The duration of a laser session can vary depending on the size of the area being treated. For instance, a small area such as the upper lip may only require a five-minute session, while an extra large area like full legs may require a thirty-minute session. A full body laser hair removal session can last up to two hours. After the treatment, most patients remain hair-free for months or even years.
When some of the hair grows back, it is likely to be less noticeable and may require laser maintenance treatments. Men often use laser hair removal to reduce facial hair, which reduces how often they need to trim their beards and moustaches. This treatment does not cause irritation or pain to the skin. If your hair is too long before the session, the laser will heat all of your hair and transfer some of that heat to the surrounding area.
For example, facial hair grows quickly and might require a maintenance appointment four weeks after the first session, while leg hair grows more slowly, which means more time between visits. If you continue with your normal hair removal routine with wax or tweezers before the session, the laser target is removed from the skin, making the treatment much less effective. When the laser is activated, its beam pierces the skin and damages the hair follicles, preventing them from growing new hair for a period of time. Now that you know how laser hair removal works, you might be wondering how often you'll need to go to your appointments and how long the entire process will take from start to finish.
Generally speaking, after the first session you will no longer notice any visible hair because the laser destroyed all the active follicles. If you want to remove hair between or around your eyebrows, you should consider other hair removal options as lasers cannot be activated so close to your eyes for safety reasons. The region of the body from which unwanted hair is removed affects the number of treatment sessions needed. After three to five weeks, you'll see new hairs in the treated area as the laser doesn't affect hair follicles at other stages of the hair growth cycle.
Nowadays, technology has improved significantly and almost everyone can succeed with laser hair removal. If you notice that your hair grows soon after treatment, this hair may have been part of a different growth cycle.