How Many Laser Hair Removal Treatments Are Needed?

The number of laser treatments for total hair removal varies from person to person, depending on hair texture and color. Generally, treatments can be completed in six months to a year. The typical patient requires three to seven treatments to permanently reduce hair growth. Laser hair removal sessions are performed once a month or every other month, depending on the speed of hair growth. Lasers work on large areas of skin, killing all of the actively growing hair with pulsing beams of concentrated light. After the treatment, these hairs will be released. Hair follicles naturally go dormant before the hair falls out. These follicles will remain dormant for a period a time before resuming the active growth cycle. This staggered growth cycle is great when it works on the head to maintain continuous growth, but in laser hair removal it delays the full effectiveness of the treatment. All the hair follicles that re-grow have to be zapped during the active growth. Patients can go in for a second treatment after the hair has sufficiently re-grown. Most patients will continue to go in for yearly touch-ups up to eliminate extraneous hairs that pop up. Between sessions, hair can be shaved, but should not be waxed or plucked. Doctors should always tell patients what percentage of hair will be realistically reduced in a session.

Today, there are many different types of laser hair removal devices. Depending on the color and frequency, certain lasers are effective on different hair and skin combinations. Before undergoing a treatment, doctors advise wearing sun block and to stop tanning, as the darker skin can absorb more laser than the hairs. Coarse dark hair, such as the terminal growth found in the armpits and private areas, is a particularly good candidate for laser removal. A small percentage of patients seem to be immune to laser treatment and experience near total re-growth. Laser hair removal procedures are least effective on red, blond, gray and white hair, which tend to reflect more light than they absorb. These hair colors are the mostly likely to re-grow.