What Should Your Laser Hair Removal Expectations Be?
It’s the most asked question at our laser hair removal clinic, Ivy Laser Salon, in Las Vegas. “Does laser hair removal work?” “What can I expect from my laser hair removal sessions.” “How many sessions will it take?” These are all good and justified questions. After all, you’re about to trust your hard earned money and your beautiful skin to the business of your choice, and everyone wants to get the best bang for their buck!
Laser hair removal is the most advanced and effective way to get rid of unwanted hair. It is FDA cleared and clinically tested to be a safe and effective treatment. But there are a few things you should know about laser hair removal so that you set your expectations accordingly
Your Hair Has A Life Cycle.
Hair grows in cycles. Specifically, hair grows in 3 cycles. One of these three cycles is called the growth cycle. Laser hair removal is only effective when the hairs targeted are in the growth phase. If that wasn’t the case, you’d only need one session to be hair free. Instead, the statistic industry average for effective laser hair removal is about 6-8 sessions. Does that mean that everyone will see complete hair removal in 6-8 sessions? No, some people may need more or even less than the industry standard. Why you ask? Because hair is driven by many biological factors, hormones being the most prevalent.
Hair, It’s Kinda Hormonal.
That’s right, the driving force of hair growth is hormones. This means that a change in hormone levels will affect hair growth. That also means that a change in hormones may cause new hair to grow! When we zap those hairs that are in the growth phase, they are gone forever. But that doesn’t mean your body won’t decide to start a fresh one 1 nanometer next to it. Birth control drugs, PCOS, hypo/hyperthyroidism and any condition or drug that would cause a flux in hormones will also likely cause a flux in hair growth, that’s just biology at work.
I have had clients come in the past and complain that they have done a full 8 sessions of hair removal and are still seeing hair growth in the area. I ask the two important questions, are you on any medications that affect your hormones and do you have any medical conditions that would affect your hormones? Guess what, all of them had one or the other.
The moral of the story here is that results are highly predicated on the individual’s genetic and environmental factors. Keep in mind that we are talking about all of this presuming that you have kept a strict schedule of coming in every 4 weeks for your sessions and refrained from getting a tan. Both of those can cause you to miss your sessions and miss a cycle of hair growth, causing a need for more sessions in the future.