How often should you get laser hair removal?

Laser hair removal makes it possible to eliminate unwanted hair on the surface of the skin and ensure its smoothness for a long time, although to achieve this effect, you will need to do a certain number of procedures. The cosmetologist selects the number of sessions, their duration and the interval between procedures for the client individually, focusing on the hair structure and skin phototype. In this article, we will take a closer look at how often you need to do laser hair removal.

The basis of the laser hair removal technique is the effect of a light flux on the melanin pigment, which is located inside the hair shaft. The laser stream goes deep into the hair and epidermis, converting light energy into thermal energy, under the influence of which the follicle is heated and destroyed. After such exposure, the hair follicle is no longer able to give hair growth. The most effective laser hair removal results are obtained on dark colored hair growing against a light skin background.

The laser procedure destroys the hair follicles in the hair that is in the active phase of growth. But, in addition to these hairs, in the thickness of the epidermis there are other hair follicles that come to replace the fallen out vegetation. Such a change in the hairline in the human body occurs every 3-4 weeks. Immediately after the hair with a destroyed follicle falls out, previously dormant specimens take their place.For this reason, the laser hair removal procedure must be performed several times in order to inactivate all existing hair follicles.

Modern laser devices are divided into diode and alexandrite. Despite the fact that both types of devices are designed for hair removal, there are differences between them.

• Diode laser devices. The wavelength of this device is 800 Nm, but the effect occurs only on the hair that is in the growth phase, and the effect does not extend to the superficial part of the hair, but to its intradermal follicle and the vessels that feed it. To achieve the effect of smooth skin, you need to go through 10-12 procedures.
• Alexandrite laser machines. The laser wavelength is 755 nm, the effect is on the entire length of the hair shaft, starting from its follicle and ending with the epicutaneous part. Hair under the action of a laser beam heats up and dies, and even those types of hair where there is little pigment - that is, light and gray - are subject to such an effect. To achieve the effect of smooth skin, 6–8 procedures are required.

The epilation procedure differs from conventional depilation in its radical nature. Depilation should be understood to mean the removal of hair from the surface of the skin, while epilation also destroys its subcutaneous part. Laser treatment refers to a method that allows you to eliminate hair for a long time, and in some cases - permanently. At the same time, the risk of side effects from this procedure is minimized. In addition, during the procedure, the laser has a caring effect on the skin, it becomes more toned, pigment spots and keratinized epithelium are eliminated.

A small amount of hair falls out already during the first session of laser hair removal. The bulk of the hair leaves its places a week after the session. It should be noted that the result of the first session is the removal of 25% of hair - and this is the norm. After undergoing repeated procedures, the total number of hairs is reduced by 90%, and sometimes by 95%. Complete 100% epilation cannot be performed by any laser device. In addition, the laser technique allows you to remove hairs that have grown under the skin after previously unsuccessful depilation sessions with wax or sugar paste. An ingrown hair is located under the skin at a depth of 2-3 mm, and the laser beam penetrates into the epidermis by 3-4 mm, therefore, even subcutaneously located hairs, the laser beam can successfully inactivate.

The natural process of dying off laser-treated hairs occurs within a few weeks. The success of this process largely depends on proper care of the epilation area between treatments. It is not recommended to treat the skin with cosmetic preparations containing alcohol for a week, it is undesirable at this time to go to the pool, bath or sauna, as well as sunbathe or use the services of a solarium.

There is a misconception that after laser hair removal, hair grows back even faster and becomes thicker. This impression can really develop, since instead of ordinary hair, thinner vellus hairs grow, but their number does not increase, and the volume seems to be large due to the lightness and thinness of the hair shaft structure. After the procedure, you should be prepared for the fact that after about 8-10 days, the remaining parts of the dead hair remaining under the skin surface will begin to be pushed out. At this time, it may seem that the hair has begun to grow back, but these are just charred prickly hemp that can be easily removed with tweezers, although over time they will fall out on their own.

