Why Does Laser Hair Removal Take So Long?

If you want silky smooth skin next summer, now is a great time to start! You may have heard phrases like this before and wondered why laser hair removal takes so long to get lasting results. With a process that can take well over a year from start to finish, why would you choose to commit? One reason is that a course of laser hair removal will do away with your need to shave or wax as often as you are at the moment. In fact, you probably would never have to rely on those techniques again after permanently reducing the number of hairs that grow in the place you don’t want them. Is that enough? We think it is, but also want to discuss just why it is that laser hair removal can take so long.

The Power of Laser Technology

Laser hair removal works by targeted the melanin in strands of hair. Melanin is the chemical that gives hair its color. When light gets absorbed by melanin in the hair, the strand vaporizes. Additional thermal heat from the hair then transfers to the walls of the hair follicle, partially disabling it. The first lasers developed for hair removal were made in the late 1990s. At that time, effectiveness was limited to fairer skin and darker hair. This is because the wavelengths of light that were used in laser devices were better at targeting hair that had more melanin in contrast with the skin. Today, laser devices are much more sophisticated than they were 20 years ago. This allows us to achieve outstanding results across a wider range of complexions. However, it hasn’t done much about the time-frame of treatment.

Why Laser Hair Removal Takes So Long

During a laser hair removal treatment, wavelengths of light only get absorbed by hair that is actively growing. Actively growing hair is all that exists in the upper layers of hair follicles at any given time. The rest of the hair that will grow is “resting” within a deeper part of the follicle. Hairs progress from their resting phase to their active phase about every 6 to 8 weeks. For this reason, laser hair removal sessions are scheduled at that approximate interval.

Are You Ready?

If you were to start laser hair removal treatment now, you would begin to see results after just one treatment. By next summer, you would be well on your way to smoother skin without the hassle of routine grooming.

Schedule your laser hair removal treatment in our Westerville office at 614-895-0400.