Laser Hair Reduction

Although the procedure is often touted as a form of “permanent” hair removal, laser treatment only reduces the number of unwanted hairs in a given area. It doesn’t get rid of unwanted hairs completely.

This hair removal option tends to work best in people with light skin tones and darker hair.

What are some misconceptions on laser hair removal?

There are many misconceptions on laser hair removal due to which many patients are hesitant to seek this treatment. Let’s take a look at some of them:

Misconception 1: Laser hair removal causes burns – Truth: The fact is that if done with a professional dermatologist, laser hair removal is a safe and efficient procedure. It will not cause you to get burns. Do talk to your dermatologist about what laser options are suited to you.

Misconception 2: Laser hair removal causes cancer – Truth: This is another misconception that I always tell my patients not to worry about. There is absolutely no scientific evidence that laser hair removal leads to cancer.

Misconception 3: Laser hair removal is costly – Truth: A single session of waxing can seem to cost less but actually turns out to be much more over the course of your lifetime. On the other hand, while a single session of laser treatment might seem costly, the results are more permanent and you also save on the time spent repeatedly visiting the parlor.

Misconception 4: Only women do laser hair removal – Truth: These days even men opt for laser hair removal. The preferred spots for men to remove hair include their neck, chest, and back.

How laser hair removal works

Laser therapy uses high-heat laser beams as a mild form of radiation. During the process, these laser beams heat up and damage your hair follicles.

Your hair follicles are located just below the skin. They’re responsible for producing new strands of hair. If the follicles are destroyed, then hair production is temporarily disabled.

By contrast, tweezing, shaving, and waxing all remove hair above the surface. These methods don’t target hair-producing follicles.

The following areas are appropriate for laser hair removal:

• chest
• back
• shoulders
• neck
• bikini line
• face (except for the eye area)

This form of hair removal works best with darker hair colors on light skin tones. This is because the lasers target hair melanin (color). Even if some hairs aren’t removed, the lightening of their color can reduce the appearance of hair on the skin.

Some of your hairs may also shed within a few days of your first treatment session.

Overall, laser hair removal is a relatively quick process. Smaller areas, such as the upper lip, can take just minutes. Larger areas of hair removal, like the back or chest, may take an hour or longer.

If your dermatologist applies a topical pain-relieving gel (anesthetic) first, you may expect to be at the office up to another full hour.

Despite the high success rate of laser hair removal, hair follicles eventually heal. This results in new hair production. To ensure the best results possible, you will need to undergo multiple treatment sessions.

Why follow-up sessions are needed

Follow-up treatments are necessary to get the most out of laser hair removal. The exact number of maintenance laser treatments varies by individual. Most people need between four and six laser therapy sessions.

You also need to space these out by six weeks each — this means that the full treatment cycle can take up to nine months.

After each session, you’ll likely notice fewer hairs. Any hair that remains or regenerates will also be lighter in both texture and color. It is estimates that the number of hairs will reduce a lot after your initial session. The rate of reduction thereafter will improve, but will also vary.

Additionally, for the best results, you’ll likely need occasional maintenance sessions. These helps ensure that the hair follicles don’t regenerate. Depending on your individual needs, you may need a maintenance session once or twice a year after your full initial round of laser treatment.

The timeline for each session is the same as your initial laser hair removal treatment. Overall, the timing depends on the area of treatment. If you’re touching up just a few small areas during your maintenance sessions, then your appointment may be shorter.

The bottom line

Although laser hair removal isn’t exactly permanent, it’s still one of the best options for slowing hair growth over an extended period of time. Other long-term hair removal options you can discuss with a dermatologist include electrolysis and needle epilators.

If you don’t want to go through with the expense of medical procedures that aren’t really permanent anyway, there are numerous at-home hair removal options.