The Skinny on Shedding after Laser Hair Removal & How to Speed It Up (2024)

FAQs

The Skinny on Shedding after Laser Hair Removal & How to Speed It Up? ›

What Can I Do to Speed up Shedding? Shedding is a good sign, since it means the LHR treatments are effectively removing your hair. But if you want to help speed up this process, you can gently exfoliate your skin using a shower loofah or body scrub after laser hair removal.

Moisturise: Keep your skin hydrated with a high-quality, fragrance-free moisturiser. This makes it easier for the shedding hair to push through the skin. Avoid hair removal methods: Resist the temptation to use tweezers, wax, or other hair removal methods on the treated area.

Gently exfoliate the treatment area with a scrub or washcloth around three times a week to remove dead skin cells and reduce the appearance of blackheads or stubble.

When the laser targets the hair follicle, it damages the root of the hair. This damage signals to the body that the hair is no longer needed and will eventually be shed. In most cases, this occurs 1 to 3 weeks after your LHR treatment, and it sometimes looks like blackheads or stubble.

Be patient with the treated area, and after a few weeks the hairs will fall out without further provoking. For best results, leaving the treated area(s) alone is recommended as the targeted hairs will complete their growth cycle, shed, and because the follicle has been destroyed, there will be no regrowth.

Shaving and exfoliating can increase follicular activity, making the following laser treatment more effective. Another tip suggested by experts is to pay attention to hair growth during laser hair removal treatment. Some localized areas may grow more quickly than others. This is a detail to share with your provider.

Hair Shedding – After a laser hair removal treatment, it's common for the treated hair to shed. This shedding process can take 10-14 days post treatment. And during this time, it may appear as though the hair is growing back thicker and darker. However, this is simply the hair follicle shedding the treated hair.

Not all treated hairs shed immediately because they have different growth cycles. Laser works during the anagen phase, which only around 15% of hairs are in during one session. So, only these hairs fall out 5-14 days after treatment.

Shave Before Treatment

You should shave within 24 hours of your scheduled laser appointment. Your laser technician cannot treat areas that have hair above the skin. You cannot even receive treatment if there is rough stubble because this may create too much heat for the pigment of your skin.

How to remove dead hair follicles after laser? ›

While you shouldn't be able to pull hair out forcefully, you're free to cut or scrub the hair in order to speed up the shed process. Rub the treatment area with a circular motion with a loofah or gentle washcloth for removing dead hair.

However, even though laser treatments damage hair follicles, they're not destroyed completely. Over time, the treated follicles may recover from the initial damage and grow hair again. It's a tall order to eliminate every hair follicle in a given area. Therefore, you may notice a tiny amount of hair regrowth.

You can expect a 10% to 25% reduction in hair after the first treatment. To remove the hair, most patients need 2 to 6 laser treatments. After finishing the treatments, most patients do not see any hair on the treated skin for several months or even years. When the hair regrows, there tends to be less of it.

Tips to Encourage Faster Shedding

Moisturising the Skin: Proper hydration of the skin can ease the shedding of hair. Opt for hypoallergenic and fragrance-free moisturisers that soothe without causing irritation. Avoiding Sun Exposure: The treated areas are particularly sensitive to UV rays post-laser.

5-14 days after treatment

If you don't exfoliate these hairs some may become trapped so it's best to lightly exfoliate every few days to avoid this. If you continue to shave you may not notice this happening but it is nothing to worry about, it is a sign treatment has been effective.

What happens to stubble after laser hair removal treatment? After laser hair removal treatment, the treated area may look and feel like it has stubble. This is a typical response to laser treatment. The hair follicles are still present, but the hair is damaged and falls out over time.

If you feel like your hair isn't shedding at all, this could be due to a few factors. In some cases, the hair may be too light, the treatment intensity too low, or the hair might be in the wrong growth stage. Our laser hair removal experts can assess your progress and make necessary adjustments to your treatment.

If you shave too quickly you may irritate the skin even more, so waiting at least three or four days after your treatment is usually ideal. A few days following your laser hair removal treatment, you may notice your hair shedding.

Patients may notice more hair 1 – 3 weeks after laser hair removal sessions as follicles in the growing cycle begin to shed. During this process, exfoliating the skin, once swelling and redness have dissipated, can help hairs shed faster, leaving skin feeling smoother.