Laser hair removal works best on individuals with dark hair and light skin, as the contrast makes it easier for the laser to target melanin in their locks. While it might still work on blonde, white or red locks it might not perform as efficiently.
Women may experience excessive hair growth due to hormonal imbalance, which may negate the efficacy of laser treatment. Potential predictors include Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), diabetes, obesity or having a family history of hirsutism.
1. You Didn’t Follow Your Doctor’s Instructions
Plans don’t always go exactly according to plan – whether that means romantic relationships or beauty treatments. Laser hair removal can be an effective solution to unwanted body hair; however, multiple sessions may be needed before seeing lasting results. It is imperative that any dermatologist performing your procedure strictly follow his or her instructions for both before and after your procedure.
Before receiving laser hair removal treatment, for example, tanning must be avoided for one month beforehand as tanning interferes with how the laser light works; when laser light hits an area where tanning occurs it cannot only target hair follicles but can also create darkened or lighter colored spots on your skin that could result in unintended blotchiness and other side effects.
Notify your doctor of any skin conditions or medications that could interfere with the effectiveness of treatment, such as blood-thinners or anti-inflammatory drugs. They may need to adjust laser settings or apply different types of gel in order to provide you with the most efficient care.
Another important consideration in laser hair removal is your amount of hair. In general, lasers work best when there is a noticeable contrast between their skin color and that of their hair follicles; otherwise it may fail to locate them effectively and destroy them. If your hair color differs significantly between its base and skintone, laser removal might work more successfully for you than with those having thin locks with very light strands of light hair that do not make an obvious contrast between their hair and skintone.
Underarm and bikini area hair removal usually requires multiple sessions with the laser in order to eradicate all active follicles, due to some regeneration that may take place post-laser treatment.
If you’re an avid waxer or tweezer, it is wise to stop these practices at least two weeks prior to beginning laser hair removal treatment. This will enable the laser beams to more effectively identify pigment in your skin and destroy hair follicles effectively.
2. You Didn’t Follow the After-Treatment Care Instructions
Just like in romantic relationships, not everything goes according to plan with laser hair removal treatments. Even when doing everything according to instruction and following all necessary protocols exactly, results might still not meet expectations despite your best efforts. This may occur because some areas of the body don’t respond as expected to these sessions and it might take multiple sessions before seeing desired results are realized.
To maximize the efficacy of your treatment, it’s essential that you prepare and care for the skin prior and post procedure. Your dermatologist will give you guidance on this, such as shaving the day of, avoiding tanning beds or overexposure to sunlight, or using cooling creams/ointments afterward to soothe discomfort or redness.
Shaving is crucial before receiving laser treatments as this allows the laser to effectively target any longer hair. Furthermore, it’s advisable to refrain from waxing, plucking and tweezing in the area that needs treating for two-three days prior to your appointment as plucking out roots can reduce effectiveness of treatments.
If you choose to wax on the day of a laser treatment, your dermatologist is likely to suggest postponing it until a later date. Epilators used before an appointment could also cause this delay.
Laser hair removal can cause damage by overlasering an area and reactivating hair follicles to grow longer and thicker, possibly increasing hair regrowth. An experienced dermatologist will know how to tailor his laser settings according to your skin type and hair color preferences, thus preventing this possibility.
If your skin feels bumpy or unevenly textured after laser hair removal sessions, don’t panic; this is normal and will resolve over time. To hasten the process along faster use a moisturizer or aloe vera gel in the affected area after each session to aid healing.
3. You Didn’t Follow the Post-Treatment Care Instructions
Laser hair removal can be challenging and unpredictable. Mistakes like not following aftercare instructions could have significant repercussions for its success, even though these instructions might seem innocuous enough at first.
To maximize the effectiveness of laser hair removal treatments, it’s important to prepare your skin correctly prior to each appointment. In particular, avoid shaving, waxing or using other forms of chemical depilatory for several days before appointments as these products remove hairs from their roots – meaning the laser cannot target them effectively.
Before your laser hair removal treatments, it is also wise to avoid activities which increase body temperature (such as hot showers or saunas). Your skin is particularly delicate during laser hair removal treatments and anything which causes an adverse reaction could thwart their success.
Aloe vera gel or lotion should also be applied after your treatment to soothe any redness or irritation that occurs, though this should pass within two or three days; otherwise speak to your dermatologist or laser technician; they may suggest topical steroids or another medicine to alleviate your symptoms.
One reason laser hair removal might fail is if its treatments were not tailored appropriately to your hair growth cycles. Ideally, treatments should take place every 4-6 weeks.
Maintain your hair growth cycles and prevent hairs from coming back between treatments, should they linger too long between laser sessions. Otherwise, your follicles could start producing new hairs to replace those removed by the laser treatment.
As part of your treatments, it’s also essential that you use a certified laser technician with experience using the specific laser you are receiving treatment with and how best to treat your skin and hair type – this will prevent issues like hyperpigmentation or discoloration from developing.
4. You Didn’t Follow the Post-Treatment Care Instructions
When undertaking laser hair removal, it is vitally important that you follow the post-treatment care instructions provided by your dermatologist. These are designed to minimise side effects and ensure maximum efficacy from treatment; most issues affecting results can be avoided by listening carefully to advice provided from a trained practitioner.
Laser treatments require your skin to be clear of makeup, lotions, deodorant and any other products which could obstruct the laser from targeting hair follicles effectively. Furthermore, it is advised to refrain from all tanning – including sunless tanning – for at least a month prior to and during laser hair removal sessions in order to create contrast between your pigmented hair and skin, thus making the laser more likely to effectively damage each individual follicle.
Prior to your laser hair removal session, it’s also crucial that you refrain from waxing, tweezing or shaving the area that needs treatment. Shaving or waxing could damage hair follicles insufficiently so they will not respond as effectively in subsequent treatments. Furthermore, shaving afterwards could cause irritation and scarring, which would compromise results and undermine treatment results.
Apart from keeping the area free from products and avoiding sun exposure, it’s also essential to limit activities that raise body temperature such as hot showers or baths and saunas for several days after laser treatments in order to decrease skin irritation risk and ensure an effective laser procedure. This will ensure effective laser treatments.
If your skin feels bumpy after laser hair removal, this is normal and should subside within several days. Applying cooling aloe vera gel or lotion can help ease discomfort; excessive scratching could irritate it further and lead to redness and swelling in that area. It’s best not to scratch this area either as that can aggravate irritation further and lead to redness and swelling in that region.
Schedule regular visits with your dermatologist to monitor and adjust settings as necessary based on your growth rate and skin type. Skipping appointments could compromise effectiveness and slow progress towards reaching desired results.
