The post 5 Tips on How to Reduce Swelling and Speed Up Healing After CoolSculpting appeared first on Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center.

from Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center https://www.myethosspa.com/reduce-swelling-speed-up-healing-after-coolsculpting/
via https://www.myethosspa.com

CoolSculpting on the Outer Thigh: Can I Get Rid of My Saddlebags?

No matter how much you might watch what you eat and exercise, you might still be dealing with an issue that many others deal with: stubborn fat deposits. And for many people – particularly middle-aged women – the most concerning area of stubborn fat is in the outer thighs, commonly known as saddlebags.

Thankfully, CoolSculpting is a great way to eliminate fat cells in stubborn areas. But does it work for saddlebags?

Can you get rid of saddlebags with CoolSculpting on the outer thighs? Yes, you can. In fact, CoolSculpting has been found to be incredibly effective on saddlebags or stubborn fat on the outer thighs, as it reduces both the size of the saddlebags and the bumps and wrinkles commonly found with stubborn saddlebag fat.

What is CoolSculpting?

CoolSculpting is a new treatment developed over the last few years that utilizes a process known as Cryolipolysis, or the process that destroys fat by freezing it beneath the skin. CoolSculpting is used to treat stubborn deposits of fat, which can continue to trouble some people no matter how much they diet or exercise. But what causes stubborn fat?

Stubborn fat is more related to your natural genetics than anything else. Regardless of your weight, you generally have the same number of fat cells in certain areas of your body throughout your life. As you lose or gain weight, you do not necessarily lose or create new fat cells; instead, the fat cells in your body become smaller or bigger.

Areas with greater densities of fat cells tend to become stubborn fat deposits. This is why even those who are careful about their weight and exercise can sometimes struggle with unwanted pockets of fat. Since we all have unique fat storage, these stubborn fat deposits can vary from person to person.

How Does CoolSculpting Work?

Traditional weight loss techniques such as proper diet, cardiovascular exercise, and other methods offered by doctors and dietitians are effective at helping people lose weight, however, losing weight isn’t always the goal.

For some people – those experiencing pockets of stubborn fat – the intended goal of their weight loss is to make certain areas look better. However, weight loss isn’t always the best answer.

This is why CoolSculpting focuses on fat reduction (fat removal) rather than weight loss. Through the process of Cryolipolysis, stubborn fat deposits are permanently eliminated or ejected by the body. During the CoolSculpting procedure, a device is placed against the treated area (the type of CoolSculpting device used depends on the area to be treated). The device proceeds to freeze the fat cells beneath the skin, causing the fat cells to die.

After the fat cells die, the body sees the cells as waste, prompting the system to eliminate the dead fat cells. With fewer fat cells in the treated area, this leads to less fat cell density in the area of stubborn fat, leading to a slimmer and leaner look without any change in a person’s weight.

Learn more: Weight Gain After CoolSculpting: What Happens?

CoolSculpting Benefits

• Easy and Fast: CoolSculpting is one of the rare medical procedures that requires zero preparation and zero down time. As CoolSculpting is a completely non-invasive procedure, there is no preparation required from the patient; they can simply come in for their scheduled appointment and walk out as soon as it is done.
  
  With no downtime, CoolSculpting is a simple and easy procedure to squeeze into your normal daily life. Don’t worry about missing work, class, or your usual daily activities after a CoolSculpting treatment.
• No Hospital, No Pain: Unlike other kinds of cosmetic procedures, no hospital visit is required at all during your entire CoolSculpting treatment. As the procedure can be performed by any trusted dermatologist with the right expertise and equipment, patients of CoolSculpting are not required to see a plastic surgeon in an actual hospital setting.
  
  And with very little pain – just some sucking sensations on the treated area as well as some cold – due to the non-invasiveness of the treatment as well as gel applied to the area, CoolSculpting can be done while reading a book or watching a movie.
• Targeted Treatments: One amazing benefit of CoolSculpting is that it works in a way most weight loss procedures can’t: it targets specific problem areas, focusing on the areas that concern or bother the patient most. Weight loss procedures can’t target specific areas because of the way weight and fat is distributed throughout the body.
  
  However, as a fat reduction procedure, CoolSculpting freezes, eliminates, and reduces fat cells in a specific targeted area. This allows people who have long-term problem areas the opportunity to pinpoint treat the exact area that bothers them.
• Best on Fit Patients: Many weight loss and fat reduction treatments are best done on patients who have severe weight problems, but there are few treatments that help people who are near or at their ideal body weight but are seeking a little help.
  
  CoolSculpting acts as that last solution for patients who continue to have certain problem areas even with proper diet and exercise. Most successful patients of CoolSculpting are those who are relatively fit.

