After attending multiple treatment sessions, you may notice hair regrowth in the treated areas – this is entirely normal!
Hair follicles that have been damaged but not destroyed completely by laser therapy will regrow, which is why it is vitally important to schedule follow-up treatments regularly in order to achieve lasting results and minimize shaving needs.
How Does the Procedure Work?
Laser therapy works by targeting the dark pigment (darkness) in both your hair and skin, without damaging nearby tissues. Most patients find the procedure safe; however, some experience discomfort such as burning or stinging while being treated – most technicians offer numbing cream to minimize this discomfort during treatments.
Laser treatment works best when hair follicles are in their anagen phase – meaning they’re growing new hair follicles – therefore multiple sessions may be necessary in order to see desired results. Your treatment specialist should be able to give an accurate assessment of how many sessions may be required during your initial consultation session.
If you notice that hair regrowth after laser treatment has suddenly increased, don’t worry too much; this is very normal and typically much finer and lighter in tone than before treatment began.
Regrowth occurs because hair grows and sheds in cycles. Laser treatments only target anagen phase hair follicles; for optimal results it’s recommended to receive treatments every 4-6 weeks for facial areas, and 6-8 weeks apart in areas below the neck.
As part of your pre and post treatment care regimen, it’s also wise to refrain from waxing, tweezing and plucking hair as this could disturb hair follicles that could render treatment ineffective.
One factor that may influence hair regrowth is your body’s hormone levels. Hormonal imbalances caused by pregnancy or menopause, in particular, can accelerate hair regrowth more than usual.
Laser treatments can provide long-term solutions to unwanted hair. Other methods, like electrolysis, may offer even longer-term solutions; your laser hair removal technician at LVB Body Sculpt & MedSpa Yorktown will be able to recommend which will be the most suitable.
How Long Does It Take to See Results?
If you have undergone multiple laser hair removal treatments and notice some unwanted regrowth after having finished all sessions, don’t panic; this is perfectly normal and indicates that the treatments are working.
Laser hair removal works by targeting hair roots located deep below your skin’s surface, where they produce hair follicles responsible for appearing as hair on its surface. When laser energy focuses on these cells, specifically during their anagen phase (when actively growing hairs are at risk of damage from laser light), energy from this laser beam strikes them with its intensity while leaving unaffected those in catagen or resting stages of their cycle cycle (catagen).
Laser treatments target anagen stage hair follicles when they produce melanin, which the laser targets as it destroys them. After being treated by laser, new growth may take several months; but those that return will likely be lighter and finer than prior.
Hair growth can be affected by hormone levels and age. Therefore, many individuals require several laser sessions in order to enjoy permanent reduction of hair growth.
Follow your laser specialist’s recommendations when it comes to how often and the number of sessions necessary for optimal results. Too much time between treatments could cause the follicles to go back into anagen mode and start growing once again, potentially losing results altogether.
Prior to your session, it is also vitally important that no other methods of hair-removal, including waxing and plucking, be used on the treated area for at least six weeks prior. Applying sunless tanning creams or shaving may disrupt follicles and have an adverse impact on results.
Will Hair Grow Back After Treatment?
Hair growth and loss occur on an ongoing cycle, so laser treatment cannot permanently stop its regrowth. When hair does regrow, however, it often grows much thinner and lighter in color than before – for maximum effectiveness you must receive several sessions spaced out over several months. To achieve permanent results from laser hair removal treatments.
Regular maintenance sessions can help delay regrowth. To minimize its appearance, try forgoing shaving, waxing, or any other forms of hair-removal techniques for an extended period prior to undertaking treatment again. Furthermore, tanning in the treatment area could make it harder for doctors to distinguish between healthy hair and unwanted ones.
Some individuals experience thicker regrowth after receiving laser treatment due to changes in hormone levels, medications or external influences that disrupt how hair follicles function.
Your doctor can assist with managing any post-treatment regrowth by discussing your options for future hair removal. These could include tweezing and plucking which can disrupt hair growth by extracting melanin from follicles; shaving should also be avoided to prevent ingrown hairs.
Electrolysis offers another effective means of hair removal that targets individual hairs directly, although it requires more invasive steps but offers longer-term solutions than laser hair removal.
Though laser hair removal cannot guarantee permanent results, the most effective strategy for avoiding regrowth is treating all your hair follicles during their anagen phase of growth. Most patients require 4 – 6 laser treatment sessions before reaching this goal and frequently require annual follow up treatments in order to maintain results.
However, some hair follicles never enter the anagen phase, continuing to produce and shed unwanted hair despite laser treatments. Therefore, it’s essential that you abide by your doctor’s advice on the number of sessions necessary.
Can I Get Follow-Up Treatments?
Many people struggle with unwanted hair. While shaving provides short-term relief, depilatory creams and waxing require multiple appointments over time for results that last. Laser hair removal offers permanent solutions without spending your time and money on repeated sessions with other methods of hair-removal.
Laser hair removal destroys hair follicles permanently, rendering them incapable of producing new hair growth again. But that doesn’t mean your existing hair is gone forever: new growth may still appear depending on various factors including hormonal shifts. Therefore, it is crucial that you follow your treatment plan as recommended by your laser specialist.
Once treated, hair that grows back is likely to appear lighter or thinner as the follicle no longer is active growth phase. While this may be an unwanted side effect of laser hair removal treatments, this doesn’t indicate they weren’t successful.
There are a few steps you can take to help avoid hair regrowth following laser treatment, including not shaving the treated area and not applying any sunless skin creams in the days leading up to your appointment. In addition, plucking or waxing the treatment area as this could disturb its follicle.
Avoid tanning as this will darken your skin and diminish the effectiveness of laser treatments. Skin pigmentation allows lasers to detect hair growth; without color to target, the laser won’t be effective.
Finally, taking certain medications or experiencing an underlying condition can make laser hair removal more challenging. Hormones like testosterone may increase hair growth speed, making it harder to achieve complete elimination through this method. If future hair growth concerns arise, speak to your laser specialist about follow-up treatments designed to keep those follicles under control.
