American Laser Center for laser hair removal all over the country (8/10)

September 8, 2010 Kelly Doherty

I am ½ Italian and grew up in a primarily Italian neighborhood. I remember always hearing how great it is to be Italian! The food, the people, the culture… the leg hair!? Yes, it is great to be Italian. That is until you hit puberty and you have to shave your legs twice a day. I am not kidding. I used to shave in the morning and by two o’clock in the afternoon I would have the equivalent of a five o’clock shadow, on my legs of course! Through the years I have tried it all: Shaving, depilatories, waxing, buffing. You name it, I tried it! Shaving took so long and only lasted a few hours. Depilatories were messy and had similar results as shaving. Waxing was painful and oh, so expensive. I once added up a year’s worth of waxing had cost me $500, not to mention all the time and weeks of wearing pants so that the hair could grow back before my next session. Buffing is just silly. A couple of years ago a friend of mine told me about the great results she had from Laser hair removal. I checked it out at American Laser Center in Santa Monica where I had my lower legs done.

The Santa Monica American Laser Center office is located at 1450 10^th Street in a medical building with a pretty view of tree-lined streets. The walls are painted a bright blue and there are beauty/fashion magazines in the waiting room giving it the feeling of a cheerful spa rather than a medical office. Jennifer Gatchalian, the beautiful, stylishly dressed, Clinic Manager, only adds to the aura of luxury. There are images of beauty all around, including a picture of the USA Women’s Soccer Team (apparently fans of American Laser Centers).

By California Law, all of the laser treatments are done by a Registered Nurse. There are 170 American Laser Centers across the country and some even offer Botox, Dermal Fillers and Affirm Skin Rejuvenation.

Over the course of my treatments (6- 1 hour long sessions spread out 10 weeks apart) I learned a lot about American Laser Centers and what sets them apart from other Laser Centers. Since American Laser Centers have locations across the country, if you are traveling when it is time for your treatment you can have your treatment done almost anywhere. ALC is a large company not likely to go out of business which is something to consider when making a year-long and financial commitment to laser hair removal. ALC offers the newest and most effective treatment technologies unlike their smaller competitors and are continuously exploring new technologies. The lasers that ALC uses are unlike other clinics. Many other clinics have you apply a messy numbing crème 30 minutes before having a laser treatment. That means arriving early for your appointment and waiting for the crème to take effect. Even with the crème the competitors’ laser treatment is painful. American Laser Center’s laser uses an actively-cooled treatment head which helps to soothe and protect your upper skin layer. The nurse applies a cool, conducting gel right before the laser is used. This helps to ensure optimum skin contact with the laser head for maximum effectiveness and proper cooling of the outer skin layer. I found the process to be almost painless. It felt like a hot pinch that only lasted a second each time she used the laser. ALC lasers are able to treat people with darker skin tones and remove blonde, gray and red hairs, traditionally the most difficult to treat.

Laser Hair Removal is not just for women either. Professional athletes such as swimmers and cyclists use ALC so that their bodies are competition-ready. Male models, female impersonators or men with back hair and are tired of painful waxing or shaving also use American Laser Centers. I was told that about 50% of the clinics business in LA is from men.

Most people see perfect results (smooth legs with no hair) after 6 sessions. ALC backs it with a 2 year guarantee. I however will have to continue with more treatments. I guess it’s the Italian blood in me! Now I only have to shave every 3 days- a huge improvement from twice a day.

I am so happy I used American Laser Center for my hair removal and finally it’s great to be Italian again!

The Santa Monica ALC Clinic is located at:

1450 Tenth Street Ste. 300

Santa Monica, CA 90401

(310) 593-2131

http://www.americanlaser.com/clinic-locations/santa-monica.php