If your treatment sessions do not coincide with your hair growth cycles optimally, this could lead to some hair follicles not being touched by treatment sessions. Hormonal changes and medications could also have an impact on this cycle.
Tweezing, waxing, plucking and threading can disturb hair follicles; therefore it is recommended that these practices are avoided at least 1-2 days before laser treatments. Furthermore, sun avoidance and skin-lightening cream should also be utilized prior to your session.
Dark Hair
Laser hair removal may not work effectively for everyone. One reason may be that the hair follicles aren’t pigmented enough for laser targeting; another might be your skin tone being too dark. Older laser machines had difficulty distinguishing between skin color and hair follicle color – leading to dangerous blisters and scarring complications; however, newer laser machines can circumvent this problem thanks to longer energy pulses or wavelengths as well as cooling attachments designed to protect from heat damage.
Additionally, it is crucial that treatments be provided by licensed professionals with experience treating patients of different skin colors. The optimal lasers for dark skin include ND:YAG lasers and diode lasers due to their longer wavelengths that target melanin in hair follicles without damaging surrounding melanocytes responsible for pigment production in your skin – this is especially critical since heat from laser treatments may sometimes result in hyper- or hypopigmentation changes.
Waxing should also be avoided before beginning laser treatments as this removes melanin that helps the laser target hair follicles effectively and reduces its effectiveness.
Before beginning laser treatments, it is crucial that any numbing agent used on the area be completely wiped off your skin before beginning laser treatments. Failing to do this may increase the risk of burns during laser procedures.
Finally, it is crucial that you inform your laser provider of any medications you are currently taking – including birth control pills and antibiotics which could affect how well the laser treatments absorb into your body. Furthermore, inform them if there are any medical conditions you are currently facing such as pregnancy.
Light Hair
Laser hair removal is a method for permanently eliminating unwanted body hair. A laser emits light that absorbs by the brown pigment in your hair – melanin -, heating the follicle and damaging its ability to grow hair again.
Unfortunately, laser hair removal does not work on all hair colors or types. While its efficacy has been demonstrated on dark-colored locks, such as blonde, red and white hues. Furthermore, fine or thin locks may not allow enough light into their follicles for effective removal using laser technology.
If you have light hair and are considering laser hair removal, it is important to remember that treatments may take multiple sessions. This is because the laser works by targeting melanin within your hair, which it can only damage or destroy during its anagen (growing) phase. As hair grows in stages, multiple sessions will likely be needed before all your follicles have been damaged by laser and their potential new hair growth has stopped.
While hormonal fluctuations are one factor contributing to hair growth, certain medications and medical conditions can alter hormone levels significantly, further leading to hair growth. Such conditions may make your hair resistant to laser hair removal treatment; so it is wise to speak to your physician prior to starting any course of treatment for laser hair removal.
Before scheduling a laser hair removal appointment, it is advisable to refrain from tweezing, waxing or plucking the area to be treated. This allows the laser to target its target: hair follicles containing intact follicles that allow it to target them accurately. Furthermore, avoid direct sunlight several days prior as this can increase skin sensitivity during laser treatment sessions and lead to rubber band snaps against skin or even small stings when hairs are being destroyed by heat from laser.
Hormonal Changes
Unwanted hair growth can be a nuisance, particularly among both women and men. Laser hair removal offers one solution to permanently reduce and remove unwanted hair; targeting and destroying follicles to stop future hair growth is effective in doing this. Unfortunately, laser treatments don’t always produce desired results – there may be various reasons for this to occur.
Patients seeking laser treatments must prepare their skin and hair in advance in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. This involves shaving the area a few days prior, eschewing any other methods such as plucking, waxing or electrolysis that might remove hair. It’s also wise to refrain from tanning in the weeks leading up to an appointment as this can make your skin darker reducing the effectiveness of laser treatment.
Laser treatments require that hair follicles be in their active growth stage, known as Anagen phase, for maximum effectiveness. Otherwise, it would not destroy existing resting or transitional phases and new growth would likely continue as before. How long your Anagen phase lasts depends on both your hair type and rate of growth.
As well, hormonal fluctuations may also have an influence on hair growth and treatment effectiveness of laser treatment. Hormonal imbalances caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome or thyroid dysfunctions, for instance, can increase hair growth while decreasing laser treatment effectiveness; individuals experiencing these issues are advised to undergo additional hormonal assays so as to ensure the cause of their hirsutism is addressed efficiently.
As another example, patients taking medications that interfere with androgen production such as birth control pills or spironolactone may see improved results with laser hair removal after discontinuing these medications. Such medication blocks luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone in ovaries to decrease production of testosterone and other anabolic agents that stimulate hair growth, leading to less testosterone being produced overall and less hair being generated – leading to improved laser hair removal results after discontinuation.
Medications
Drugs may interfere with laser hair removal treatments. Most interferences are minor and can be addressed by stopping taking specific drugs prior to sessions; however, certain medicines could have more severe ramifications which would thwart effectiveness of laser hair removal treatment altogether. Therefore, it’s essential that you are fully informed of your medical history and discuss all medications with a healthcare provider in order to determine any potential issues with laser hair removal treatment.
Laser hair removal treatments often conflict with medication that prevent blood clots or reduce inflammation, such as anti-inflammatories and blood thinners like aspirin. If you take any such medicines it is imperative that you notify the technician prior to your appointment as this will help mitigate risks and ensure a safe experience.
Women who come from families that have experienced hirsutism are at an increased risk of experiencing excessive hair growth due to hormonal fluctuations, with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) being one of the main culprits. PCOS may also contribute to other health issues like obesity, acne breakouts and irregular menstruation cycles.
If your family history includes excess hair growth, it is wise to obtain a comprehensive medical assessment prior to beginning laser hair removal treatments. Your physician may suggest an alternate hair removal method or treatments in order to manage excess hair growth effectively.
Laser hair removal works by targeting the blood vessels that nourish hair follicles on your skin, cauterizing and cutting off their supply. This prevents new hair growth.
After laser treatment, you will likely notice some bumps and redness in the area being treated, which are due to hair bulbs breaking out slowly over a seven to 30-day period. These symptoms should not be taken as an indicator that treatment has gone poorly; in fact they’re expected results of how hair bulbs form and grow out over time.
For optimal results, it is vitally important that you return for regular laser treatments. Although hair will likely return between treatments, it will likely grow back much finer and lighter in color than before.
