Laser hair removal is a blessing to anyone who has struggled with their unwanted body and facial hair. With a few laser hair removal sessions, you can say goodbye to shaving, tweezing, waxing, etc and all the pain and hassle that comes along for the ride. We do warn our clients that while laser hair removal does feel miraculous, it doesn’t work as an instant miracle cure. We know many of our customers often come and hope for a quick, hair-free miracle. Of course, we would love it if that were the case! However, laser hair removal does require multiple treatments in order to see the payoff. The exact number of laser hair removal treatments a patient needs depends on your unique situation depending on several factors including the size of the area being treated and the hair itself – but patients can generally expect 6-8 sessions for best immediate results. The reason for this is because hair growth occurs in three cycles, and lasers can only successfully treat hair once it’s in the right cycle for treatment. And for the most permanent results, many will then need maintenance treatments once or twice a year after.
The three cycles of hair growth are:
1. Anagen: The anagen phase is the first and most visible stage of the hair growth cycle. This is the stage when lasers work best, as the follicle is most exposed because the body hair is above the skin.
2. Catagen: The catagen phase is between the growth stage (anagen) and the rest stage (telogen). During this stage, hair will leave the papilla, or the protrusion from your skin where the hair is attached. This is when people typically shed their hair and it comes out during sleep or grooming yourself. Laser treatment usually will not during this stage, as the hair detaches before the lasers can travel down it to the follicle. This is the shortest stage, lasting just 2-3 days.
3. Telogen: The telogen phase is known as the rest phase, when the hair sheds and the follicles become dormant. Unlike the other phases of the hair cycle, the telogen phase can last as long as needed – sometimes it can last just a few days, other times it can last a few years. Lasers cannot affect the follicle at all during this stage.
To successfully treat an entire part of the face or body of all skin types with laser treatments, all of the hair must be treated while it is in the anagen stage. This is why laser hair sessions tend to be spaced 4-6 weeks apart. This spreads the sessions enough to give your hair enough time to move from one stage to the next to properly get rid of it. As some hair can stay in the telogen stage for months if not years before growing hair again, some patients see slight unexpected hair growth several months after their series of laser sessions. This also explains why laser hair removal, while nearly getting very close, is never seen as 100%.
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