If you have taken the big step of opting for laser hair removal to get rid of those annoying hairs that seem to grow just about everywhere, then you have made one heck of a commitment.
Using a laser to remove unwanted hair is actually the easy part, the hard part is having the patience and will power to not mess up the cycle after you have accomplished the laser treatments.
Before you undertook the laser treatment, you probably did a ton of research. I mean, who wouldn’t want to know everything there is to know before having a laser burn your hair follicles.
Well, then you are most likely aware that laser hair removal is not a permanent solution, but it is your best option if you’re hoping for long-lasting results.
So, when your unwanted hair starts to grow back after around six months, here are a few things you should keep in mind.
What Happens To The Hair During A Laser Treatment?
If you have ever wondered why laser hair removal is pretty successful with the best results, here’s why: the laser emits an intense light that targets the hair follicles.
The light then heats up the follicle, damaging it in the process to prevent hair from growing.
This damage only temporarily prevents the hair from growing back, but you’d be happy to know that it takes months for new hairs to pop up, and even when they do, the hair will grow very slowly and it will be much thinner than it once was.
This is thanks to the damaged follicles that shrunk during the laser treatment.
How Long Does Laser Hair Removal Last?
Please don’t expect to pop into a laser treatment facility once and have your unwanted hair problem magically solved. That’s not quite how this works.
Laser hair removal requires several treatments before you can really see the results – you need on average six to eight treatments. The good news is, once you have finished these treatments, the results can last anywhere between six to twelve months.
When your hair eventually does start growing back, you just need a few touch-up treatments.
Most people end up choosing laser treatments because of all the benefits it offers in the long run – one of those benefits include reduced hair growth over time. While most people aim for a permanent solution, none exists.
However, laser hair removal is your best alternative, because continuous use of laser treatments for hair removal will lessen hair growth more and more after each treatment.
After years of using a laser, hair growth may be so slow and the hair may be so thin that it is almost unnoticeable, giving the appearance that hair has been permanently removed. And that is the end-goal, right?
What Should You Avoid After Laser Hair Removal?
In order to maximize the results of a laser treatment, and to avoid any unnecessary complications afterwards, there are a few things you should avoid.
Firstly, avoid applying anything onto the skin that has just undergone laser hair removal during the first 24 hours. This includes deodorant for your underarms, moisturizer and makeup on your face, and lotion on the rest of your body.
While you might think that mild skin irritations and redness can be treated with a bit of moisturizer, that is not the case for a post-laser treatment.
Secondly, stay out of the sun. Too much exposure to sunlight is already bad for your skin on a regular day, and after the laser treatment, your skin will be extra sensitive.
You stand a chance to develop light or dark spots if you are exposed to too much sunlight, so if you find yourself enjoying a sunny day, make sure to wear sunblock.
It would be best to avoid the sun entirely for a few days after a laser treatment, seeing as you should not apply anything onto your skin, including sunblock, as stated earlier.
Thirdly, and most importantly, do not tweeze or wax any hairs that grow after a laser treatment, as these methods could reverse the effects of the laser. As you may know by now, lasers shrink the hair follicle by damaging it with light beams.
Now, if you find some hair growing after a treatment, you might think that it would be a good idea to pull them out. Wrong! You should definitely avoid doing that. When you pull a hair out, it is pulled from the roots, and you often pull the hair follicle out as well.
This will stimulate a new hair to grow, thicker and healthier than before, sort of like a wakeup call to grow. This is not something you want when you start a laser treatment.
How To Remove Hair After Laser Treatment?
Laser hair removal does not get rid of 100% of the hair in a given area, especially not after one treatment alone.
And even when you have undergone several treatments, hair will grow eventually, but they don’t always grow at the same rate.
It’s a fact that hairs grow at different rates – some like to take their sweet time while others pop up sooner than anticipated. So, when these rogue hairs start growing, what should you do?
The first option is to go in for a touch-up laser treatment. As you know, you need a few treatments in order to achieve the best results.
If you aren’t in a hurry, you could wait a while for more hairs to grow so that you just need to touch-up once between treatments. That is up to you.
Another thing you can do is shave. “But isn’t that anti-productive? Won’t shaving ruin what I’m trying to achieve with laser hair removal, which is a long-lasting hairless appearance?”
These are some of the questions you are probably asking right now. Well, while shaving may be anti-productive when you are between wax treatments, it doesn’t hurt you when you are between laser treatments.
The hair that is shaved may grow back quickly, but it is safer than waxing or tweezing, which are both methods you should avoid.
If you see a few hairs grow after your laser treatment, don’t overthink it. Hair grows, that’s not normal. If you don’t feel like going for another laser treatment so soon, then simply grab a shaver. You won’t ruin anything.
How to Remove Hair after Laser Treatment? You do not have to worry about that question anymore. Now, let us get rid of those unwanted hairs. Don’t suffer in silence!
Visit the main hair removal home page for as much information on hair removal as possible. You can also visit the main IPL hair removal page. Thank for visiting the lovely skin stuff site. We appreciate you greatly.
