Laser hair removal can provide a permanent solution for unwanted body hair. However, the success of any treatment depends on several factors.
At-home devices tend to be safe for all Fitzpatrick skin types, although their effectiveness on true Type-6 tones may not be optimal.
At-home devices use IPL technology instead of true lasers to destroy hair follicles – the difference is substantial.
1. A reduction in hair growth
Laser hair removal differs from other techniques in that it uses light to directly target hair follicles, preventing them from producing unwanted hair growth. It’s an efficient, painless procedure which may provide permanent or near-permanent results in multiple sessions; although its results may take several months to become visible.
One of the most frequently asked questions we hear is when should someone get home laser hair removal treatment. Depending on your hair growth cycle, we generally advise having sessions every four to six weeks for optimal results. It is also crucial that all preparation instructions prior to and post-session be strictly adhered to for the best possible outcomes.
Cleanliness of the area to be treated is of utmost importance for effective laser hair removal treatments, and tweezing or waxing should be avoided for at least 1-2 days prior to starting laser treatments; otherwise they could prevent laser light from effectively targeting and damaging hair follicles due to more skin color obscuring its view of hair pigment follicles.
Avoid tanning for at least a month prior to laser treatments as their contrast with your hair and skin tones is necessary for efficient laser therapy. If you have lighter skin tones with darker locks, more laser treatments may be required than those who have it vice versa.
Consideration should also be given to how long it will take for hair to regrowth after laser treatment, which will depend on both how much hair has been removed and the area being treated. Most patients will notice a significant reduction in both amount and thickness of regrowing hair post treatment.
There may be at-home laser hair removal devices that might work, however there have been no large scale studies conducted to establish their safety or effectiveness. Therefore, until further studies are completed it’s wise to visit a dermatologist for treatment with laser hair removal treatments.
2. A reduction in the number of hair follicles
Laser hair removal involves the use of an intense beam of light directed at hair follicles to destroy them and stop new growth from returning. While this method is generally safe and effective, some factors can impede its results: hair color and skin type being primary examples. Laser treatments must differentiate between hair pigmentation and skin pigmentation in order to effectively target and damage hair follicles without harming outer layers of skin; otherwise it becomes increasingly difficult for laser beams to effectively target hair follicles leading to poor outcomes and outcomes.
Before getting laser treatments, it is essential that any shaved hair from the area being treated is removed, and ensure your skin is clear of makeup or lotions. You should also avoid tanning or using sunless tanning creams prior to getting treatments as these may create too close a contrast between pigmentation of skin and hair for laser to distinguish properly.
At the beginning of a laser treatment session, your doctor will apply pressure with a hand-held laser instrument against your skin surface, with its tip equipped with either a cooling device or cool gel to soothe discomfort and protect your skin from potential burns. After activation and release of its pulses of light aimed at targeting dark pigmented hair follicles that contain dark hair color to target them and damage them; this in turn leads to reduced thickness and regrowth rates of natural hair growth and reduces the thickness of natural hair regrowth over time.
Hair growth occurs in cycles, and laser therapy only targets active follicles during each of those cycles. Therefore, multiple sessions — roughly spaced out each month — must be administered before seeing long-lasting results.
Work with only certified laser hair removal practitioners if you want the best possible experience and results. Otherwise, burns could occur as well as irreparable changes to your skin’s appearance.
3. A reduction in the size of the hair follicles
Hair follicles are like long tubes in your skin that house hair. Each has an opening at its base, as well as a narrow channel through which your strands grow into. As more strands are added each month, so too do follicles become larger and bigger; laser hair removal aims to destroy these follicles so they cannot produce new growths of strands.
Your hair color and skin type both play an integral part in how well laser treatments work. Since lasers used during procedures are designed to target pigments in your hair, laser and IPL treatments work best when there is a marked contrast between its pigments and those in your skin color. Therefore, IPL devices and laser treatments may not be appropriate for those with very dark or very light hair because darker skin absorbs more laser energy, potentially causing burns, while light hair makes laser treatment too challenging to effectively destroy its hair follicle.
Depending on each person’s individual hair growth rate and cycle, two to six treatment sessions should suffice in achieving satisfactory results. Your results could come faster or slower depending on these factors.
Hair follicles affected by laser’s light energy will gradually begin to dissipate and appear less prominent on skin; in some cases this process may take up to one year for complete development.
During treatment, you will wear protective goggles and a cooling device or gel may be applied to reduce discomfort. Next, either the doctor or their assistant will press a hand-held laser instrument against the targeted area; depending on which laser they choose, you might experience something like a warm pinprick sensation.
At times, multiple treatments sessions in one location might be required to achieve desired results. This is due to differing hair growth rates and cycles across body areas; plus laser and IPL devices can only target hair follicles that are actively growing at any one time.
4. A reduction in the amount of hair growth
Laser hair removal works by disabling follicle pigment, rendering new hair growth impossible. Since hairs grow in cycles, multiple treatments may be required before visible results show. Once falling out begins, then you can tell if laser hair removal has had its desired effects.
At-home laser hair removal may take four or six sessions before producing meaningful results, depending on which area of your body you’re treating. That’s because hair grows in cycles, and laser can only destroy an active growth phase hair with effective results.
Sometimes results might not show because your hair is too dark or thick for the device to work effectively. In that instance, try lightening your skin or switching blood-thinning medications such as birth control pills, steroids and aspirin to see what effect that has.
Unother factor may be your hormones: excessive hair growth on your face or body could be indicative of hormonal imbalance, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or menopause, which may increase testosterone production resulting in greater hair growth.
Laser hair removal treatments may become less successful if you have been waxing or plucking prior to starting laser treatments, since such techniques disrupt hair follicles and make targeting them difficult for laser light beams. Therefore, for optimal results it is advisable to avoid these hair-removal methods for several weeks prior to commencing laser hair removal treatments.
Home laser hair removal devices come in various forms; some employ pulses of light similar to IPL to encourage hair to fall out while others offer smaller laser caps that are ideal for targeting hard-to-reach areas like bikini lines or upper thighs. Others utilize radio frequency waves to shock hair follicles into not producing new growths of hair.
Follow your treatment protocol as directed to ensure a positive result. This includes using a skin-numbing cream prior to sessions, forgoing tanning treatments that darken skin tone, and applying an ice pack afterward to ease discomfort. In between scheduled laser treatment sessions, moisturize and protect treated areas by applying broad spectrum sunscreen.
