Laser hair removal can be an easy, comfortable, and safe way to address unwanted body hair. But it’s essential that you follow your practitioner’s instructions for post-treatment care and recovery.
As part of your laser treatment sessions, it’s advisable to avoid plucking and waxing as this prevents laser from reaching hair follicles directly. So what happens if I miss my laser sessions?
1. You’ll have more hair growth
Laser treatments target melanin in hair follicles and destroy it, however if your treatment stops before all growth cycles (usually anagen phase) have been treated some hair will continue to grow back. Therefore, it’s essential that you adhere to your treatment plan as recommended by your laser technician and continue sessions accordingly.
For maximum effectiveness of laser hair removal treatments, it is best to shave before each session. This enables the laser light to target hair follicles directly without interruption from skin surface structures; therefore, waxing or plucking treatments in any treatment areas should be avoided.
Avoiding sunless tanning as this could reduce the effectiveness of laser treatment. Sun protection after laser therapy will be particularly important, since your skin will likely be more delicate.
Most men and women need multiple laser treatments spaced six to eight weeks apart to see the desired results, since hair grows in cycles; laser light works only when anagen phase follicles are active.
Once your first treatment, hair may fall out over 7-30 days – sometimes mistaken for growth – this is actually your body pushing out old, dead cells in preparation for its next cycle.
If there has been an extended gap between treatments, some hairs may remain embedded and your locks might appear thicker or darker than usual. Don’t worry; once treatments resumed, your locks will return to their more desirable texture and color.
Some individuals will see their hair permanently thin over time, while others might require touch-up treatments semiannually or more often depending on individual factors like hormone fluctuations, medications that increase photosensitivity or lifestyle factors like diet. It’s best to plan out treatment appointments and try not to miss any in order to achieve consistent results more quickly and reach your desired goal more quickly.
2. You’ll have more regrowth
Regrowth after laser hair removal treatments is to be expected; however, you can minimize it by adhering to the schedule recommended by your technician and following their advice for best results in areas where long-term or even permanent changes need to be seen.
Most men and women require six to eight laser sessions at regular intervals – typically every six weeks – in order for hair follicles to move from their exogen, or shed, phase into anagen (growth) phase, so between sessions it is crucial not to pluck, wax, or use other forms of hair removal such as shaving.
Targeting hair follicles in their anagen phase with laser treatment is optimal, however if you miss too many sessions or delay treatment for too long, your remaining follicles will begin regrowing, leading to even more hair regrowth than originally desired. Furthermore, longer gaps between treatments during Covid-19 lock down could negatively impact results and diminish overall effectiveness.
Before beginning laser hair removal treatment, make sure that your skin is free from any tan or discolorations which might impair its effectiveness. Also avoid shaving, waxing or other forms of hair removal near where you will receive laser therapy; and also stay away from sunless skin creams that lighten skin tone.
As the laser heats up and damages hair follicles, you may experience a slight tingling sensation as the laser damages them. If any discomfort arises during treatment, you can always request topical numbing agents from your technician; though usually unnecessary for most individuals. It may be especially helpful if your skin is particularly sensitive. Also make sure that loose-fitting clothing covers your torso as this will minimize chances of bruising or swelling after your session has taken place.
3. You’ll have more side effects
Laser hair removal requires consistent sessions over an extended period to produce desired results. Missing sessions could leave your skin less responsive to future treatments and further delay seeing desired results as quickly.
If you are considering laser hair removal, it’s essential to follow your physician or technician’s instructions for preparation and aftercare. For instance, lotions or creams on the area being treated should be avoided for several days prior to your session as well as hot showers, gym membership, sauna use and anything that raises skin temperatures – this also includes saunas! Additionally, sun exposure must be limited using broad spectrum sunscreen when outdoors.
At laser hair removal treatments, your doctor will use a hand-held laser instrument with an attached cooling device or gel tip to alleviate discomfort during treatment. Once laser beam passes through skin it damages hair follicles to inhibit future hair growth and may result in warmth or even slight burn sensation post treatment; these should subside after time without having an effect on results.
Before or after laser hair treatment, it is wise not to shave, wax, or pluck the area being treated due to these hair removal methods removing pigmented parts of hair shafts, making laser treatments harder to target and increasing chances of thicker and darker growth as a natural defense from chronic irritation in your body. Additionally, plucking and waxing can increase chances of thicker and darker growth as your body reacts against repeated irritation from these methods of removal.
If you have undergone laser hair treatment, results may take three months before becoming visible. That’s due to hair follicles needing multiple sessions for their destruction to stop hair growth; lockdowns caused by coronavirus infections could be responsible for delays as some follicles recover faster from laser treatments than others.
4. You’ll have less effective treatments
Laser hair removal is an effective, safe solution to eradicate unwanted hair growth without waxing, shaving or plucking – yet results may take multiple sessions for full effect. Therefore, it’s crucial that you adhere to your treatment schedule in order to see the greatest possible benefits from it.
Many people find a series of six to eight laser hair removal treatments sufficient for eliminating all unwanted hair. If you miss or postpone one session, will it impact overall results? That depends heavily on hormone levels.
As we all know, our hormones fluctuate constantly due to seasons, foods, emotions and medications we take. When hormone levels change unexpectedly, they can cause hair growth that surprises even you; thicker, darker or faster than expected growth may occur as a result.
Keep in mind that your hair grows in cycles, with each cycle lasting anywhere from several months to years. In any given laser hair removal treatment session, only those hairs in their anagen phase of growth can be targeted successfully; should you decide to pause your sessions, it could take longer for this stage to return, which could impact final results negatively.
Reason No.1 Why it Matters is adhering to your laser hair removal treatment schedule as well as refraining from any activities that might disrupt natural hair growth cycles – for instance waxing and tweezing treatments areas in the weeks preceding sessions may disrupt this natural cycle, making your laser treatments less effective at targeting hair at its roots while protecting surrounding tissue. For optimal results it’s best to have freshly shaven skin the day of treatment so it can target hair effectively without harming nearby tissue.
Before attending your appointment, it’s advisable to hydrate the targeted treatment areas, particularly with water. This will help make the procedure more efficient while protecting yourself against direct sunlight by using high SPF sunscreen daily or opting for another protection method such as UV filters.
