Laser hair removal removes unwanted hair from the skin, and prevents its regrowth. However, when hair does return it usually comes back lighter in color and finer than before.
At a laser hair removal treatment, the laser transmits heat directly through your hair shafts to the hair follicles, heating up their inner structure to kill off germ cells and render the follicle unable to grow hair anymore.
Anagen Phase
Anagen phase hair growth occurs actively and most visibly above the skin. At this point, hair is most receptive to laser treatment due to an abundance of melanin in their roots attached to their follicle, making them highly responsive to light energy from laser beams. Heat energy from lasers passes down an anagen hair and into its root follicle disrupting how it works and inhibiting future growth.
An anagen phase typically lasts only weeks, which explains why most people require multiple laser treatments to reach their desired goals. Because hairs entering catagen or resting stage (telogen) remain dormant for months or even years after treatment has stopped working, many clients require periodic sessions – every six to eight weeks for maximum anagen phase hair coverage during each visit.
Laser light energy targets only dark hair pigment and won’t have an impact on lighter strands; while darker ones will still undergo cycles of growth but won’t reach anagen phase.
During the catagen or transitional phase, hair will stop growing and begin to separate from their follicles, shrinking in size as no nutrients are being supplied by their source. Hairs will shed during this phase which may result in thinning or patchy areas of loss.
Once hairs enter the telogen or resting phase, they become fully detached from their follicles and no longer visible above the skin. While this process is usually a natural one, it can contribute to pattern hair loss or thinned areas in some people. Regrowth treatments exist that target dormant follicles during this phase to keep them from activating again; for optimal results it’s wise to schedule regular sessions with an experienced professional for maximum benefits.
Catagen Phase
Catagen Phase, hair follicles begin to shed their outer layers as they transition to dormant state known as Telogen Phase. Follicles still in Anagen Phase during Catagen can be targeted for laser hair removal treatment – specifically targeting anagen hair that still contains pigment and heat transference from laser beams; heat is transferred by light waves directly onto pigment in hair which eventually damages its follicle, thus stopping new hair growth altogether – multiple laser hair removal sessions will likely be required in order to achieve desired results.
Hair in its anagen stage can easily be targeted for laser hair removal. Typically lasting 2-3 weeks and at its thickest and darkest point during that time period, its color allows lasers to recognize it and convert light energy into heat energy for removal.
Catagen Follicles begin to detach and shrink as you undergo laser hair removal treatment, leading to increased shedding. Hair in this phase tends to be lighter, thinner, and less abundant compared with anagen stage hair; moreover it responds less strongly to laser therapy because its dormant state prevents any energy absorption by surrounding tissue.
After entering the telogen phase, hair becomes even less likely to absorb any laser energy as its follicle is now dormant and no longer producing growth. Therefore, it can take anywhere from three to six months before new growth emerges in this telogen stage following laser hair removal treatments.
Understanding the growth cycles of hair is important as it will allow individuals to understand why multiple laser sessions may be required and why results can sometimes take time. Avoid tweezing, shaving, waxing, threading and plucking because these actions remove the anagen phase follicles making them less responsive to laser treatment and slowing the results of treatment.
Telogen Phase
After the catagen phase ends, your hair follicles transition to their resting or telogen phase. Here, your follicle shrinks down to about one-third its anagen size while its hair changes from rod to club hair; that is to say it no longer has its own blood supply and no longer receives nourishment from roots. These hairs typically reach two to three centimeters long before being shed after two or three weeks.
Telogen phase: the dormant state where hair follicles cease producing new strands; can last from days to years and eventually returns in smaller, finer versions than before anagen stage began.
Laser hair removal can be advantageous as small tufts of hair can easily be targeted and destroyed with heat from the laser, with one exception: when the hair follicle has already entered its telogen phase – as often seen among people who suffer from conditions known as Telogen Effluvium.
Telogen effluvium remains unknown, though its cause could include pregnancy, stress, corticosteroids medications (including corticosteroid cream), age and hormone levels as possible triggers.
Laser hair removal treatments can effectively target and destroy telogen hair follicles to stop them from producing new hair growth, yet any hair follicle not entirely destroyed can regrow some bit of hair after some years if left undisturbed by laser treatments – this is why it is crucial not to shave, wax, tweeze or pluck unwanted hair between laser treatments.
Laser hair removal tends to achieve permanent or near-permanent results for most people, depending on how long someone has had treatment and fluctuating hormonal levels. Hair growth may become significantly slower or stop altogether after laser therapy treatment has begun; while regrowth is possible, usually slower than it would have been without laser therapy – and in some cases none at all after multiple sessions!
Regrowth
Laser hair removal effectively inhibits hair follicle growth by passing heat down its shaft and into it, disrupting how it functions, and stopping growth. As such, any Anagen-stage hairs at the time of treatment will be permanently eliminated; multiple sessions will likely be required before you experience permanent results; though when they reach Catagen or resting stages again they’ll return lighter in texture than before.
As part of your laser treatments, it is vital that you refrain from waxing, shaving, or plucking your hair between sessions as this could trigger the hair follicle to return too early to its anagen phase – rendering laser light useless at treating large amounts of melanin production in its wake.
If you are considering laser hair removal, it is advisable to visit a licensed laser specialist or doctor for your pretreatment consultation. At this appointment they will review your medical history, examine areas you want treated, as well as classifying you according to Fitzpatrick skin phototype classification to make sure you’re a suitable candidate for treatment.
At your consultation, you will also be informed of any risks or complications that may result from treatment. Depending on your complexion and hair type, more than six treatment sessions may be required to achieve desired results; additionally, some patients require maintenance treatments periodically in order to keep unwanted hair at bay.
At each session of your laser hair removal treatments, it is imperative that you wear sunscreen to protect the treated area. UV rays from the sun can discolor melanin in your hair and significantly impact results, so using broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher sunscreen every day may help ensure their integrity is preserved.
