Unwanted Hair

A hair-removal laser targets pigment in the follicle, converts light into heat and damages the structures that produce the hair. It only affects follicles in their active growing phase at the moment of treatment, and at any given time only a fraction of the hair in an area is in that phase. That single fact explains almost everything about how the treatment is scheduled.

Sessions are spaced four to six weeks apart on the face and six to ten weeks on the body, matching the growth cycles of those areas. Most people need six to eight sessions for a substantial reduction, with occasional maintenance afterwards. The accurate clinical term is permanent hair reduction; anyone describing permanent removal in a single visit is describing something other than the biology.

We use a Candela GentleMax Pro, which carries two wavelengths. The 755 nm alexandrite is strongly absorbed by melanin and efficient on lighter skin with dark hair. The 1064 nm Nd:YAG penetrates deeper and is absorbed far less by pigment in the epidermis, which makes it the appropriate choice for Fitzpatrick IV to VI skin. Both deliver a cryogen cooling burst milliseconds before each pulse, and every course starts with a patch test.

Pale, red, grey and fine vellus hair contains too little pigment to absorb the light and responds poorly. We will tell you that at the consultation rather than sell you a course that cannot work. Hormonal drivers such as polycystic ovary syndrome keep generating new hair, in which case laser manages the problem well but as ongoing maintenance rather than a finite course.

Preparation is simple and not optional. Shave the area twelve to twenty-four hours before; stop waxing, threading, plucking and epilating four weeks before the first session and for the whole course, because the laser needs the follicle intact and the root present. Avoid sun and self-tanner for two weeks either side. Several common medications increase photosensitivity, so bring your list.

Treatment feels like a hot elastic snap and takes anywhere from ten minutes for an upper lip to an hour for full legs. Afterwards expect redness and small raised bumps around the follicles for a few hours. Treated hairs appear to grow for one to three weeks and then shed; that is expected, and it is not regrowth.