What Are Saddlebags?

Saddlebags are a growing concern for many women of all ages, but exactly what saddlebags are can be slightly confusing. Saddlebags are sometimes confused with curves around the hips, but this isn’t necessarily the case.

Saddlebags can be found on the outer thighs, along the side of the butt cheeks. While women generally want their butts to have an outward, perky appearance, saddlebags extend the butt sideways, giving the backside an extra outer curve just below the hips. Saddlebags get their name from the saddlebags of a horse; when you look at a horse with saddlebags from behind, the saddlebags look as if they extend sideward out of the butt.

It’s important to remember that saddlebags aren’t necessarily a bad thing. There are some people who like the saddlebag or “square booty” look, as it is sometimes referred. This outer thigh fat is not everyone’s preference, however, and if you find yourself dealing with saddlebags even after proper diet and exercise, then it may be a case of stubborn fat deposits along your outer thighs.

Why Do I Have Saddlebags?

There are a few causes for saddlebags, such as muscular displacement, but for most people, saddlebags is a simple case of excess fat in the outer thigh region. Saddlebags is just another example of excess fat cells clumping up in a specific area, leading to the thicker and wider look.

As explained above, the way our bodies carry fat is unique and depends on our genetics, which is why some people may have saddlebags, and others with the same body weight may have fat in other areas.

Saddlebags are a specific kind of fat deposit that can be worsened by living inactive lives, and is commonly found in middle-aged women.

Thin or average weight women who naturally have round bottoms can find themselves naturally growing saddlebags as they age, as the fat cells continue to clump up in their outer thigh area. It is important to keep muscle growth and activity consistent in the outer thighs while maintaining a healthy diet.

If you find yourself still struggling with saddlebags even after living with a healthy diet and lifestyle, then it might be time to consider CoolSculpting for your outer thighs. People with excessive saddlebags even after living healthy lives are known to have genetic or “constitutional” fat.

How CoolSculpting Works on Saddlebags

For people who have a long history of dealing with saddlebags, CoolSculpting might be the best solution for you, because of the nature of saddlebags and how CoolSculpting interacts with the fat cells in the outer thighs.

CoolSculpting on saddlebags works by freezing the fat cells inside of the patient’s outer thigh area. As the outer thigh is generally a flat part of the body with a lot of skin, targeting the area with a CoolSculpting device is simpler and easier than other areas.

For the thighs, doctors will generally use two different CoolSculpting applicators to ensure best results, one for the inner thighs and another for the outer thighs. The CoolSculpting applicator for the inner thighs is known as the CoolFit, which works best for areas that are larger as it has longer cooling plates. While other CoolSculpting applicators involve pinching the skin into the device to freeze it, the CoolFit can work simply by being pressed on the skin.

The outer thighs requires an applicator known as the CoolSmooth. The CoolSmooth is flat, making it better than round or curved applicators for areas of large flat skin that can’t necessarily be pinched. Areas that can be pinched include the abdomen and love handles.

CoolSculpting helps patients with saddlebags in two ways: by reducing the size and the curve of the saddlebags in the outer thigh, and (for some patients, more importantly) by smoothing away the bumps, waves, and jiggles that come with most cases of saddlebags. These bumps and waves are fat cells beneath the skin. By freezing and eliminating the outer thigh’s fat cells, the bumps and waves are the first to go as soon as results start to show.

Is CoolSculpting Effective for Saddlebags?

Very much so. Cryolipolysis or CoolSculpting has been found to treat saddlebags in patients who could not lose it with diet or exercise. In one study, researchers found CoolSculpting to be the most effective treatment for saddlebag reduction.

On average, women treated with CoolSculpting for the saddlebags can expect to lose two inches from the circumference of their thigh, which is most heavily influenced by subcutaneous fat.

Researchers also found that patients going through cryolipolysis for their outer thighs reported a pain score of two or less, with just 8% of patients experiencing short-term bruising on their thighs after the treatment.

90% of women who undergo CoolSculpting for saddlebags claim that they will recommend it to their friends and family, while over 80% of women go on to have CoolSculpting performed on another part of the body, such as love handles and the abdomen.

