How Many Laser Hair Removal Sessions Will I Need?
Many men and women have areas of the body that are affected by unwanted hair growth. While there are several at-home remedies for unwanted hair, solutions like waxing, shaving, and hair removal creams can be messy, time-consuming, and inconvenient. On top of that, within a few days of treating the hair, it is already growing back.
Laser hair removal targets the hair follicles to prevent hair growth long-term. Dr. William C. Cohen describes the laser hair removal procedure that is available to his Orange, CA, and Placentia, CA, patients, and discusses how many laser hair removal sessions are needed to give individuals the results they desire.
Laser Hair Removal Treatment
Laser hair removal is a fast, simple, and non-invasive procedure. Prior to starting treatment, an anesthetic cream is applied to the treatment site. This numbs the treatment area so that patients remain comfortable throughout the procedure. When the anesthetic has taken effect, a small hand-held laser is applied to the skin.
The laser delivers concentrated heat that reacts with melanin, or the pigment of the skin. The heat delivered by the laser is meant to damage hair follicles, triggering the hair to fall out, and disabling the hair follicle so that it cannot produce any new growth.
Why Are Multiple Treatments Needed?
To understand why multiple laser hair removal sessions are needed to get full hair loss results, it is necessary to explain how hair growth works. Hair growth occurs in three phases: the growth phase, the transitional phase, and the resting phase. It is only during the growth phase that new hair is actively growing, and it is only during the growth phase that laser hair treatment is effective.
A few days prior to a laser hair removal session, patients are told to shave the treatment area, so that by the time they undergo treatment, hair will be in the early stages of growth. However, this does not guarantee that all hair will be in the growth phase. Each hair follicle progresses through the phases of growth on their own timeframe, and at any given time there are bound to be hairs in each stage of the cycle. This means that there are only a percentage of hairs that are effectively treated during a laser hair removal session.
How Many Sessions Are Needed to See Full Results?
Even after a single treatment session our Orange patients should see some degree of results, because a certain number of hair follicles will have been effectively damaged. Usually within a couple weeks of the initial session patients notice that hair growth is lighter. However, for full results patients may require anywhere from four to eight treatment sessions.
The number of sessions that each patient requires is dependent on factors such as skin pigmentation, the coarseness and color of the patient’s hair, and the size and location of the treatment area. Dr. Cohen can provide a more accurate estimate of necessary treatment sessions after meeting personally with a patient.
Contact Dr. Michael C. Cohen
Laser hair removal can provide long-term hair loss that allows people to enjoy smooth, soft skin. To learn more about the laser hair removal procedure, and whether it may be right for you, contact us online at your earliest convenience, or call (714) 628-1313 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Michael C. Cohen.