How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?

Laser hair removal has become an increasingly popular way to get rid of unwanted hair.

Laser hair removal can have excellent, long-term results.

So, how does it work?

Laser hair removal is a noninvasive way of removing or reducing unwanted hair on your body.

With the number of procedures in the U.S. growing more than 51% since 2000, it’s safe to say that this technique has grown to become one of the most popular treatments in the country.

Laser hair removal is a fantastic option if you have excess body hair and want a way to effectively reduce or remove it, be it from larger or smaller areas of your body.

Before your treatment, the area to be treated is cleaned. If it’s a particularly sensitive area, a numbing gel may be used.

When you’re ready, a beam of high-energy light is focused on your target area. The bigger the area, the longer the procedure can take. On average, smaller areas take just a few minutes while bigger areas like the legs can take up to an hour or more.

Laser hair removal can be done in most areas of your body, including:

Everyone’s hair grows at a different rate and for different parts of the body. So, different people and different treatment areas require different amounts of sessions to achieve the desired results. Most people require 6+ treatments depending on the area.

Hair is most responsive in the living phase, called anagen. Hair follicles are not responsive to laser treatment at all stages of the growth cycle.  It’s then that they actively grow and when they have the most pigment or melanin. The more pigment a hair contains, the more light it absorbs and the higher the temperature they can be heated to. Higher temperatures make for better destruction of hair follicles.

Envy Skin Clinic is able treat all skin types from pale white to deeply pigmented dark brown. This is considered all Fitzpatrick skin types.

There are plenty of benefits to having laser hair removal, including:

This hair removal method is highly effective, especially if you have dark or fair skin. Many people start to achieve permanent hair loss in just 3 – 7 sessions. Different people have different results, though, and lighter hair usually needs more treatments as it takes more energy to get to the heat needed to destroy the cycle of hair growth.

Laser hair removal targets the hairs and not the skin. So, it gets the hair right at the root, damaging its ability to continue growing.

While appointment times vary depending on the areas you want to be treated, laser hair removal is usually quick and there is minimal pain, as well as no downtime.

With epilating and waxing, you need to wait for the hair to be long enough to be pulled out between treatments. With laser, you can shave within 12 hours of the treatment. In fact, we encourage it!

Laser requires a bigger up-front cost, but you can save money in the long term. You can say goodbye to paying for regular waxing and threading and no more replacing razor heads on a regular basis.

Unlike other hair removal methods, there are no painful razor burns or ingrown hairs to contend with. There may just be a little skin irritation for a couple of hours after treatment, but it’s very mild.

Is laser hair removal right for you? Book an appointment with the team of expert aestheticians at ENVY Skin Clinic today to find out.