Laser hair removal should not be treated like any other cosmetic procedure – it requires training, specialisation and certification by qualified specialists to be safe.
At each treatment session, a medical specialist first cleans the area before applying any numbing gel as necessary. Next, they press a handheld device onto the skin and activate its laser.
How many sessions do I need?
Laser hair removal works best on those with thick, dark hair and light skin as their contrast allows the heat from the laser to target hair follicles more accurately. Unfortunately, thinner or lighter hair may lead to greater risk of tissue or cell damage from laser light exposure, making laser removal less efficient in these instances.
Before beginning laser treatments, it is wise to refrain from pluckeding, waxing and threading hairs as this will disrupt their follicles and prevent laser from targeting them. Instead, trim or shave short enough hairs so the laser can target them effectively.
Before your session, we also advise shaven your treatment area the day prior. This can help remove any surface hair that could prevent laser beams from reaching deeper into your pores, and also facilitate quicker shed time post-treatment.
Laser hair removal usually requires multiple sessions before producing noticeable results, as different areas of your body grow at differing rates and we must treat them during their growth cycles to eradicate all unwanted hairs. We schedule your appointments based on this cycle so that treatments take place at optimal times for maximum reduction in hair growth.
Shedding generally occurs within 5-14 days after laser hair removal treatment and it may continue for weeks afterwards. It’s important not to pull these hairs out as this could cause skin irritation and ingrown hairs; you can speed up this shedding process by gently exfoliating with loofahs or cotton washcloths in the area that was treated.
Once your initial series of laser hair removal sessions has concluded, ongoing maintenance sessions may help extend their effectiveness for as long as possible. Many people choose to attend these touch-up treatments regularly and maintain the results of their laser hair removal treatments by attending touch-up treatments every few months.
How long will the treatment take?
Laser hair removal treatments will depend on various factors, including skin color and coarseness as well as hormone influences on the area being treated. Most patients require five treatments spaced four weeks apart.
At each session, a laser emits energy to target dark pigment in your hair and heat it, damaging its follicle and preventing further hair growth. Spot size and fluence (energy density) play key roles in how effectively unwanted hair removal takes place.
Spot size defines how much skin is targeted by a laser, while fluence refers to how quickly light energy travels across it. A higher fluence allows more energy to reach deeper layers where your hair follicles reside; on the contrary, lower fluences don’t produce enough heat energy to effectively reach their roots.
Once your treatment has been completed, you should notice a marked decrease in hair thickness as well as in frequency of growth. As your natural cycle influences how often and thickly it grows back out again, regular sessions must be attended in order to reap long-term benefits from them.
Shedding after your laser hair removal treatment session is perfectly normal and may continue for several weeks afterward, as only hair follicles that are active during their growth cycle will be targeted and damaged by its energy.
As part of your hair removal regimen, it is vital that you refrain from plucking, waxing or shaving the target areas as these practices can disrupt the cycle and cause unwanted hairs to regrow more rapidly than anticipated.
If it is necessary for you to shave, try doing it no sooner than 24 hours prior to beginning treatment. Also avoid sun exposure, particularly tanning beds, which may lead to uneven pigmentation of the target area. Finally, exfoliate this area three times weekly in order to encourage hair shed.
How will I feel during the treatment?
Laser hair removal can be faster than shaving or waxing, yet still requires multiple treatment sessions to completely achieve results. Lasers do not just cut hair follicles; instead they also destroy them permanently so new growth cannot emerge – thus necessitating waiting months until new follicles regenerate themselves and leave you hair-free.
Once your first laser hair removal treatment begins, it may cause discomfort. But with the aid of numbing cream it should become much less so. After multiple sessions have passed you should become used to the sensation and it may feel like a slight pinch on your skin – usually upper lip and bikini area tends to be most sensitive due to high nerve density.
Drinking plenty of water before your laser hair removal appointment can help ease pain and flush away substances that increase discomfort, such as caffeine. Furthermore, for maximum effectiveness you should refrain from plucking, shaving or waxing for six weeks prior to scheduling an appointment for laser hair removal.
Laser treatments typically cause a mild to moderate burning sensation similar to that caused by having an electric razor scrape against your skin, though most clients do not report finding this sensation uncomfortable.
After your laser hair removal treatment has been completed, hair bulbs will start shedding over a 7-30 day period, often leading to redness or bumps on the skin due to your body pushing up dead follicles to the surface for removal. You can speed this shedding process up by exfoliating with loofahs or washcloths several times every week after laser sessions have taken place in this treatment area.
Laser hair removal typically requires six sessions over several months for permanent results, and it is highly advised that you attend regular touch-up sessions as well to keep unwanted hair at bay. The frequency of touch-up sessions depends on both your skin type and hair color – generally every few months should be sufficient.
How long will it take for the hair to fall out?
This treatment “shocks” your hair follicles by applying heat to weaken and destroy them, then dropping out over 7-30 days. Redness or bumps that appear as ingrown hairs is normal as this is just your body pushing out any destroyed follicles to the surface to be removed; do not try picking at these as this could damage surrounding skin; use shaving or loofah scrub instead to gently remove falling-out strands; also exfoliating with an aloe cleanser can speed up this shedding process!
Shedding typically occurs one to three weeks post laser hair removal session. This is normal and indicates that follicles which were in anagen phase (growing phase) have released their hair, never to grow back again. Some fallen out hairs may look similar to blackheads or stubble.
As part of your laser hair removal treatments, it’s critical that the affected follicles shed to get maximum effectiveness from them. Otherwise, these hair follicles could regrow with thicker, darker hair than before making the treatments less effective than intended.
As your hair sheds from your skin, it is also essential that you refrain from plucking, waxing or threading it as they appear. A better approach would be shaving regularly instead – missing an appointment could cause unwanted hairs to move into their resting stage and remain hidden beneath your skin for an indefinite period of time.
Once your treatment series is finished, you should experience at least 90% reduction in hair growth from affected areas. Though a few hairs may start growing back within a year or two of finishing treatment series completion, they should be much lighter and finer than before.
O’Donnell Vein & Laser’s team of board-certified vein specialist Dr. Kelly O’Donnell offers extensive expertise and training in laser hair removal as well as other procedures, so make sure that when choosing your treatment specialist they have plenty of experience. Call now to make an appointment!
