Clean, freshly shaven skin allows the laser to focus solely on the hair follicle rather than surface hair, making the procedure more effective. Aftercare – Post-treatment care is equally crucial. Avoid sun exposure and use recommended products to maintain the skin's health and readiness for the next session.
For the best results and to speed up the tattoo removal process, it's recommended to combine laser treatments with proper aftercare and lifestyle changes. Maintaining good skin hydration is crucial; well-hydrated skin heals faster and is more resilient, enhancing the effectiveness of each laser session.
Setting Yourself Up For a Smooth Recovery
You can ensure a smoother recovery and better results by avoiding picking at treated skin, keeping healing skin moist and hydrated, using sunscreen, and using gentle skin products.
Hair transitions from active to resting and resting to active about every 6 to 8 weeks. This is why laser hair removal appointments are scheduled about that far apart and why the entire process can then take more than a year.
You may be suffering from underlaying medical conditions. In some cases underlaying medical conditions, such as hormonal imbalance, PCOS may slow down the results of the treatment. As a result you may need more treatments compared to patients without these conditions.
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.
If hair regrows after initial success with laser removal, causes can include hormonal conditions stimulating growth, natural hair cycling, inadequate device settings, or poor practitioner technique. Consulting a dermatologist experienced in hair removal can help determine the cause.
Inadequate Contrast Between Hair Color and Skin Tone
This light energy is absorbed by the dark pigment, increasing the follicle's temperature and causing damage that stops future hair growth. Therefore, for the treatment to be effective, there must be a significant difference between the hair color and skin tone.
The more energy you pump into the laser to get those atoms all excited, the greater the intensity of the light.
The reason behind this lies in the hair growth cycle. Hair grows in different phases, and the laser can only target hair during its active growth phase (Anagen). Since not all hair follicles are in this phase simultaneously, multiple sessions are needed to catch each follicle during its most susceptible stage.
To maximise the effectiveness of your LHR treatment, ensure that the areas to be treated are free from any barriers that could hinder the laser's efficacy. This includes removing deodorant, makeup, lotion, and sunscreen from the treatment areas before your appointment.
Drinking plenty of water not only supports your body's natural processes but also gives your immune system a boost, helping it flush out ink particles more efficiently during laser tattoo removal.
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.
It's perfectly acceptable to shave between laser hair removal sessions.
The growth cycle is the reason why it could take between 6 and 8 sessions before the hair follicles have been destroyed. Each treatment area has its own unique growth cycle, and hair growth in the upper lip can be four weeks, and the cycle for the legs can take between 8 and 10 weeks.
It depends on which area is to be treated. Gender plays a role. The thickness of the hair determines how long the treatment will take. Certain areas of the body require more extended procedures than others.
You may start to see weeks of hair reduction after a single treatment. Some people suffer from skin irritation, bumps, and ingrown hairs when hair starts to grow back after shaving or waxing. If these issues decrease significantly between laser sessions, it means there is less hair regrowth to cause problems.
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.
It could indicate that the follicles were not sufficiently damaged during the procedure, which may necessitate further sessions or even alternative treatments, conducted with the same precision you'd expect from plastic surgery procedures.