CONTACT: JENNIFER CRONIN
2130 Medical Laboratories
Iowa City IA 52242
(319) 335-9917; fax (319) 335-8034
e-mail: jennifer-cronin@uiowa.edu

Release: Dec. 17, 1999

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics offers new hair removal treatment

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Forget about painful waxing, time-consuming electrolysis and even the hassle of shaving - the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has a new way to zap away unwanted hair.

Using a laser, the hospital's plastic surgery staff can reduce the hair usually within a few treatments. Each session lasts anywhere from a minute or two to an hour depending on the size of the area to be treated.

"It is one of those things that you could do over the lunch hour," said Claudette Heddens, program associate in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Division.

Unlike electrolysis, which requires that every hair follicle be treated individually, the laser shines a beam of light on a dime-sized area. The follicles in the area absorb the laser beam and are destroyed, preventing them from producing hair.

The treatment does not damage the skin or surrounding tissue. The only side effect is slight, momentary redness in the treated area, Heddens said.

The laser treatment can be used anywhere on the body where there is unwanted hair. The ideal patient is someone with dark hair and light skin.

Prices for the procedure vary depending on the size of the area and the number of treatments required. Typically, a mustache area requires three to four treatments and costs around $400. Although most insurance plans do not cover the treatment costs, the hospital offers a package rate that includes three treatments with a fourth session free, if needed.

For more information on the service, call 319-356-7996.

University of Iowa Health Care describes the partnership between the UI College of Medicine and the UI Hospitals and Clinics and the patient care, medical education and research programs and services they provide.