The number of laser skin treatments should be done at least 2-3 times, but how often these procedures are performed is determined only by a cosmetologist who assesses your skin type and hair structure. In some cases, 3 sessions are enough to get smooth skin, while others may require a much larger number of procedures. But it is worth noting that laser hair removal cannot guarantee anyone that the hair on the treated area will never grow again. In the best case, the effect can last up to 5-6 years, and sometimes this period is shorter - it all depends on the individual characteristics of the organism, including hormonal levels and genetics.

Since only part of the hairline can be eliminated in one session of hair removal, depending on the growth rate of previously dormant follicles, their destruction must be repeated. The number of sessions required will depend on the following factors:

• hair shaft density;
• growth rate;
• skin phototype;
• the area of ​​the body where the laser treatment is performed.

During the first procedure, the beautician is unlikely to tell you exactly the number of sessions that will need to be done. It is possible to assess the efficiency of the laser only after 3-4 sessions of its use. The technique of laser treatment has existed in cosmetology for more than 20 years, therefore, there are already average indicators of the number of procedures carried out for each separate area of ​​the body:

• legs to the knee - 6-10 sessions;
• thigh area - 6–7 sessions;
• bikini area - 5–8 sessions;
• abdominal area - 5-6 sessions;
• face (upper lip area or vellus hairs on the cheekbones) - 4–5 sessions.

The duration of a laser skin treatment session also depends on the area of ​​the treated surface. For example, legs are treated for about 20-30 minutes, and the area of ​​the thighs or bikini will take 40-60 minutes. The duration of exposure and the number of laser flashes also depend on the thickness of the hairline. Only with an in-person consultation, a cosmetologist will be able to roughly draw up a schedule of procedures, count their number and determine the cost of the entire course. At the same time, you should be prepared for the fact that the schedule will be adjusted during the course of the epilation course. Each repeated session is carried out only 3-5 weeks after the end of the previous one, so that during this period of time the skin has time to recover. After completing the full course of procedures, the effect of skin smoothness must be maintained.

If you decide to conduct a course of laser procedures, then be prepared for the fact that it will take more than one month to go to the sessions. It is impossible to speed up the process, since it is necessary to wait for the growth of all active and reserve hair follicles in order to destroy them. At the same time, it is impossible to achieve rapid growth, since it depends on the individuality of your body. The appearance of new hairs after epilation is possible, despite the fact that the laser treatment technique has a cumulative effect. The effectiveness and duration of the effect also depends on the correct application of this method.

The appearance of newly growing hair is possible in the following cases:

• the course of procedures was not fully completed and the desired effect was not achieved;
• thin vellus weakened hair can grow, in which there is very little pigment and not every laser machine can recognize them; only diode lasers cope well with such hairs, if the beautician has an alexandrite apparatus, then its wavelength is not enough to process light hairs;
• the body, in response to the removal of the protective hairline, can trigger the reflex growth of hair follicles, which significantly reduces the effect of epilation; in addition, hormonal disorders can affect the active growth of hair, in which the laser cannot cope with its task - the hair will grow again;
• during the work, the wrong settings of the device were chosen and in the deep areas of the follicles were not processed; such a situation may also arise if the epilation is carried out on an old decommissioned device, the power of which is rather low-productive.

After treating the skin with a laser beam, a week later, burnt hair shafts will begin to fall out, appearing on the skin surface in the form of charred hemp. It is also impossible to accelerate the process of dying off and loss of dead hairs, since this is a natural process of the body, which is inappropriate to influence. If thorny stumps cause severe discomfort, then you can remove them from the surface of the skin with tweezers, but this is undesirable, since the process must take place in an independent natural way. Since the process of dead hair loss is long, the beautician warns the client about how long it will take him to take care of the treated skin before he can go on vacation or start taking sun treatments. You will be told the date of the return visit so that the epilation course takes place in a timely manner.

Important! The procedure is not performed for everyone, since the technique has a number of contraindications that must be taken into account when planning a course of several procedures. For example, you cannot perform laser hair removal during pregnancy, with infectious diseases, elevated body temperature, damage to the skin in the form of burns or cuts, and so on.