Effectiveness: Hair that is too long can absorb too much of the laser's energy, causing discomfort and potentially leading to skin irritation or blistering. Safety: Proper hair length reduces the risk of side effects such as skin burns.
Longer hairs absorb the laser energy intended to target the root, so it can be less effective.
Preparing for laser hair removal
Your hair needs to be as short as possible for the treatment, just visible above the skin surface. Hair that is too long will be shaved at your appointment, but this will reduce the amount of time you have for treatment.
Shave Before Treatment
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.
You'll need to shave a day or two before the next appointment. Any hair on the surface of the skin can be burned by the laser, cause you extra pain, and create a plume of smoke that is not good to breathe in.
The laser treatment targets the hair follicle, disrupting the hair growth cycle. Post-treatment, hairs begin a shedding phase, which lasts about 10-14 days. Shaving before this shedding completes can increase the chance of ingrown hairs and other side effects.
The recommended hair length for laser hair removal is typically about 1-2 millimeters, which is approximately the length of stubble a day or two after shaving. This length ensures that the hair follicle is intact and visible for the laser to target effectively.
Hair Growth Cycles: The primary reason you might notice stubble after laser hair removal is the nature of your hair's growth cycles.
Shaving too closely right before your appointment can increase the sensitivity of your skin, making the treatment more uncomfortable. It can also increase the risk of skin irritation or redness.
Shave the area that will be treated two to three days before a treatment. Laser hair removal treatments won't work on areas where the hair is longer than a grain of rice. After treatment begins, avoid waxing, tweezing and plucking hair in the treated areas.
This is a sign that the laser successfully treated the follicle, and it's clearing out the dead hair shaft. This shedding process, also called “peppering,” can last anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. In some cases, it may feel like the hair is growing back because it's breaking through the skin.
Hairs should be 1 to 2mm long when the patient comes in for treatment so it is possible to mark out the treatment area. Long hairs take up the energy and prevent all of it reaching the hair follicle, therefore, hair is trimmed just before treatment for maximum transmission of the energy.
Not only by having too many session in a short period of time, but even by overlapping the same area during a single session. Overdoing laser hair removal can result in skin irritation, redness, and swelling. This can happen if the skin is exposed to too much laser energy, causing damage to the surrounding skin tissue.
Why Doesn't Hair Fall Out After a Laser Removal Procedure? It's possible that the hair hasn't had sufficient time to shed after treatment. Alternatively, the laser may not have effectively targeted the hair follicles if they weren't in the right growth phase at the time of treatment.
If you want too long between treatments, your hair follicles won't be damaged enough to stop growing hair. You'll see an initial thinning, but your results will fade, and it won't be long before you're back to normal hair growth.
Shave 24 to 48 Hours Before Your Appointment: It's best to shave 1-2 days before your session to give your skin time to recover and any potential irritation to settle. This timing helps ensure your skin is in its best condition for the treatment.
The best way to help speed up shedding after your laser hair removal treatment is by gentle exfoliation once or twice a week once you start to see signs of your hair starting to shed.
Stubble. It's critical to shave within 24 hours prior to undergoing laser hair removal. Even a small amount of stubble can damage the laser and cause unnecessary pain, hyperpigmentation, and burns.
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.
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.
While laser hair removal significantly reduces hair growth, it doesn't always eliminate it completely, and some may still require occasional touch-ups. Skin reactions can also play a role in feelings of regret, although this is rare when the procedure is done correctly.
When the hair is too long, the laser's energy can be absorbed by the hair above the skin's surface, resulting in less energy reaching the hair follicle. This may lead to suboptimal results and a higher risk of side effects like burns or skin irritation.
When using IPL, you'll need to shave less and less as your treatments go on. As the hair follicles will be empty, you'll notice fewer ingrown hairs and less stubble 'shadow'. IPL treatment helps to smooth out the texture of your skin, whereas waxing or threading can cause inflammation.
If you forget to shave before your laser hair removal appointment, the effectiveness of your treatment may diminish. The laser may focus on surface hair rather than targeting the hair follicles, leading to: Heightened discomfort: Unshaved hair can cause stinging or a burning sensation during the session.