How Often Should You Do Laser Hair Removal?
By Aaliyah Albo
To achieve velvety smooth, hair-free skin, we turn to waxing, razors, and everything in between. While it’s convenient to shave at home, you only get to enjoy your stubble-free feeling for a couple of days, at best. Waxing also has its downsides. Not only do you have to grow your hair out beforehand which can make life a little uncomfortable, but you also have to endure the pain of having hair ripped from some of the most delicate areas of your body - ouch!
Now, imagine a magical solution that gets rid of all the unwanted hair on your face and body - permanently. No razor bumps, no ingrown hairs, no wax burns - just flawless, hair-free skin. If you're looking for a permanent solution to your unwanted hair problem, laser hair removal is your best bet. While the process doesn’t actually involve magic, the effects are nothing less than truly magical.
Laser hair removal treatment is a popular cosmetic procedure that effectively reduces the growth of hair. Everyone is different and results tend to vary from person to person, but in some cases, permanent hair removal can be achieved.
If you're wondering how it works and how often you should do laser hair removal to get the hair-free look you desire - keep reading!
Understanding Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal treatment is a process that involves using a non-invasive laser that fires a focused beam of light directly at the pigment contained within individual hair follicles. As the light energy passes through the skin, it transforms into heat that is absorbed by the melanin pigment, causing damage to the hair follicle. Since follicles are responsible for producing hairs, when they are damaged, the damage impedes the follicle;s ability to produce new hairs, preventing any further growth of unwanted hair.
How Many Treatments May Be Required?
To understand how many treatments may be required to see amazing results from your laser hair removal treatment, it’s first important to understand how your hair grows.
Hair grows in cycles of three phases: anagen, catagen, and telogen.
Anagen. During this phase, hair is active and visible above the surface of the skin.
Catagen. The catagen phase is the transitioning phase. It is when the hair transitions from growing actively to resting in a dormant state.
Telogen. During the final telogen phase, the hair is dormant and begins to shed in preparation for new hair to grow in the anagen phase.
For most people, new hair growth is experienced every four to six weeks. Laser hair removal treatments are effective only during the active growth phase, anagen. At any given point, approximately 75% of the hairs on your body are in this active growth phase. So, the first treatment of laser hair removal targets these receptive hairs, and future treatments are designed to mainly treat the hair follicles that were not in the anagen phase at the time of the first session.
How Effective Are Laser Hair Removal Treatments?
When it boils down to the effectiveness of laser hair removal, there are two primary factors to take into consideration: your hair color and the color of your skin.
Since the laser light is attracted to the melanin pigment, people with dark and thick hair tend to see better results than those with light and thin hair. When it comes to skin color, light to fair skin presents the best results, while those with darker skin or lighter hair might require additional treatments or the use of special lasers.
How Often Should You Schedule Hair Removal Sessions?
As we mentioned, hair follicles are only targeted during the active anagen phase of hair growth. Why? Because the hair is attached properly to the root of the follicle, making this the only phase in which the successful destruction of the follicle is possible.
Correct spacing of laser hair removal treatments is imperative to ensure maximum efficacy of the process. If you happen to leave a gap that is too long or short in between laser sessions, the treatments are likely to be visibly less effective.
A typical course of treatment for facial and full-body hair removal is likely to last for 6-9 months to ensure that hair in the active growth phase is targeted at every visit. The frequency with which you should undergo treatment has little to do with whether or not you can do it more often, and more to do with correctly spacing out each treatment to target the unwanted hair properly.
What To Expect After Your Laser Hair Removal Treatment
After your first laser hair removal session, there is a period of hair shedding. For roughly three weeks following treatment, you may notice what looks like hair growing but it’s actually the treated hair falling out - or shedding.
You can help to speed up this process by using a mild sugar scrub, loofah, or a clean washcloth when you shower or bathe to exfoliate the treated area. This helps to remove the shedding hair more quickly. After your hair has shed, you will notice that the area will be silky smooth and hair-free for several weeks. Once the hair starts to regrow, it’s time for your next treatment!
Laser Hair Removal Benefits
Other than kicking unwanted facial and body hair to the curb, this popular procedure has many benefits:
Minimal side effects. There are only a few minor side effects that are associated with laser hair removal treatment, and those which do occur tend to go away after a few hours. When you get an ingrown hair or cut from shaving, it can take up to a week to heal.
Cost-effective. Once you start your exciting journey with laser hair removal, you won’t need to spend money on regular expensive wax treatments, smelly depilatory creams, floral-scented shaving cream, or other methods of hair removal ever again! Sure, laser hair removal might cost a little more upfront, but over the course of your lifetime, you will save quite a bit!
No ingrown hairs. Unlike shaving, waxing, and threading, you will not have to deal with painful and unsightly ingrown hairs following laser hair removal treatment. In addition, you also won’t have to tolerate razor burns or irritation.
At-home options. Laser hair removal takes time and dedication. For those with busy schedules that don’t have the time to make an in-office visit but still desire hair-free skin, at-home laser hair removal devices like the KENZZI IPL Hair Removal Handset can help. KENZZI offers the world’s #1 IPL handset that is not only safe but extremely gentle on the skin. This powerful device is easy to use from the comfort of your home and is designed to provide results in as little as 2-3 treatments making it easier than ever to get flawless skin.
Fast. Although it does tend to vary depending on the size of the area being treated, another great benefit of laser hair removal is that treatment times are fast. Small areas like the bikini line typically take less than 15 minutes to treat while larger areas like the back can take up to 45 minutes.
Recap
So, how often should you do laser hair removal? The answer is: it depends! Laser hair removal treatment is a safe and effective way to combat unwanted hair, but due to how hair grows, several laser sessions spaced out over the course of several months are required for permanent results.
If you simply don’t have the time for all of these in-office visits, at-home laser hair removal devices like the KENZZI IPL Hair Removal Handset might pose as a better option.
As we mentioned, laser hair removal isn’t magic, but the results that treatment can provide are nothing short of magical. If you're looking to ditch your razor in a quest for stubble-free, silky smooth skin, laser hair removal can help.
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