Laser Hair Removal is a very high-tech method of removing unwanted hair and can be extremely effective in providing permanent hair removal. But the effectiveness of Laser Hair Removal depends on numerous factors, inclusive of (i) the kind of laser being used, (ii) the color of your hair, (iii) the color / variety of your skin and (iv) the phase of the hair in the hair growth cycle.
Today there are 5 different types of lasers that can be used to remove unwanted hair. Some lasers suit light skin, some lasers suit dark skin, some suit light hair and some suit dark hair. And even if you get it correct, you still may not end up with permanent hair removal in the short term. You see, the answer is in the hair growth cycle, and more explicitly, what stage of the cycle your unrequired hair is in. sounds complicated - it is !
Before we become acquainted with the hair growth cycle, it is critical to appreciate just how Laser Hair Removal actually works. That is, to understand exactly how you can achieve permanent hair removal, getting knowledge of the laser process is imperative.
Laser Hair Removal does not instantly remove the hair, nor does it burn it off right away. The energy from the laser literally passes through the skin, and is drawn in by the pigment in the hair follicle and shaft. When this energy is drawn into a hair, the follicles are damaged, which then impairs that specific hairs ability to grow. Eventually the hair will fall out, typically within a matter of weeks.
Getting an appreciation of how the laser performs is critical. You need to always remember that the laser does not just make the hair fall out on the spot. It actually impairs the ableness of a hair to grow, causing it to eventually fall out. Now that we have a brief understanding of how the laser operates, it is time to get an understanding of how the hair growth cycle impinges upon the permanency of laser hair removal.
If the hair is in the wrong stage of the growth cycle, the laser might not provide permanent removal after a first treatment. You see, the hair growth cycle consists of three stages, and the permanence of Laser Hair Removal is more foreseeable when the hair is in one stage particularly - the growth stage.
The hair growth cycle comprises three stages : (1) Active/Anagen (2) Regressive/Catagen (3) Resting/Telogen. Laser hair removal is most effective in the Anagen stage where the hair contains the most pigment, and is most sensitive to the laser light. If the laser treatment is applied when the hair is in either of the 2 other stages, then the probability of permanent hair removal is less.
No two people are the same, and that rule applies for hair growth because so many factors, including age, metabolism, weight and genetics can affect the way a person's hair grows. However, irrespective of how these factors act on individual hair growth, hair itself grows through three different phases:
1. The ACTIVE or ANAGEN growth phase, encompasses approximately 85 % of our body hair at any given point in time and can last up to several years. During this stage, the hair shaft and follicle has an opulence of pigment and is most sensitive to the laser light.
2. The REGRESSIVE or CATAGEN phase is the stage during which the hair stops growing but is not yet shed. This phase often lasts a few weeks comprising about 3 - 4% of our total body hair at any given point in time. The laser will work in this stage, but if it is late in this part of the cycle, a new hair might already be coming through and the new hair will not be affected by the laser.
3. The RESTING or TELOGEN phase lasts 5 - 6 weeks, at the end of which the hair falls out and the new hair becomes visible. The new hair might not be affected by the laser because it will not have pigment in it yet, remembering that the laser literally relies on the pigment to find the hair. Approximately 10-13% of our body hair is in this phase at any one time.
Now that we have a brief understanding of the hair growth cycle, it must be asked, "Is Laser hair removal a permanent process?" The answer is Yes, Laser Hair Removal can definitely provide a level of permanent nature. As you can see, if a hair in the Active/Anagen stage is revealed to the laser, then that hair will more than likely be killed permanently. If a hair that is in either of the other 2 stages is exposed to the laser, then that hair will more than likely be killed, but the new hair coming through will still continue to grow.
So to achieve permanent hair removal, you will more than likely need multiple laser treatments. You could be lucky - your first Laser hair removal treatment will permanently remove all of your unwanted hair, but the eventuality is that you will need multiple sessions at set intervals to ensure that you get to the hair when it is in the first stage of growth. And that's all there really is to know, permanent Laser Hair Removal is definitely realizable !
