What to Know About Laser Hair Removal

Learn what to expect after laser hair removal sessions including shedding of hairs over a period of days or weeks and polishing treatment area with a vegetable sponge or soft cotton towel.

What to Know About Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal is a popular method of removing unwanted hair from the body. It works by using a powerful light to detect dark hair pigment, allowing heat to penetrate the skin and destroy the hair follicle. The hairs don't fall out immediately after a laser hair removal session, but they will shed over a period of days or weeks. This may seem like continuous hair growth, but it is actually the body pushing the hair to the surface and pulling it out of the skin to remove it.

During this time, redness and bumps may appear as the body expels dead hair from the follicle, although ingrown hairs may also remain under the skin. After a laser treatment session, the hair bulb is expected to detach in a period of 7 to 30 days. Gently polishing the treatment area in circular motions with a vegetable sponge or soft cotton towel can help speed up the process of removing dead hair. Since laser treatments can only treat hair follicles that are in their anagen phase, there will be some follicles left that haven't yet “woken up” and grow hair in the coming weeks, so don't be surprised if you see them growing back a little after the initial treatment. Laser hair removal doesn't work on type I skin with pure light blonde, red, or white hair. The best option is electrolysis.

When you do the laser, you are destroying the active hair follicles, which will normally fall out in 1 to 4 weeks. It's best to leave them alone until they fall out; as you undergo a laser hair removal procedure, thick, dark hairs will grow finer and be easier to remove. At this stage, laser hair removal will not be as successful because the hair is already dead and expelled from the hair follicle. As mentioned earlier, laser hair removal tends to work better on people with darker hair color and lighter skin, so people with other hair color and skin combinations may experience hair growth sooner and more often. The extent of hair removal, as well as the number of laser hair removal sessions needed to achieve optimal results, depend on skin tone, hair color, and hair location.

Polishing the treatment area with a vegetable sponge or soft cotton towel can help speed up the process of removing dead hairs. Additionally, it's important to remember that laser treatments can only treat hair follicles that are in their anagen phase. Therefore, some follicles may remain that haven't yet “woken up” and grow new hairs in the coming weeks. Overall, laser hair removal is an effective way to remove unwanted body hairs. However, it's important to keep in mind that it works best on people with darker hair color and lighter skin tones.

Additionally, it's important to remember that some follicles may remain that haven't yet “woken up” and grow new hairs in the coming weeks.