Laser hair removal uses a laser to remove unwanted hair by damaging the hair follicle, which inhibits future hair growth. 6-8 sessions are recommended for optimal results. Full legs, full back, chest + abdomen are considered an extra-large treatment area. The lower legs, full arm, chest, abdomen, upper or lower back, and buttocks are considered to be a large treatment area. The underarm, bikini area, lower+ upper face, neck front and back, abdomen between the belly button and the bikini line, full hands or feet are all considered to be a medium area. The lip, chin, sideburns, fingers, toes, ears, and nose would be considered a small area in terms of treatment. Treatment time varies depending on the size of the treatment area and the need for topical anesthetic.
What Are The Phases Of Hair Growth?
Hair strands grow from hair follicles in your skin. At the base of each follicle is a living bulb, which contains active cells that divide and grow to create hair. Blood vessels bring nourishment to the bulb and deliver hormones that impact hair growth. Between starting to grow and falling out, each strand progresses through four stages. Understanding the natural hair growth cycle helps explain how laser hair removal works.
Anagen Phase
This is the active phase of hair growth. During the anagen phase, your hair grows as the cells in the bulb at the root of the hair divide rapidly. Each strand is in the anagen phase for two to seven years, making this is the longest-lasting period of the growth cycle. At any time, about 90% of your hairs are in the anagen phase.
Catagen Phase
In this transitional phase, hair growth slows as follicles shrink. Hair strands disconnect from their blood supply and the cells that produce new hair, becoming dormant. The catagen phase lasts approximately 10 days. Only about 5% of your hairs are in this phase at any given time.
Telogen Phase
The telogen phase is a resting period. During this stage of the cycle, the hair follicle is entirely inactive and no longer growing. The follicle typically remains dormant for around three months before the cycle begins again. An estimated 10-15% of your hairs are in this phase at the same time.
Exogen Phase
Shedding occurs in the final step of the cycle. At the end of the resting period, also known as the exogen phase, the hair gradually detaches from the follicle and falls out. The average person loses 50-100 hair strands each day.
Each hair follicle operates independently and progresses through the growth cycle at different times. If it didn’t work that way, all your hair would fall out at once! This impacts laser hair removal in two key ways.
First, laser hair removal treatments are most effective on hairs that are in the anagen phase. Because it is highly unlikely that every hair treated on a given day will be in the anagen phase, multiple treatments are needed to ensure every hair in the selected area is reached during the optimal stage of its growth cycle.
Second, hair growth cycles vary for different people and on different parts of the body. The optimal number of laser hair removal treatments for you may not be the same as the optimal number of treatments for someone else.
What Are The Key Benefits Of Laser Hair Removal?
laser hair removal treatments offer numerous advantages for women and men seeking permanent hair reduction:
- Noninvasive treatment
- Quick and convenient treatment sessions
- Customizable treatment settings
- Safe for many hair colors and skin types
- Can treat most areas of the body and face
- Little to no discomfort
- No downtime
- Low risk of side effects
- Long-lasting results
- Cost-effective in the long-term
