Laser Hair Removal - Related FAQ's

Q: Should I continue to have laser hair removal if I don’t see hairs after three treatments?

A: Yes. There is a high chance that you will have significant recurrence of hair growth if you do not continue as there are hairs that are not yet growing above the skin surface that need to be treated. The goal is long term hair reduction and that only comes with multiple treatments to treat all different phases of hair growth.

Q: I am a dark-skinned individual. Can I have laser hair removal done safely?

A: The wavelength of the laser should be 1064nm. to decrease the chance of pigment change and even scarring. Other lasers are used but the risk is greater.

Q: I used Nair to remove my moustache last week and I want to have laser hair removal. Can I do it right away?

A: You should wait at least another week to allow more hair growth of the hair shaft up in the follicle so that pigment absorbs the laser energy bringing the energy down to the hair bulb. Otherwise, the treatment will not be as worthwhile as you would like.

Q: I had laser hair removal a week ago with the Alexandrite laser and have pigmentation now. Will it go away?

A: See a board-certified dermatologist for an evaluation. This is not necessarily pigment, it may just be a darker color that appears on the skin because of a temporary change in reflection from a change in the skin surface. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation can occur weeks after laser hair removal on dark-skinned and light skinned individuals but it is more common in patients with skin of color. Sun protection, prescription lightening creams, prescription vitamin A creams, and non-prescription creams that are offered in some doctors offices such as Lumixyl, may help.

Q: When I had laser hair removal on my legs my doctor said I shouldn’t get a tan, why is that?

A: Laser hair removal requires multiple treatments and when you come back for another treatment, the laser can’t be used over the tan because that darker color of your skin would absorb the laser energy and you might get a burn of the epidermis, rather than the laser energy getting absorbed more deeply in the hair follicle. You don’t want the target of the laser energy absorption to be the epidermis.

Q: I have had several sessions of laser hair removal but I must go out of the country for about four months. Will not having treatment for all this time ruin my good results that I have obtained so far?

A: No, you will be able to continue your laser hair removal upon your return. Some hairs have probably been eradicated but as new ones cycle through different hair growth phases, they may be more responsive to the energy’s effect. These additional hairs will be affected by future treatments when you come back.

Related FAQ's

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