A practitioner will use a laser on your skin and administer thermal energy that damages hair follicles, eventually stopping their production and leading to permanent reduction of hair growth.
Even when hair does grow back, it tends to be finer in texture and less noticeable compared to before. Therefore, patients must understand that they will never be hairless entirely.
How Many Treatments Are Needed?
Laser hair removal is an effective and long-term way of eliminating unwanted body hair, often providing long-term results. However, multiple initial sessions may be necessary depending on your skin tone, hair color and body area – and so the amount may differ between individuals.
As part of your laser treatment, your practitioner will press a handheld device onto your skin and activate a laser light beam, traveling into your hair follicles and disabling them – stopping future hair growth from taking hold. This process usually lasts a few minutes to an hour depending on the size of the area being treated.
After your session, your skin may appear red and swollen for up to a day or so; it should eventually return back to its usual state. You should avoid exposing the treatment area to direct sunlight as prolonged exposure could result in sunburn. In addition, avoid shaving, plucking, or waxing the area right after, as doing so could disrupt hair follicles; use only razors with dull blades if shaves are absolutely necessary.
Your skin will begin to shed existing hair following a laser session, with new, finer and lighter colored growth coming back more slowly over time.
Your hair growth and loss occurs in cycles, so laser therapy aims at targeting active phase hair follicles at their peak activity phase. You should expect touch up treatments every three to six weeks following initial treatment.
Some parts of your body develop hair more rapidly than others, such as your armpits, bikini area, and legs. As such, these areas will require more frequent touch ups than other parts of the body such as chest and stomach.
Laser hair removal is an effective solution to minimize unwanted body hair, eliminating the need for depilation, shaving or waxing. Although laser treatments can be performed anywhere on the body, most commonly they’re applied on areas like faces, underarms, bikini lines and legs.
How Long Does it Take to See Results?
Laser hair removal is typically a quick and painless procedure. Treatment sessions usually last about an hour. They’re most successful on those with light skin and dark hair because pigment contrast allows the laser to more effectively target and destroy the follicles. You may experience mild redness or swelling following laser hair removal treatments, although any side effects should subside soon afterwards.
After several laser sessions, you are likely to notice that your hair has significantly lighter in both color and texture than before your treatments began. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, most people see 10-25% less hair after their first treatment session; results may differ for each individual; results depend on many variables and cannot be guaranteed.
Laser treatments only damage hair follicles that are in their active growth phase at the time of your treatment, therefore multiple sessions will likely be needed in order to permanently decrease the number of hair follicles producing hair on your body.
For optimal results, it is best to visit a laser hair removal salon or clinic that is accredited by an official body such as the British Association of Aesthetic Practitioners (BAAP). Accreditation by this body ensures that practitioners have met certain standards regarding training, skill and insurance coverage. You should also avoid tanning before and after your laser treatment; tanning could make your skin extra sensitive, potentially decreasing its efficacy.
Once your hair has been successfully reduced, ongoing sessions should be attended in order to keep it from growing back thicker and thinning out again. A maintenance session should be scheduled once or twice annually.
Laser Hair Removal may be your ideal permanent solution to unwanted hair growth. To learn more about its long-term advantages and how it could benefit you, contact Bentley Skincare & Wellness now and arrange an appointment!
How Long Does It Take for Hair to Grow Back?
Laser hair removal is an increasingly popular solution to unwanted hair growth, using light to disable unwanted follicles and destroy or disable unwanted hair follicles. Most patients find the process safe and pain-free; however, for some it may cause burning or stinging sensations during treatment; to alleviate discomfort your dermatologist or laser technician may apply topical numbing cream directly onto the treated area to minimize discomfort.
Your dermatologist will use a hand-held laser instrument and apply cooling gel or device at its tip in order to protect skin from heat damage during treatment. Once activated, they’ll begin their process.
Heat generated from laser treatments will target pigment in hair follicles to stop new hair growth, targeting pigmented areas specifically. Once destroyed, hair won’t regrowth; however it may take multiple sessions to eliminate all follicles completely; most will regrowth but at reduced intensity than before treatment was administered.
Hair growth cycle aside, other factors also impact whether or not laser hair removal treatments produce permanent results. Hair color and skin tone can have an impact; those with darker locks tend to experience better results from treatments than those with lighter locks. Furthermore, certain medications (antibiotics or retinoids) could impede its effectiveness; doing laser hair removal while taking these drugs might make your skin more sensitive to light used during treatments.
If you want permanent hair reduction, multiple laser treatment sessions will likely be required to achieve desired results. Most experts agree that six to nine sessions should provide optimal results.
O’Donnell Vein & Laser Hair Removal Annapolis offers permanent hair removal solutions with laser treatments, along with other non-laser methods like shaving and waxing, which may actually cause the hair follicles to activate again, producing more unwanted hair growth. If you want silky smooth skin for good, reach out now and arrange a consultation at O’Donnell Vein & Laser Hair Removal Annapolis – let us make this possible for you!
Are There Any Side Effects?
Laser hair removal is generally safe for the skin, though some individuals may experience slight irritation post-treatment that usually subsides within hours afterward. Furthermore, you may see temporary changes to skin tone within treated areas; to protect this area after laser hair removal treatments it is wise to keep out direct sunlight for at least several months post treatment.
Laser treatments may cause scarring if either the practitioner is negligent, or if an error occurs during treatment. However, this usually is not an issue when managed properly by certified providers who adhere to recommended protocols for laser therapy. Scarring may also occur from improper aftercare – using sun protection, avoiding harsh chemicals and having regular skin check-ups with a dermatologist are essential measures against scarring after laser treatments have taken place.
Keep in mind that laser treatment only works on hair follicles in their anagen phase of development – this means 4-6 treatments may be required before you see results; you should see 10% to 25% less hair growth after each session.
Keep in mind that hair color plays a part in how well laser treatments work. Darker locks tend to absorb heat from laser treatments more readily, meaning more treatments may be required than someone with lighter locks.
Before scheduling a laser appointment, it’s a good idea to shave or trim the area being treated to make it easier for the technician to identify hair roots and target them with laser light. Furthermore, look for practitioners offering numbing cream as this may reduce any potential discomfort you might feel during treatment.
Laser hair removal can be an excellent way to get rid of unwanted body hair, reduce shaving or waxing time and alleviate associated skin conditions like folliculitis or discoloration. So if you’re fed up with shaving and waxing, speak to your dermatologist about its potential benefits and see how laser hair removal could work for you.
