Laser hair removal offers an effective long-term solution for smooth skin free of shaving, waxing and plucking. Regular sessions will lead to less hair growing back after treatments have concluded; any that do reappear will likely be finer and less noticeable over time.
However, your exact session frequency depends on your unique hair growth cycle and skin type.
Hair Growth Cycle
Laser hair removal has become an extremely popular solution for eliminating unwanted body hair in both women and men. It is an extremely safe and effective treatment, giving nearly hair-free skin in key areas such as your face, arms, legs, chest and stomach. Lasers target dark pigment in hair follicles to target them for destruction or damage by light. Melanin rich follicles respond better than others and thus may be targeted more by laser light treatment sessions, leading to results such as thickening hair or loss altogether.
However, your body’s hair growth cycle will impact how long it takes for its full recovery following laser hair removal. That is why it’s vital that laser treatments be scheduled at least six to eight weeks apart so as to target all anagen phase follicles effectively during each session.
If your laser hair removal appointments extend past eight weeks, some follicles may have entered the catagen phase of their life cycles. This period – characterized by shrinkage and separation from dermal papilla nourishment sources – occurs before dormant phase begins and hair production resumes again.
Telogen, or resting phase of hair growth cycle, typically lasts a few days to several years and involves no hair production from follicles that will not respond to laser light exposure. At this stage, however, laser light cannot affect them at all and their potential future hair production could likely be lighter and thinner in texture than before.
If you want to finally rid yourself of unwanted hair, visit our clinic in Burleson for laser hair removal treatments. Our team can assist in choosing an interval that ensures all follicles remain in anagen phase at every session.
Skin Type
Laser hair removal can be an effective treatment to get rid of unwanted body hair, but you must remember that its effects will only last as long as you attend sessions regularly and don’t miss too many sessions at a time – otherwise the hair growth cycle will catch up with you and start the cycle all over again!
There are a few factors that will influence how soon you need to return for another laser hair removal session, including your skin type and the coarseness of your hair. If you have light skin tone, more frequent visits may be required since lasers can mistake your natural or artificial tan as hair pigment. Therefore it’s wise to limit sun exposure or tanning bed use in the weeks leading up to treatment for best results.
Additionally, to optimize results of laser hair removal treatments you should avoid waxing, tweezing and plucking hair from the area of your body that will be treated. These methods remove hair follicles and shafts that could compromise its effectiveness; during your consultation appointment we can give more specific details regarding frequency of appointments and expected outcomes.
If you have sensitive skin, we advise scheduling laser hair removal sessions four to six weeks apart in order for the treatments to penetrate into the pores of your skin and provide long-term (up to permanent) results.
Before commencing laser hair removal treatments, it is also essential that you are not pregnant or breastfeeding as pregnancy and breastfeeding can alter hormone levels in the body, making resumption of sessions safer and more successful. Once you’ve finished your course of laser hair removal sessions however, re-start sessions without fear!
Are you ready to rid yourself of unwanted hair on your face, arms, legs and back? Reach out to us now so our skin experts can arrange a virtual or in-person consultation and help you reach your goal of smooth, beautiful skin!
Sun Exposure
No matter your skin tone, sun exposure should always be taken into consideration before beginning laser hair removal treatments. Exposure can increase the risk of an adverse reaction during treatment which could compromise its success and increase adverse side effects such as burns or hyperpigmentation. Being honest about sun exposure with your technician is also key; they need to know about any sun damage before proceeding with treatments.
Prior to laser hair removal, it’s always wise to limit sun exposure as much as possible; this is particularly important during the summer months when UV rays can darken the pigment of your hair and make it harder for laser to differentiate between your follicles and skin tone; leading to unintended or uneven results.
As such, it’s wise to schedule laser hair removal treatments on areas of the body not as often exposed to direct sunlight in summer so you can be assured of more uniform results – this way you can still enjoy being outside without being concerned with how you look!
After receiving laser hair removal treatments, your skin may become extra-sensitive to sun damage. Therefore, sunscreen with an SPF rating of 30 or greater should be liberally applied and reapplied frequently – particularly after water activities or wearing long sleeves can provide extra protection. Wearing a hat may also help.
As with any skin treatment, swimming in chlorinated or salt water can irritate treated skin and increase its sensitivity, so you should refrain from beach and pool activities for 24-48 hours following laser hair removal treatment as a safeguard measure. After that timeframe has elapsed, it should be safe to resume swimming or other water-based sports again. Keeping your skin healthy after laser hair removal treatment ensures years of smooth, beautiful skin to come!
Medical History
Certain medical conditions can render laser hair removal ineffective. For instance, if you suffer from a skin condition that changes your pigment in hair strands, it could make it harder for the laser to see where one ends and another begins. Furthermore, those taking medication designed to suppress immunity could be at greater risk from complications after laser treatment; those in such circumstances should always consult with a dermatologist first before embarking on laser hair removal treatments.
Importantly, laser hair removal does not promise permanent results. Though FDA-cleared lasers may help permanently reduce unwanted hair, individual results will vary based on hormone levels and your hair growth cycle.
Another factor affecting your results can be how long you wait between treatments. It is crucial that waxing, tweezing or plucking be avoided between sessions in order for the laser to target each hair follicle effectively; otherwise, more melanin will accumulate and make laser removal harder to achieve results.
Your laser hair removal treatment schedule can also be affected by pregnancy and other changes to hormones, so if major life events like birth are taking place that could alter them it would be wise to pause your sessions until things return to normal and resume them when ready.
Laser hair removal can be an excellent and safe way to control hair growth, and should be approached as such. Be prepared for how many sessions it will take in order to reach the results that you desire; these results may vary based on factors like hair growth cycle, skin type, sun exposure and hormone levels – but with help from an experienced medical professional who understands these variables you should achieve smooth skin in no time!
