Is laser hair removal permanent?

How long does laser hair removal really last? Is laser hair removal permanent, and is it really worth it? These are good questions to ask if you’re thinking of embarking on a course of laser treatments. I’ve been removing hair using laser systems for more than 16 years, and also train therapists to carry out laser hair removal. So here I’m going to give you my honest opinion.

IS LASER HAIR REMOVAL PERMANENT?

Laser hair removal permanently reduces your hair.  It doesn’t permanently remove every hair.

This means that you should always have less hair than you did before you started laser treatments. (unless you suffer from a hair growth condition) However it doesn’t mean that you won’t ever get new hairs growing in that area.

WHY ISN’T THE RESULT PERMANENT?

The reason you can’t promise complete permanence is because:

• Even though laser will destroy the hair – it won’t destroy every follicle (think of the follicle as the house where the hair lives). The follicle or ‘house’ may at some point start growing a hair again.
• We have sleeping follicles all over our bodies. These follicles can suddenly become stimulated by a host of things including changing hormones and weight changes.  This means that your body can start growing a new hair where there wasn’t one before.
• If you don’t commit to the course of laser properly in the first place, then you may just disrupt the hair growth.  This means that it will become finer and will grow slower. However over time if may regain its strength and you will think your hair is coming back again.  To avoid this if you’re starting laser hair removal, you need to commit to at least 6 sessions.

HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?

The result should last a very long time, especially on body areas. In reality I get some clients coming back to see me here and there for top up treatments. For example after an initial course of 6-8 laser treatments, some clients will come and have 2-3 top up sessions every few years.  Others come once ever 6-12 months. Others don’t come at all, as they don’t have enough hair back.

Since hair on the face is often linked to hormonal imbalances then you find that you require more treatments here, and more regular top up treatments. If you are a woman with Polycistic Ovary Sydrome (PCOS), which can cause excessive hair growth on the face, then you will probably need constant maintenance treatments. I have treated many women with PCOS and often carry out sessions on them every 3-6 months. So around 2-4 treatments per year.

IS IT WORTH IT?

Even though we know that every hair won’t stay gone forever – most clients say that laser is absolutely worth it.  Within 6-8 sessions (if you are a good candidate for laser) then you should get around 70-90% reduction in hair.

Plus you should start seeing the difference in 1-2 sessions. You’ll soon notice that you have to shave less, the hair seems finer and your hairs are coming back slower. From then on most clients say ‘why didn’t I start this sooner!’

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I hope this article has helped. If you have any more questions about Laser hair removal feel free to contact me personally by email: rach@radiantliving.co.uk

If you’re in my area of Lancashire and you’d like more information on prices – you can click here to get an idea on our Laser hair removal page.