Ideal, during this stage you should refrain from shaving, waxing, plucking or threading in the area where laser treatments were conducted as this can damage hair follicles that have been targeted with laser therapy and cause skin irritation as well as delay the shedding process.
If it seems as though your laser hair removal sessions are working, regrowth could be evidence of success! If this is indeed what is occurring for you, that means they have indeed succeeded!
You’re in the growth phase
Laser hair removal works to target cells responsible for unwanted growth in cycles; any anagen stage hair will not be destroyed by laser treatment and should continue growing back after your session is over.
However, certain hair follicles will be disabled by the laser and go into an extended “sleep.” While not dead yet, these follicles will cease growing and instead shed off, eventually appearing like blackheads or stubble. This process typically occurs one to three weeks following laser hair removal treatments and could look like blackheads or stubble.
Though it may be counterintuitive, your body has been designed to eliminate dead hair follicles this way. Therefore, it’s best to let this natural process run its course; plucking or squeezing only delays this natural cycle further. Instead, exfoliating can help shed and fall from your skin more rapidly than plucking will.
Note that growth processes vary significantly among people, and your hair may not yet be in its anagen phase when receiving laser therapy treatments. As such, multiple sessions will likely be necessary before seeing desired results.
Some individuals may experience some mild, sparse regrowth after finishing their laser treatment series; however, this regrowth typically remains minimal and can often be controlled with touch up treatments.
If you find yourself being tempted to pull out your hair as it sheds, resist! Not only will this lead to irritated and ingrown hairs, but it could prevent laser targeting during subsequent growth cycles, potentially altering results or lengthening time until full effect of laser hair removal treatment becomes visible. Instead, adhere to your treatment plan by attending clinic visits at regular intervals for laser hair removal sessions.
You’re in the telogen phase
If you are experiencing no hair growth or notice that the existing hair seems thin and fine, this could be because unwanted hair has entered its resting phase called the telogen phase. This resting stage marks the final phase before entering anagen cycle again – this makes permanent removal impossible with methods such as shaving, waxing, tweezing and depilatory creams; they only remove surface-level hair while leaving its root intact underneath; laser therapy treatment alone destroys this follicle completely.
Laser hair removal treatments don’t offer instantaneous results when they first begin; rather, it takes several months before your anagen hair begins falling out again and permanent results start showing.
Laser treatments can effectively target hair follicles in their anagen phase for destruction; however, only 15% of your hair are ever in this state at any one time – leading to many patients experiencing regrowth after laser hair removal treatments.
Anagen stage hair contains extra melanin that absorbs sunlight and reflects it back off your skin’s surface, providing the ideal target for laser treatments that target only melanin-containing hair follicles. While laser treatments work effectively on anagen stage hair, their effectiveness diminishes considerably during catagen and telogen phases.
Skipping laser treatments could cause hair follicles in the anagen phase to shift to either catagen or telogen stages, becoming inactive and dormant, and eventually growing back once stimulated back into anagen phase growth.
Consistency and regular attendance at treatment sessions is critical. By following your plan and attending regular sessions, you can maximize the number of anagen-phase hair follicles at any one time, thus decreasing the odds that unwanted hair returns after treatment has ended. In addition, using a gentle scrub regularly may speed up shedding.
You’re in the resting phase
At this final phase, no hair is growing under the skin and cannot be treated by lasers. This last phase, known as telogen phase, can last six weeks post treatment session – hence why multiple sessions may be required for lasting results. While you may feel frustrated that not all your hair has fallen out yet, don’t despair as your body is simply resetting hair follicles to grow at an appropriate rate and your bald patches should eventually be filled in with new growth.
As it’s crucial not to pick, pluck or squeeze hairs during this phase as doing so will disrupt their natural growth cycle and may force them back into telogen phase, it is best to gently exfoliate the area to encourage hair follicles into anagen phase and start growing again.
Help the anagen phase hairs by avoiding sunless tanning and other treatments that darken pigmentation of your locks; such products will interfere with laser therapy’s ability to destroy melanin from each individual strand. When shaving in between sessions, be cautious not to cause irritation of follicles and hinder the shedding process.
Some patients report seeing hair start to shed after just one laser treatment, while others may need several weeks before seeing results. With time and dedication to the process, your smooth and beautiful skin will finally begin to show!
As shaving, waxing or plucking will disrupt their natural growth cycle, it is also crucial not to disturb anagen and catagen phase hairs that have not reached anagen yet, forcing you to wait until your next treatment session to resume the laser hair removal process. If there are hairs in the telogen phase that need additional time for anagen or catagen phase growth before they can be successfully targeted by laser.
You’re in the shedding phase
Shedding after laser hair removal is an organic process and an indicator that your treatments are working, but if you want to speed things up further, try exfoliating the area a few times each week after your sessions; this will remove dead skin cells that could be inhibiting hair follicles and gently encourage them to let go.
Before laser hair removal treatments begin, it’s essential that any potential disruptions to the growth cycle be avoided as this could alter it and pull out hair too early to be targeted by laser light. Laser treatments aim to permanently disable your hair follicles so they no longer produce hair; for optimal results this happens only during anagen phase hair growth, making regular sessions with your laser specialist in Elmhurst invaluable.
Hair may return, but it will likely grow back sparser than before you began laser hair removal treatments. This is because damaged follicles won’t be capable of producing new strands – some that survived may still do though – so follow-up sessions are essential – otherwise unwanted hair growth could return quickly!
After your laser hair removal treatments, to keep your skin soft and supple try applying a moisturiser suited for sensitive skin. Cooling aloe vera gel may also provide soothing relief if irritation or redness occurs on the treated areas. Furthermore, avoid picking, pinching or picking at these areas as this could irritate follicles further and lead to infection.
Shedding after laser hair removal is a natural part of the process and will continue until your desired results have been reached. How much hair falls off during each laser hair removal session varies, but with consistent treatments you will see lasting effects and permanent solutions.