The Saddlebag CoolSculpting Procedure

As it is a non-invasive cosmetic treatment, the CoolSculpting procedure is relatively simple and involves just a few major steps:

• Consultation: Every CoolSculpting treatment begins with a consultation between the patient and their chosen doctor or CoolSculpting provider. During the consultation, the patient and their doctor or provider will discuss their expectations, goals, and the specific area of concern to be treated with CoolSculpting. In some cases, the patient will be asked to step into a room and undress, allowing the doctor to take photos of their body and the specific area of stubborn fat for better study and analysis.
• The Procedure: The patient has little to no preparation to think about prior to their CoolSculpting experience. During the procedure itself, the patient will be asked to lie or sit down. A gel is then applied to the treated area, allowing the skin to be protected from the cold while the CoolSculpting applicator freezes the fat cells. For outer thighs, the CoolSmooth is then applied to the skin. This treatment can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. The patient is allowed to read, watch a movie, or do whatever they wish while waiting for the treatment to finish.
• Aftercare: After the fat is frozen and the applicator removed, the doctor or their team will vigorously massage the treated area for a few minutes. This further dislodges the frozen fat cells, allowing it to more easily convert into waste. A patient can expect to lose up to 25% of their fat cells, making a significant reduction of fat from the area. Most CoolSculpting procedures require 2-3 treatments for the best body contouring experience.

Experience CoolSculpting For Your Saddlebags and More at Ethos Spa

If you would like to learn more about CoolSculpting for saddlebags or would like a consultation for your next potential saddlebag CoolSculpting treatment, contact us at Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center today. We are one of the most trusted providers of CoolSculpting and many other cosmetic treatments in New Jersey, and have served countless patients with results they can’t live without.

Contact our expert team today and find out how we can make you love your body more than you already do. With CoolSculpting, your saddlebags will be a thing of the past.

The post CoolSculpting on the Outer Thigh: Can I Get Rid of My Saddlebags? appeared first on Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center.

from Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center https://www.myethosspa.com/coolsculpting-on-outer-thigh-saddlebags/
via https://www.myethosspa.com

Weight Gain After CoolSculpting: What Happens?

One of the most popular fat reduction treatments on the market today is CoolSculpting, and for good reason: CoolSculpting can destroy roughly 25% of fat cells in the treated area. With fewer fat cells, stubborn fat deposits around a patient’s body can be treated and shrunk, forcing the body to eject the dead fat cells.

But what happens if you gain weight after CoolSculpting? While some patients think that you might end up looking lumpy, this isn’t the case. If a patient gains weight again after being treated with CoolSculpting, the fat will first settle in other areas of the body. The treated area will remain smooth and firm, as there are simply fewer fat cells present.

As there are fewer fat cells in the area that was treated with CoolSculpting, it can be more difficult for that area to look as fat as before. However, if a patient experiences extreme weight gain, fat cells from other areas can spread to the treated area, leading to a return to the previous body shape.

How CoolSculpting Works

To understand how the body reacts to weight gain after a CoolSculpting treatment, it is crucial to understand exactly how fat spreads in the body and how CoolSculpting works.

When a person first gains weight, fat cells begin to develop around the body. These fat cells can shrink and enlarge, with larger fat cells leading to a fatter body. People who have bigger bodies do not necessarily have more fat cells; rather, their fat cells are more enlarged than fat cells in thinner bodies.

Proper exercise and diet are some of the simplest and most ideal methods to lose weight, but losing weight isn’t always enough to eliminate the “fatty” look from certain parts of the body. For some people – no matter how much they watch their diet and exercise – certain areas remain problematic, with stubborn fat refusing to melt away.

These stubborn fat deposits are caused by having too many fat cells in an area; even when they are shrunk, their presence still creates a fatty appearance. Even the strictest exercise and diet plans can find it impossible to shrink stubborn areas of fat.

This is where CoolSculpting comes in. CoolSculpting is one of the most effective procedures to eliminate stubborn fat cells in a relatively fit body. This procedure uses the process of Cryolipolysis, in which the skin is pressed into a device that freezes the fat cells beneath the skin.

Once frozen, the fat cells die and become destroyed, allowing the body to register the dead fat deposits as waste. The body will then proceed to naturally remove the dead fat cells from the system, leading to a significant reduction of fat cells in the treated area. CoolSculpting patients can expect up to 25% of the fat cells in the treated area to become frozen, destroyed, and removed due to the treatment.

With significantly fewer fat cells in the body’s traditional areas for storing stubborn fat deposits, the body is forced to find other areas to store fat; in most cases, the body will learn how to distribute the weight more evenly around the system.

CoolSculpting: Weight Loss and Fat Reduction

While diet and exercise teach us to focus on lowering the number on the weighing scale, it also gives us an incorrect understanding of the relationship between fat and weight. What many people do not understand is that the ultimate goal is to lose fat, not weight.

Weight is made up of every part of the body, including muscle; this means that if you grow muscle during your exercise and diet plan, you might end up becoming heavier than before, even if you have less fat (especially since muscle is denser and thus heavier than fat). This can leave even the most active people feeling hopeless, when they see their weight increase despite long days at the gym.

