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Author: chiron99 | Total views: 6 Comments: 0
Word Count: 920 Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 7:59 PM

How to Research and Choose an Aesthetic Treatment Center

So you've decided you want to have some minor work done. It may be laser hair removal, a cellulite treatment or skin rejuvenation. Now you need to decide where to have it performed and by whom.

After checking with friends and family for references and suggestions, make sure you do some "investigating" on your own to ensure that the experience you have will be a safe and successful one.

Prior to selecting an aesthetic treatment center, follow our tips for researching and selecting the most reputable treatment center to quell any uneasiness and find the service you've been looking for, leaving you with more time to move on to other activities that you can enjoy with a new you.

Experience
How many treatments have been performed at the location? How many treatments have the doctor and the aesthetician performed? If you're seeing an aesthetician or technician that is supervised by a doctor, remember that the technician probably performs the majority of treatments day in and day out, so it's best to ask the person performing your treatments.

Customer service/satisfaction
Ask if you can talk to current and past customers. Someone who has had the treatment you are considering can be a great resource. That person can have valuable information about what to expect during and after any procedures. However, remember that every individual is different, and someone with different skin tone or skin conditions can have results that will vary from yours.

Incident/injury rate
Ask for the center's incident and injury rate. This will give you a good indication of the level of success the center has and their openness and willingness to talk about all aspects of the company. A low rate should provide reassurance that you've made the right choice, while a high rate should be a flag to ask more questions and seek more details before making a decision.

Technology/equipment
What type of equipment does the aesthetic treatment center use? Is it the latest and most up-to-date that you've read about in fashion and beauty magazines, or is it some earlier equipment that you may not have heard about? Once you find out which equipment is being used, search online for the name of the equipment to get a good feel of reviews for the devices.

Training/research
Ask the aesthetician or technician what type of training is required. State requirements can vary, so you may want to consider a center that has been franchised, which can offer consistent training across all locations and will have several policies and procedures in place based on the experiences of those performing treatments across the country.

Be an informed consumer
To understand how laser hair removal works, it is important to understand hair and how it grows. Human hairs are made up of three parts: the bulb at the base of the hair follicle (which produces hair), the shaft and the hair. The bulb and the shaft are embedded beneath the surface of the skin, therefore the hair is the only part visible to the naked eye. The hair growth cycle is comprised of three stages: telogen, catagen and anagen.

At any given time, approximately 30 percent of your hair is in its anagen growth stage, which is the only time the hair is susceptible to laser hair removal treatments. Each laser hair reduction session will permanently damage 30 percent of the hair follicles in the treatment area. Essentially, laser hair removal works by damaging the hair follicle.

The only way to permanently reduce the amount of unwanted hair is to damage the hair follicle to a point where is unable to produce hairs. The hairs that are destroyed with each treatment are destroyed permanently. While patient protocol is determined on a case-by-case basis, on average our center recommends a minimum of six treatments, spread about two months apart per treatment.

Modern laser hair removal provides permanent hair reduction and is really a marvel of technology and has effectively removed the discomfort that was once associated with laser hair removal and are still associated with some of the older equipment that is out there in non-specialty clinics.

For those interested in body shaping and reducing the appearance of cellulite, VelaShape is the first treatment approved by the FDA to temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite and reduce thigh circumference. VelaShape is a clinically proven procedure that many Americans are choosing instead of surgical techniques. The noninvasive VelaShape device uses something called el's technology, invented by laser developer Syneron. It employs bi-polar RF waves and infrared energy to improve skin texture, reduce the appearance of cellulite and cut down on localized fat deposits by literally shrinking your fat cells.

No matter which type of treatments you may be seeking, plan to spend some time researching the exact procedure that you'd like to have, what side effects if any exist, and find out about the aesthetic treatment center by asking friends and family and interviewing the technician that will be performing the treatment.

An informed consumer can make smart decisions by performing basic research to become knowledgeable about products and services. When considering laser hair removal or various skin rejuvenation treatments, knowing what devices are used, how many times the technician has performed them and talking to previous customers can provide a wealth of information.

About the Author

AmericanLaser.com is the largest and most successful laser hair removal, skin rejuvenation and cellulite reduction therapy company, with more than 220 locations in the United States. For more information, please visit AmericanLaser.com.