What happens after 1 laser hair removal? | Skin Perfection (2024)

FAQs

What happens after 1 laser hair removal? | Skin Perfection? ›

Right after your first laser hair removal treatment, you'll likely notice some redness and swelling, which is perfectly normal. These symptoms typically subside within a few hours to a couple of days. You might also see some hair shedding from the treated area. This is the body's natural response to the laser's energy.

Some hairs will shed in the days following the treatment. However, since hair grows in different phases, multiple sessions are needed to effectively target all hair follicles. After just one session, you'll experience smoother, hair-free skin in the treated area.

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.

You should see immediate results based on the color and thickness of your hair, the area treated, the type of laser, and the color of your skin. Regardless of these variations, you should notice a 10-25% reduction of hair after the first treatment. Expect no downtime after your first treatment.

Immediately after the treatment, your skin may be slightly red and swollen. This is a normal reaction and should subside within a few hours. You may also experience a mild tingling or stinging sensation, but this should also go away quickly. In the days following the treatment, the hair follicles will gradually shed.

Lasers can kill hair only during the anagen stage. However, only about 15 percent of the hair will be present in this phase at the time of one laser session. That means that only 15 percent of hair follicles will be destroyed, and those hairs will fall off five to 14 days following treatment.

Hairs do not fall out immediately, but you will shed them over a period of days to weeks. This may look like continued hair growth. The repeated treatments are usually necessary because hair growth and loss naturally occur in a cycle, and laser treatment works best with hair follicles in the new-growth stage.

Pulling out loose hair after a laser hair removal session is not recommended. It disrupts the hair growth cycle; when hairs are loose it means the hair is in its cycle of removal. If it's removed before it dies on its own, it could stimulate hair to grow again.

Laser treatment begins working immediately after the first appointment. You'll first see hair falling out of treated areas within a day or two. Soon after that, you'll notice smoother skin. Once your treatment plan is complete, the results will last typically longer than waxing and can last for years.

Other potential side effects include swelling, redness, and scarring. Permanent scarring or changes in skin color are rare. Blisters are rare but are more likely in people with darker complexions. Another rare side effect is the treated hair turning gray or more hair growing around the treated areas.

Will one laser session make a difference? ›

While a single session of safe laser hair removal can indeed provide a noticeable difference, for comprehensive and long-term results, multiple sessions are imperative. It's an investment in not only appearance but also time saved and confidence regained.

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.

3 to 4 weeks after

The treated area will be smooth for about four to six weeks following the first laser hair removal session. After this timeframe, patients should notice little fine hairs growing again. Tweezing or waxing these hairs must be avoided.

While a single laser hair removal treatment can provide some hair reduction, it's unlikely to be enough for permanent results. This is because hair grows in cycles, and the laser can only target hair in the active growth period.

If you stop treatments after only two sessions, it's likely that only a portion of hair follicles have been affected.

Everyone's body is different, and different biological factors can impact how many sessions you need in order to fully remove your unwanted hair. Generally, clients need about two to six laser treatments in order to completely get rid of hair.

You might have a hormonal imbalance:

One of the top reasons why Laser hair removal doesn't work boils down to hormones. Yes, believe it or not hormonal conditions can lead to ineffective hair removal. Our hormones encourage hair growth with the most common one being testosterone.