A decade ago laser hair removal wasn't even listed in the national plastic surgery statistics.  But today it is one of the most popular procedures around, with demand for the procedure skyrocketing. 

“I've been using laser hair removal in my practice for the last 10 years,” said local dermatologist Elizabeth McBurney, who is affiliated with the LSU Health Sciences Center.

“We do more hair removal than any other cosmetic procedure here in the office.”

One patient explained that sensitive skin was one reason she uses laser treatments.

“Just shaving my legs was very painful and you know I had a lot of ingrown hairs, so I decided to go ahead and give it a try,” said patient Shannon Catoire.

Laser hair removal is done in a doctor's office where physicians and trained medical experts closely monitor the power of the laser for your specific skin type, tone and color.

Any numbing cream or injections are also administered by a doctor.  These lasers permanently reduce the amount, thickness and texture of the unwanted hair.

Now there is something brand new, just approved by the Food and Drug Administration that will soon hit the marketplace.  It is called the Tria personal hair removal laser.  It is the first at-home machine to reduce unwanted hair.

“It may be the first step in making laser dermatologists expendable,” said dermatologist Mary Lupo, affiliated with Tulane University.  “The safety mechanisms are impressive.”

The Tria will only activate when placed correctly on the skin. Since darker-toned skin is more prone to blistering with certain lasers, the machine's sensor won't allow it to work when there is too much pigment, even from a tan.  In tests, there were no reports of burns.

“It was tested on people who were not undergoing professional laser treatment,” Lupo said, “and most of the patients got between a 40 and 60 percent reduction   after about 3 months.”

Dermatologists say the at-home laser will not be as effective as professional laser treatments in a doctor's office but they believe it will be a good tool to catch all the stray hairs that pop up over the years after office treatments.  Further, they say it will be good to use for touch ups in-between office treatments making your visits to the doctor less frequent.

“I think they're wonderful and have no problem with them whatsoever as long as people understand a few things,” said McBurney.

“They are not going to be as powerful as the ones we have in the office.  Also you need to follow the instructions on them very carefully and you need to use it properly and not use it in areas of the body that you shouldn't have lasers and lights around, like the eyes.”

“I can just see this where people start doing their eyebrows and then get damage to their eyes,” she added.

For now the product is approved for the arms, underarms, bikini area, legs and back, but not the face.

“It hardly felt like anything at all,” said patient Shannon Catoire.  “I just felt a little bit of warmth, just very slight.  It's easy, very easy.”

Even though the Tria is said to be safe to the eyes, laser experts say you should take precautions by using the eye protection in the kit.

“They absolutely require goggles because anything that has enough power to kill a hair follicle has enough power to injure an eye,” explained dermatologic surgeon William Coleman.

So if you are concerned about safety and don't feel a need to be the first to own this new technology, doctors have some advice.

“I would say wait,” said dermatologist Patricia Farris. 

“I think this is something that is going to be evolving over time and I think we are going to see new, better, more effective devices in the near future.”

The Tria will only be sold in doctors' offices so safety can be explained to buyers.

The entire kit will cost around $1,000 but since it will be used many times, the expense will be less than professional treatments.