Many people wonder if hair will return after laser therapy is administered, which targets pigment contrast between your skin tone and hair color, and destroys its follicle.
Laser hair removal stands out from other methods by producing lighter and finer-textured regrowth compared to shaving, depilatory creams or waxing.
How long does it take to see results?
Laser hair removal works by using heat from a pulsed light to destroy unwanted hair follicles, leading to gradual reduction in hair density over time. While results may differ for each person, most can expect noticeable change after two treatments have taken place. It is essential that between treatments, no shaving, waxing, or plucking takes place since such methods disrupt follicles and may affect laser results negatively.
If you need to shave in preparation for laser hair removal, make sure you only shave the surface of your skin. Allow some natural hair on top for easier targeting by your technician, and use a lubricant prior to treatment as this will ease pain caused by laser beams zapping unwanted follicles.
Your needs for laser hair removal treatments depend on factors like color and coarseness of hair as well as where they’re being targeted, with most men and women typically needing six to eight sessions to reach desired results; additionally, touch-up treatments may be required on occasion in hormonally sensitive areas like legs or underarms.
After their final laser hair removal session, most patients do not experience new hair growth for several months or years in the treated area. When new growth does appear, it tends to be finer and lighter in color than before; should some grow back, maintenance laser treatments may help ensure maximum results are reached.
Remember, when hair regrowth does occur after laser hair removal sessions, it is not due to damaged follicles but because follicles were in different phases of their cycle at that time.
Will it be permanent?
Most people require six to eight laser hair removal treatments for maximum results, with touch-up sessions every year or so thereafter. While hair may regrow after each session, its texture should become finer and lighter as time progresses; your practitioner can recommend maintenance appointments based on your skin, hair type and hormone fluctuations.
Laser treatments work best when natural hair growth remains on the surface of your skin as this enables our technician to pinpoint your hair follicles more precisely and prevent damage to nearby tissues. Therefore, we advise against waxing, shaving, or plucking for several weeks prior to your laser session as these actions could make your skin extra sensitive to light causing pigment changes or burns. If taking antibiotics before laser therapy may make you extra light sensitive leading to potential pigment changes or burns requiring even greater precision from our technician.
Your technician may advise that you shave just before your laser appointment so there is enough surface hair for the laser to target, without too much of it being visible on top of that surface layer. In addition to keeping out of direct sunlight for several days prior to treatment and forgoing cosmetic products with perfumed fragrances as these can irritate skin further.
Your treatment sessions may need to take multiple attempts as your hair grows and sheds in cycles; laser only targets hair follicles that are currently in their new-growth phase. If you miss any initial round sessions, treatment must begin again from scratch.
Laser hair removal results may be long-lasting, but to maintain smooth skin you will require regular touch-up sessions with laser devices to keep up with their benefits. Hair will eventually grow back if left untreated; however, its density should be finer and lighter than before the laser treatments were administered.
Electrolysis is one way of permanently reducing hair, using electricity to kill each individual follicle – however, this process can be both time and cost-intensive. If you want a quicker solution with better safety standards then contact O’Donnell Vein & Laser and schedule an appointment with one of our board-certified specialists!
Will it be noticeable?
Laser hair removal treatments may produce lasting results, but it’s important to keep in mind that hair will still grow after your sessions are completed. While some individuals only experience minimal regrowth following their series of sessions, others may require touch-up treatments once or twice every year in order to maintain the results they are seeking.
At your first treatment session, your physician will press a hand-held laser instrument against your skin, with either a cooling device or gel attached at its tip to protect and soothe any discomfort you might feel from the treatment. A laser beam will pass through your skin to target hair follicles that will be destroyed with intense heat of laser pulses – each pulse lasting just fractions of a second so your session won’t take very long!
As hair follicles in your treatment area have different growth phases, it will require multiple laser sessions for full destruction of all follicles. The number of appointments will depend on factors like hair color and coarseness as well as areas being targeted; to get optimal results it’s essential that appointments occur at specific time intervals: four weeks for facial hair removal and six weeks for other body areas.
Waxing, plucking or shaving between sessions will impede the effectiveness of laser hair removal treatments; for the laser to target hairs in their anagen phase (growing phase).
When you do experience hair growth post-laser treatment sessions, it will usually be significantly lighter and less noticeable due to how the laser may damage hair follicles even when it fails completely.
Will it be painful?
Laser hair removal is a fast and relatively pain-free solution to eliminating unwanted hair. It has become an increasingly popular cosmetic dermatology treatment among women. Furthermore, it’s less costly than shaving or waxing methods of removal such as waxing; but it’s essential that after each session, patients follow instructions from their provider for optimal results.
Laser hair removal treatments work by targeting specific patches of hair. Your body then begins shedding these hairs naturally over time; although it may look like continued growth at first, but this is just part of its response to treatment. While the full effect may take several days to manifest, it’s important not to shave or wax the area until all treatments have taken effect.
Laser hair removal treatments often result in much lighter, less noticeable regrowth as the laser destroys hair follicles to stop producing hair. On occasion, however, darker-colored hair may reappear – though such cases are rare.
Apart from following your doctor’s post-treatment instructions, there are other measures that you can take to help manage and sustain laser hair removal results. These include not waxing or plucking for four to six weeks prior to any laser hair removal session as this activity removes hair follicles and roots – exactly what laser treatment targets! Furthermore, sun exposure must be avoided and sunscreen applied over all areas treated by laser.
Laser hair removal is a safe and effective solution for eliminating unwanted body and facial hair, providing long-term results superior to other methods. If you’re tired of shopping for razors, scheduling painful waxing appointments or dealing with messy creams, contact Spring Street Dermatology now in SOHO, Tribeca and Uptown NYC and learn about laser hair removal – contact us to learn more about it now.
