Laser Hair Removal Results After the First Treatment
- Laser hair removal functions by applying laser light energy to a hair follicle. The laser energy targets the melanin, or color pigment, in hair. Once absorbed by the melanin, the light energy converts into heat energy, which then destroys the hair follicle and allows the hair shaft to fall out. Only hairs that are in their active growth phase are affected during the first treatment.
- Hair follicles that are in their active growth phase are typically destroyed or severely damaged by the first laser hair removal treatment, according to the Hair Removal Journal. These hair follicles either cease to grow new hair or may continue to grow hair that is finer than the original hair shaft. A series of treatments are typically required in order to permanently reduce the number of actively growing hair follicles by 80 percent.
- The first laser hair removal treatment may last for a few minutes for a small area such as an upper lip or chin to more than an hour for a back or both legs. The results after the first treatment tend to be long-lasting, according to the Consumer Guide to Plastic Surgery. Depending on the area of the body being treated, results may last from seven weeks to more than four months.
- Patients may experience redness and swelling of the area around the treated hair follicles after the first and subsequent laser hair removal treatments, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). Skin that has been exposed to laser hair removal treatments may be more sensitive to sun exposure, so ASAPS recommends applying sunscreen to the treated area after the first and subsequent treatments. These treatments may result in changes in skin pigmentation, skin irritation, and scabbing or crusting of the skin in the treatment area, according to the Mayo Clinic.
- Human hair grows in different stages, and not all of it is actively growing at the same time. Since laser hair removal treatments are only effective on hair that is in its active growth phase, not all body hair in the treatment area will be affected by the first treatment. The Mayo Clinic recommends four to six treatments spaced four to six weeks apart in order to achieve the best results.
