The number of different major advances in beauty and personal wellness that have arrived over the last 20 years or so is really something. Nearly all of them offer much more in the way of the potential for allowing people to have the appearance they desire, and so much more in comparison to what was available to them before. Laser hair removal is one of the most popular of them, but for some people, they may still be asking – what is laser hair removal?
They’ll likely be aware that we’re talking about something that removes hair, but maybe only in much the same way that a razor or wax strip does. It’s also not only women who choose to use laser hair removal, as more and more men are looking into it too. The first and foremost consideration for anyone asking ‘what is laser hair removal’ is to understand that – unlike the razor or waxing – it offers permanent hair removal.
The laser pulses into the skin, and once it identifies a hair follicle the laser pulse is transferred into extreme heat energy. This heat energy then disables the hair follicle at the root, preventing it from being able to regrow itself. That’s how laser hair removal can provide permanent hair-free results.
However, the next point that you should have regarding what is laser hair removal is an understanding that while laser hair removal CAN be a permanent solution, it is only that way if you receive multiple follow-up treatments.
Role of Hair Follicle Growth Phases
It certainly would be preferable for people to receive only one laser hair removal treatment and then they enjoy absolutely no hair regrowth on that area of their body. This is due to the fact that EVERY hair on the human body is the same way, in that it will be in one of 3 different growth stages at any time.
These stages are:
- Anagen Phase – active growth, and production of new cells
- Catagen Phase – Growth is stopped, the hair follicle is in the process of detaching
- Telogen Phase – Follicle is resting, not growing and is preparing for the start of next anagen phase
Any region of the body with hair growth will have some follicles that are in the anagen phase, but also some follicle in the catagen and telogen phases. It is not possible to have an entirety of the follicles in a region all being in the same stage at the same time. That’s not ideal, but it’s a part of what is laser hair removal.
Laser hair removal is only effective for disabling follicles when they are in the anagen (growth) stage. Others that are in the catagen or telogen stages will NOT be affected by the laser, and these are the hairs that will grow in AFTER you’ve had your first laser hair removal treatment. Hair follicles that were in their anagen phase when they met the laser will not be growing back.
Your laser tech will schedule follow-up treatments based on a timeline that will make it likely these follicles will no longer be in catagen or telogen phases. The general guidelines for this is approximately 7 weeks after regrowth first appears, but this is something you can discuss with your laser technician for more explicit information on it.
More on What is Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal isn’t the first type of treatment that can legitimately claim to offer permanent hair removal results. Electrolysis has been around for a long time. Electrolysis is where an electrical current is sent down the hair follicle into the root to disable it. It is effective, and it can produce permanent hair-free results, but it pales in comparison to the effectiveness of a laser hair removal treatment.
Laser hair removal disables hair follicles much more reliably and consistently and is also a less uncomfortable procedure for most people. If there’s one last thing for us to leave you with here regarding what is laser hair removal, it would be for you to know that it’s definitely the only REAL choice for people who want to count on being hair-free once they’ve gone through the average 3 – 5 treatment sessions.