If you are going for laser hair removal, one of your main concerns might be when to expect your first sign of hair shedding. Shedding is a sure sign that treatment is working.
Laser hair removal uses light to damage hair follicles and put them into an inactive phase known as telogen; each treatment places more and more damaged follicles into this state.
Redness
Shedding after laser hair removal is a natural process that typically happens within 5-30 days following your treatment, due to dead hairs working their way out of damaged follicles. To facilitate this process more rapidly, exfoliation might help speed it along; but make sure not to use harsh scrubs that could irritate or ingrown hairs the area instead. To hasten it along further a gentle exfoliator should help your body let go of unwanted hair faster.
Some patients may notice redness or bumps that resemble ingrown hairs due to the body pushing the hair upwards so it can be extracted from its follicle. Taweezing any such hairs could cause more pain while potentially altering its growth cycle and disrupt its normal pattern of development.
Once hairs have shed, they should not grow back into the same follicles. Therefore, it is vitally important that you stick to your treatment plan and undergo laser hair removal treatments until the desired result has been attained. Therefore, regular touch-up appointments may be needed once or twice annually in order to maintain laser hair removal results.
Swelling
After receiving laser hair removal treatments, it is a normal and expected side effect to experience redness around the treated area. This redness is caused by thermal energy transferred by laser light as it passes over your skin targeting pigment or melanin in hair follicles; typically this effect will dissipate within 30 minutes to 24 hours.
Shedding is another expected side effect of laser hair removal treatments, due to their effectiveness during anagen stage hair growth cycles – where laser treatment works optimally. Therefore, sheddding after such sessions is seen as evidence that they have worked.
However, it is essential to realize that not all hair will be in the anagen phase at the time of treatment. A small percentage will likely be in their resting phase (telogen), rendering any attempt at anagen phase treatment ineffective and potentially leading to unwanted bumps on your skin’s surface.
To avoid this scenario, it is recommended that you wait at least until most of your unwanted hair has entered its anagen phase before using any form of hair removal methods on it. Furthermore, sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher protection can speed up this process significantly and if you want permanent stoppage of unwanted hair growth you should commit to multiple laser treatments over several months.
Discomfort
Hair shedding during laser treatments does not indicate ineffectiveness; rather, it’s your body’s way of pushing hair up into the surface so it can be removed by laser. Hair will typically shed from 7-30 days post treatment; during this time frame you may experience redness or bumps that appear like ingrown hairs – don’t tweeze this as this could restart growth process and prevent laser from killing it again.
Shedding will continue throughout your treatment plan until you achieve the results you’re after. Keep in mind, however, that shedding will only occur if your hair is in its anagen phase; laser treatment works best at targeting this stage when holding in place and moving heat into it.
Laser treatments cannot remove hair in its catagen or telogen phase, thus prolonging treatment of an area.
If you want to speed up the shedding process, try gently exfoliating your skin once or twice weekly with gentle exfoliators – this will remove dead skin cells holding hairs in place and encourage them to shed. A light moisturizer may also help hydrate and nourish the skin during this time.
Itching
Laser hair removal uses pulses of light to target and destroy unwanted hair follicles, with results similar to rubber bands snapping against your skin or an uncomfortable sunburn sensation. You may wish to apply aloe vera gel after your treatment to soothe any possible itching or use an ice pack as an added calming measure. Itching may persist for days or weeks post procedure; to reduce itching further it is wise to limit lotions or deodorants from being applied near any affected areas.
Some individuals experience results after just one session of laser hair removal, while others might require multiple sessions to fully take advantage of its benefits. Laser treatments only target hairs in their antigen phase – typically 15% or so of hairs at any given time are in this state.
After laser hair removal, your body will gradually shed those hairs not in their antigen phase; this may take several weeks and appear like continued hair growth at first.
Shave, pluck or waxing hair that has shed should not be done as this can disturb the delicate tissue surrounding hair follicles and lead to new hair growth. A gentle exfoliating scrub may help speed up this process and reach your goal of permanently decreasing or eliminating unwanted hair growth.
Discoloration
After laser hair removal treatment, your skin may appear red and bumpy – this is completely normal as your body pushes out dead hair from damaged follicles. It is important not to pick or pluck at these hairs as doing so could cause infection or irritation as well as disrupt the growth cycle and delay results.
Shedding following laser hair removal occurs because heat from the laser has caused damage to treated follicles. Shedding usually begins several days post treatment and can continue up to one month, as hairs that had previously been in anagen are forced out from their follicles by being exposed to air. To speed this process up further, use The Revealer as a gentle cleanser every few days for added benefits.
Hair follicles may begin to move out of anagen phase and into catagen phase – meaning they no longer produce new growth – which makes laser treatments at specific points in their growth cycle important for optimal hair care. It is therefore imperative to have laser treatment performed according to your skin type’s hair cycle for best results.
Once hairs have moved out of anagen and into catagen or telogen stages, they won’t regrow – although you may notice some minor growth a year or two post treatment session – this is normal and most clients remain virtually hair free after finishing a series of laser treatments.
Bumps
Bumps and itchiness can be expected during laser hair removal, particularly if you’re experiencing hyperpigmentation. These side effects occur as the laser damages or kills hair follicles; their reaction may include bumps. It’s important to remember not to scratch these bumps as this could aggravate irritation further and result in permanent scarring.
Laser treatments typically cause permanent hair bulb damage that will eventually shed over 7-30 days after treatment, making the affected hair appear like continued growth; but in reality it’s actually your body pushing out dead hair up towards the skin’s surface for removal, leading to redness or bumps resembling ingrown hairs.
Shedding usually occurs within one to two weeks following treatment; however, you can speed it up by exfoliating your skin frequently; exfoliation will remove dead cells that might be holding onto hairs in place and can speed up their shedding.
Remember not to tweeze or wax the area prior to laser hair removal as this will cause premature hair regrowth that may interfere with laser treatments. In addition, avoid hot showers/baths/bathtubs/showers/baths, saunas and excessive sweating for several days post laser hair removal as this will avoid heat causing additional damage to hair follicles; if necessary apply aloe vera lotion or moisturiser after sweating to protect skin from further heat exposure.
