Consider the amount of time and money you’ve spent on hair removal over the years. Whether it’s shaving products, shaving time in the shower, hair removal creams, tweezing/plucking, or professional waxing appointments, it takes time and the costs add up. You can never recover all of this time and money, yet the hair keeps growing back, requiring you to continue investing over and over. Furthermore, these solutions are only temporary, so while they do remove hair, they do nothing to stop the regrowth of hair after your appointment. Even worse, they often cause bumps, ingrown hairs, and other side effects.
There is a solution. Laser hair removal gives you the opportunity to reduce or eliminate the need for nearly constant hair removal upkeep. Instead of appointments for wax sessions, knowing the hair will grow back, come in for laser hair removal sessions and start seeing lasting results.
If you’re a candidate for the treatment, laser hair removal can be used for hair on your upper lip, underarms/armpits, bikini line/bikini area, legs, back, face, or almost anywhere you have unwanted hair (except around the eyes). Both facial hair and body hair can be safely slowed or stopped with laser hair removal treatments. Laser hair removal requires fewer treatments than electrolysis, making it the preferred route for many patients.
How Many Sessions of Laser Hair Removal Does It Take to See Results?
On average, it takes four to six sessions, each about six weeks apart, in total to stop or nearly stop the regrowth of hair.
Because every patient is unique, the number of sessions required depends on the patient and requires a professional assessment. We can help you understand whether you’re a good candidate for treatment and what to expect during your consultation appointment. Factors that help us predict the number of treatments include skin tone and the location, coarseness, and color of your hair. It’s also important to share your complete medical history in case we need to plan additional time due to any medications, infections, or diagnoses.
You should first begin noticing a difference after three to six treatments. Once you achieve the results you’re looking for, only annual or twice-annual maintenance appointments are required to maintain those results permanently.
During your consultation appointment, your provider will evaluate your skin tone, hair color, and other factors and build out a customized treatment plan so you can make an informed decision.
What Is the Wait Time Between Laser Hair Removal Sessions?
The wait time between sessions is usually four to six weeks, and it’s important that you closely follow your provider’s recommendations when it comes to timing out your treatments. Understanding how laser hair removal works is important in understanding the treatment schedule. Here’s why:
- The laser uses targets the pigment in your hair, which is called melanin.
- At any point in time, each hair in your head is in one of four phases: anagen (growing phase), catagen (regressing phase), telogen (resting phase), or exogen (shedding phase); each individual hair is on its own schedule, so a percentage of your hairs will be in each phase at any given time.
- Laser hair removal is most effective on hairs in the anagen phase; timing your treatments accordingly ensures the treatment target most hairs during the anagen phase eventually.
- Finally, in order for laser hair removal to work as designed, treatments must damage the hair follicle a little more each session. Too much healing time between sessions will lead to ‘starting over’ so to speak.
Having treatments too soon or waiting too long can make it more difficult to achieve your treatment goals. In some cases, you may have to delay treatment because of a contraindication. Common reasons we are unable to perform a treatment include pregnancy, skin cancer, an infection in the treatment area, history of herpes simplex (which requires a course of antivirals before treatment), sunburn in the treatment area, recent exfoliation treatment, or taking certain medications recently, including naproxen, tetracycline, oral contraceptives, chloroquine, anticoagulants, or retinoids.
Don’t be discouraged; most of these contraindications don’t mean you can’t be treated. They just require planning prior to your appointment time.
Planning and scheduling your sessions in advance ensures your provider can partner with you to help you meet all of the requirements for treatment and avoid delays or cancellations. Follow all instructions your provider offers prior to your appointment, which may include:
- avoiding sun exposure for up to a month
- stopping Accutane for up to two months
- avoiding Aspirin use for several days prior to treatment
Are Laser Hair Removal Sessions Affected by the Time of Year?
Many dermatology clinics will tell you that the best months for laser hair removal are fall and winter, primarily because it’s important to protect your skin from sun exposure after each treatment. More specifically, you’ll need to wait a full month after each treatment before you can resume tanning in order to prevent discoloration and skin damage.
The contrast between the color of your hair and the color of your skin also impacts the safety and efficacy of laser hair removal, which means treatment may vary depending on the time of the year and how sun exposure has impacted your skin tone. Some lasers are only safe for patients with light skin and darker hair; darker skin and dark hair or light hair might rule out certain treatments for you.
Because we use the advanced Sciton BareHR laser at Dermacare of Hampton Roads, we can safely and effectively treat patients year-round regardless of skin type. You’ll be able to return to regular activity immediately following your treatment with no downtime, but you should wear sunscreen if the treatment area will be exposed to sunlight.
During your consultation appointment, we’ll discuss the best treatment approach for the areas of the body you’d like to treat and help you plan and prepare accordingly.
How Long Does Laser Hair Removal Last?
Once you’ve received all of the sessions recommended by your dermatologist or aesthetician, hair will not return for months or years. If hair does grow in the treatment area, you’ll notice that it’s both thinner and much less noticeable than it was before laser treatments. You’ll need occasional maintenance treatments – once or twice a year – to maintain your results permanently.
The most exciting news is that you shouldn’t have to wax, shave, pluck, or use hair removal creams in that area again.
What are the Reasons for More Sessions of Laser Hair Removal?
Some clients will need more than the average four to six sessions in order to achieve their desired results, especially when they seek treatment from clinics not using the Sciton BareHR laser. Some of the factors that lead to additional sessions include the size of the treatment area (small areas may be treated in fewer sessions than larger areas); the hair growth cycle; skin color; coarseness of hair, and other factors. Additionally, using an over-the-counter or home laser will require substantially more sessions because of different wavelengths.
With the advanced Sciton BareHR laser, we’re usually able to treat all patients in five treatment sessions or less at Dermacare of Hampton Roads – one of the primary reasons so many patients choose Dermacare of Hampton Roads for their laser hair removal needs.
Enjoy An Easy Process With Smooth Results
Ready to be hair-free without expensive, time-consuming, ongoing hair removal methods? The team at Dermacare of Hampton Roads can help. We offer safe, effective permanent hair removal with consideration for your skincare routine, lifestyle, and unique characteristics. Once your treatments are complete, new hair will take months or years to grow and will be lighter – in fact, you might not even notice it! Annual maintenance appointments will prevent new growth altogether.
As a reminder, even if you’ve been told you are not a candidate in the past, you might be a great candidate for laser hair removal at Dermacare of Hampton Roads. The innovative laser we use is safe for patients with all skin colors, skin types, and hair types, so it’s worth scheduling a consultation appointment despite any prior disappointment you’ve experienced.
To book your appointment, call our experienced skin care professionals at 757-547-7546 or complete our online appointment form and we’ll be in touch!
Written By Leon Garber, CEO
Leon is a graduate of SUNY Maritime College with a B.S. in Marine Transportation. He is a member of the National Eagle Scout Association, the American MedSpa Association and the International Business Brokers Association.
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