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20 July 2021
How Long Is The Laser Hair Removal Process?
Whether you have thin growth or heavy, body hair can be annoying. The regular spending at salons or shaving at home can become a taxing task. No matter how often you shave, tweeze, thread or wax, the hair keeps coming back.
Naturally, laser hair removal in Melbourne has become a highly sought-after treatment that reduces hair growth significantly for a long duration. You only need a few touch-ups to keep it the same way.
Among people with thin or scarce body hair, it removes the hair permanently allowing them to enjoy smooth and hair-free skin forever. Most people who decide to undergo the treatment have the same question in mind – How long does it take? If you too are wondering about it, here is a detailed answer to the question.
The treatment is completed over a period of several months with gaps of 6 to 8 weeks between subsequent sessions. Hair cannot be removed in one go as our hair keeps growing constantly and different strands are in the different growth stage at any given moment.
The advanced laser systems are highly targeted and work on only the hair in the active growth stage so that there is no harm to the surrounding skin tissue. There are four stages of hair growth – anagen or the growth stage, catagen or the transitional stage, telogen or the resting stage, and exogen or the shedding stage.
Laser targets hair which are in the anagen stage and need several sessions to cover all the hair. The highly concentrated light beam is absorbed by the melanin present in the hair. The heat produced by the laser damages the hair follicles or the roots to stop or prolong regrowth. Since it works only on hair that are in the anagen stage, it needs several sessions.
Hair will continue to grow on your body during the treatment. The visible hair strands will be the ones that have not been treated yet by laser due to their growth stage. After the course of the treatment is over, the hair will be entirely removed for years. It may or may not regrow.
The new hair is usually thin and scanty and hardly visible. These fine strands can be removed with a single touch-up session. In most cases the results of laser hair removal are permanent and there are few touch-ups needed after a few years.
People with low hair volume may not need these touch-ups for close to ten or more years. There are some exceptions to the permanence of results because of the hormonal changes taking place in the body.
Many people witness regrowth of facial hair on the neck, upper lip, and chin due to androgens and testosterone that can induce hair growth. Some women experience this when they are going through menopause as the level of estrogen goes down in the body. However, this hair is also extremely fine and can be removed with a touch-up session.
Laser hair removal is much faster as compared to electrolysis as laser covers several fair follicles with a single pulse and is not intrusive. The length of the session depends on the area to be covered. Thus, if you want to get rid of hair from your legs, your sessions will last longer than someone who wants to remove hair from the underarms.
For example, removing hair from the legs can take somewhere close to one hour and 30 minutes and full body may need up to 2 or 3 hours. The number of sessions is also dependent on the area to be covered. On average, every person needs at least four sessions to eliminate unwanted hair.
Some people may need up to 12 or more sessions, depending on the volume of hair and treatment area. The experience and expertise of the practitioner can also help in reducing the time as they are well-versed with the procedure and ensure that the laser works effectively.
The treated hair does not shed during the procedure but falls off gradually over the coming days. Different people have different volume of hair, and it affects the results. With traditional systems, the colour of the hair and the complexion of the person played a significant role in getting the best results.
Since the laser was absorbed by the pigment of the hair, it needed the person to have hair in clear contrast to the colour of the skin. However, the advanced laser systems have made it possible to remove hair from darker skin tones as well.
For people who have darker skin types, the laser is attracted to the blood supply of the hair follicle so it can work on people of colour with ease. The only case where laser does not work is when the hair is grey or light blonde since there is no pigment in the hair. Laser hair removal works for men too. It is used for hair reduction by men who have voluminous hair on the body and offers exceptional results.
If you have been wondering about the time it would take to get your hair removed through laser hair removal in Melbourne, you must consult an experienced practitioner. The duration can range anywhere from six months to a year. Keep the information mentioned above in mind to understand the timeline better.