CoolSculpting concerns itself with helping patients reduce fat after they have lost weight. With the fat reducing process of CoolSculpting, patients can expect the following:

• The treated area to shrink in size by up to 40%
• A 25% reduction of fat cells in the treated area
• Clothing to fit better, and a more natural contour around the body

This is why CoolSculpting is mostly recommended to patients who are at or near their ideal body weight, as it should be a procedure used to perfect or top off your look, rather than help kickstart your weight loss journey. But what happens if you gain weight back after your CoolSculpting procedure?

Gaining Weight After CoolSculpting

Some patients fear that gaining weight after CoolSculpting can be disastrous for the appearance of your body. The myth is that by having fewer fat cells in the areas of your body’s natural fat deposits, your body will have difficulty storing fat during extreme weight gain, leading to the body looking unnatural and lumpy in unusual areas, similar to tying a belt around certain parts of the body and forcing the fat into other areas.

Thankfully, the body works much more efficiently than most of us give it credit for. If you gain some weight, your body will distribute the weight to other areas; in most cases, this means your body will start distributing your fat more evenly rather than targeting certain fat deposit areas.

Secondly, the area treated with CoolSculpting will not return to being your body’s storage of stubborn fat. As there are significantly fewer fat cells, it is simply not possible; even if the fat cells become enlarged again, there aren’t enough fat cells for the area to look as fat or big as it once did.

However, it should be noted that if the body experiences prolonged extreme weight gain, then the fat cells might return to the treated area, with fat cells from adjacent areas spreading into the vacant spots caused by the treatment.

For example, if you have your lower stomach treated with CoolSculpting and gain weight after the procedure, then fat cells from your upper stomach or your hips might end up spreading back to your lower stomach (assuming the weight gain is extreme and prolonged).

Weight Gain Due to Pregnancy After CoolSculpting

Pregnancy-related weight gain, if controlled and not allowed to extend or grow long after the patient has given birth, won’t necessarily negate the results of CoolSculpting.

The body will naturally adjust to your former body shape as long as no extreme weight gain occurs for an extended time after the pregnancy. It is important to make sure that your weight doesn’t severely fluctuate as well, as this can encourage the spread of fat cells around the body.

Avoiding Weight Gain After CoolSculpting

The most important thing to remember is that CoolSculpting is not a procedure that guarantees permanent fat reduction results, and there are no permanent fat reduction procedures or treatments available. It is up to the patient to maintain their weight to retain the ideal results of their CoolSculpting treatment.

To keep your weight consistent after your CoolSculpting treatment, we recommend the following:

• A Lifestyle, not a Diet: Create and follow a healthy, balanced diet packed with the various nutrients your body requires to stay slim and fit. Fried foods, snacks, and heavily-processed foods should be kept at a minimum rather than allowed to become consistent parts of your meal plan. You should think of your healthy meal plan as a lifestyle, not a temporary diet. 
• Consistency with Your Exercise: Maintain a moderate level of exercise, with at least three sessions of moderate to intense exercise per week, for at least 30 minutes each. This is the minimum cardiovascular requirements for an adult to maintain a healthy heart and overall cardiovascular system. Weight training should also be included in your exercise program to further define the CoolSculpting results with a toned body.
• Measure in More Ways Than One: Think about more than just your weight, as weight can be deceiving if measured by itself. Pay attention to the way your clothing fits, if certain sizes get tighter, and other ways to check your overall body fat. It can be easy to overeat after you start increasing your exercise intensity, as many people overestimate the amount of calories they burn during a workout.

Can You Have CoolSculpting a Second Time?

If you have experienced weight gain and then worked the weight off again, but feel that the results of your CoolSculpting treatment have disappeared, you may be wondering if it is advisable to have CoolSculpting done a second time.

The answer is of course – there should be no problem with having CoolSculpting done again if you would like to get your figure back on track.

Remember: CoolSculpting will only be effective if the targeted area has experienced an increase in the number of fat cells, due to spreading from other areas of the body caused by the excessive weight gain you experienced. It is still recommended to return near your ideal body weight before undergoing CoolSculpting a second time.

As CoolSculpting is a non-invasive procedure that only damages your fat cells, there should be no risk with having the procedure performed on the same area more than once.

Need to Know More About CoolSculpting?

If you are interested in learning more about CoolSculpting, or if you would like to book a free CoolSculpting consultation or appointment with some of the top providers of CoolSculpting in the New Jersey area, then contact us at Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center today.

Our team of medical professionals has performed successful and long-lasting CoolSculpting on countless happy patients. Why not see what CoolSculpting can do for you today?

The post Weight Gain After CoolSculpting: What Happens? appeared first on Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center.

from Ethos Spa Skin and Laser Center https://www.myethosspa.com/weight-gain-after-coolsculpting/
via https://www.myethosspa.com