How Long Does Laser Hair Removal Take?
By Neel Kanase | Published on October 6, 2010 | 0 Comments
Laser hair removal means permanent freedom from the daily hassles of shaving or tweezing. But it’s not a quick fix. Several sessions are required over the course of several months before the desired results are achieved. So how many sessions will you need before your treatment is complete? And how long will it take until you’re completely free of unwanted hair? According to Neel Kanase, MD of Amarillo laser hair removal clinic Amarillo Laser Clinic, hair growth occurs in cycles. For this reason, multiple treatment sessions are required to achieve the complete removal of hair from the target area. The amount of time between those sessions and the total length of time required to complete the procedure will depend on the area of the body being treated. He explains.
How Laser Hair Removal Works
When laser hair removal is performed, a special light is used to selectively target hair follicles and destroy them, preventing them from producing unwanted hair permanently. When the laser is fired, the light is attracted to the hair, then travels down the hair shaft to the follicle, where it destroys the germinal cells, blood vessels and nerve endings at the base. This prevents the follicle from re-growing hair at any point in the future.
Stages of the Hair Growth Cycle
Human hair growth, Dr. Kanase says, occurs in stages. There is a mature stage called “anagen,” and there are two immature stages called “catagen” and “telogen.” At any given time, he says, only about 10% of human hair on any given skin surface is in the anagen, or mature, stage. This stage, however, is the stage during which the hair follicle can be destroyed using laser hair removal techniques. During this phase, there is a bulb present and hair is visible to the naked eye.
During the catagen and telogen phases, however, hair is starting to shrivel and shed, and the base of the hair follicle is not mature. Laser hair removal is not effective for hair in these two stages because the light from the laser cannot travel all the way to the base of the follicle to destroy the germinal cells.
What This Means for You
Because only 10% of the hair you wish to remove is in the anagen phase at any given time, Dr. Kanase says, multiple laser hair removal sessions are required to completely eliminate hair from the area you wish to target. These sessions, he says, are scheduled to accommodate for the hair growth cycle in the area you want to have treated. “While there are no hard and fast rules,” he says, “it’s been discovered that the length of the hair growth cycle is different in different areas of the body.”
In general, for areas that are above the shoulder, laser hair removal sessions are scheduled four to six weeks apart. For areas between the shoulders and the hips, the cycle is a bit longer, so sessions are scheduled between six and eight weeks apart. Areas below the hips require sessions scheduled between eight and 10 weeks apart. The total number of sessions you will need varies based on the size of the area being treated and other factors specific to your body. “When you choose a clinic,” Dr. Kanase says, “a personalized plan will be developed to help you achieve the results you desire.”
*Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.