Laser hair removal is an effective, painless solution to eliminating unwanted body or facial hair, but some will always return.
Due to the nature of treatment, hair follicles may become damaged but not entirely destroyed – even with multiple sessions over time it would be difficult to completely destroy all follicles.
Some laser practitioners, particularly those working in spas or independently, may be over-aggressive with their treatments, potentially reactivating hair follicles and leading to unwanted growth. This can potentially damage existing tissue as well as further inflaming them resulting in unwanted hair regrowth.
Hormonal Imbalance
Hormones are chemical messengers produced by your body that regulate growth, sleep, hunger, metabolism and reproduction. If hormone levels become imbalanced it can negatively impact these functions and lead to symptoms like hair loss. It’s essential that if this happens for you that you visit a physician to identify its underlying cause – this could include medication, changes to diet and lifestyle or hormone replacement therapy during perimenopause for women – treatment options will depend upon testing performed so your physician can recommend a regimen tailored specifically for you based on testing results ensuring you receive optimal treatment options tailored specifically for your condition.
Other Conditions
Hair growth relies on steady blood flow, stimulated by active follicles in their correct phase of their cycle. Low blood flow can reduce the number of active follicles and lead to thinning hair or even stop it altogether; laser therapy has shown to encourage new blood flow into active follicles to promote growth; making it an excellent complement for over-the-counter shampoos, thickening products, and prescription treatments like Minoxidil.
Preparing for laser hair removal requires taking certain steps in advance, which include avoiding shaving and waxing as these processes can interfere with the procedure. Tweezing and scrubbing also can obstruct it since these processes remove pigment that helps the laser target the follicle; without pigment, laser cannot locate its target follicle effectively resulting in tissue damage to nearby structures.
Before beginning laser treatments, numbing cream should be applied to the area to minimize pain and discomfort. Once ready for laser therapy, technicians use handheld devices with laser beams on them that move across your skin in short bursts – this method doesn’t involve incisions but may cause minor irritation; to minimize discomfort afterward it is also important to utilize an ice pack and apply sunblock with SPF 30 or higher sun protection.
During treatment, you’ll feel a mild stinging sensation similar to snapping of a rubber band. Most people do not experience major side effects; however, excessive sessions could reactivate hair follicles and lead to paradoxical hypertrichosis – a rare side effect typically experienced by darker skin tones, polycystic ovarian syndrome patients, or women taking birth control pills.
Laser hair removal is a safe and effective solution to unwanted hair growth, but is only temporary. Hair will regrow eventually, though likely in less dense forms than before the treatment began. You will likely require several sessions for maximum effectiveness; additionally, regular maintenance sessions will help to keep hair growth at bay.
