How long does it take for hair to fall out after laser hair removal?

03/02/2021
Laser hair removal is one of the most effective, safe, painless methods for radical removal of unwanted hair on any part of the body. Patients who resort to this procedure for the first time often ask specialists the question: “How long does it take for hair to fall out after laser hair removal?”

There are several types of lasers for hair removal. When a hair follicle is exposed to a diode laser, the hairs remain on the surface of the skin and begin to fall out 7-10 days after the procedure.

And with laser hair removal with an alexandrite laser, which is used in our clinic, hair from the treated surface of the skin disappears immediately. The principle of operation of the alexandrite laser is as follows: during the procedure, laser beams affect not only the hair follicle, but also the hair shaft. Melanin, contained in the hair follicle and responsible for hair color, absorbs the laser energy, which in turn is transformed into heat, damaging the hair follicle and hair shaft.

How quickly does the body become smooth after the procedure, depending on the type of laser?

Laser hair removal is not like regular shaving or even sugaring and waxing. The thing is that hair does not fall out immediately after the procedure, or rather after an outbreak. Why is this happening? It's simple, the fact is that the laser destroys the follicle, affecting the melanin, which is located in the hair structure. That is, essentially the hair remains in place. However, its “root” is killed. Therefore, hair will fall out over time. The skin begins to push out a hair that does not have a follicle and, in principle, it falls out during the shower, using a scrub or a hard washcloth.

However, the smoothness of your legs will also depend on which laser is used in your clinic. There are two most common types of laser:

• Alexandrovsky - such a device is considered quite outdated and not the safest due to the high probability of burns. The thing is that the Alexandrov laser burns out the hair completely, which brings an unpleasant feeling to its client. However, the effect can be felt after the first procedure.
• Diode - this type of laser is considered safer. It only affects the follicle, destroying it. In this case, the hair itself remains in place for some time, falling out after 10-14 days. This type of hair removal is considered effective.

Therefore, when you come to the clinic, be sure to ask your cosmetologist what kind of device they use in their clinic, how it will affect your skin, and how long it will take for the visible effect to become noticeable.

Also, after the first procedure, you can get rid of only 70% of the hair; all the rest will be removed in other sessions. Therefore, consult your doctor about how many treatments you may need to achieve complete smoothness. Usually this is up to 10 procedures, depending on the area and some factors.

How long does the result last?

The human body has a powerful ability of tissues to regenerate, so we, doctors, are wary of the word “forever”.

Some time after the procedure, the hair follicles may partially recover and the hairs may begin to grow again. But at the same time, the hair will be much less frequent and thinner. Therefore, laser hair removal may have to be resorted to periodically. Everything will depend on the individual characteristics of the patient, hormonal levels, gender and the treated area.

However, after a full course of laser hair removal, the results last a long time - the skin will remain smooth and soft for 5 - 7 years, and possibly forever.

The material was prepared based on frequently asked questions from patients about laser hair removal.

Author of the article: cosmetologist, Babajanova Natalya Rafaelovna

Laser hair removal. How to prepare for the procedure?

Clients are interested in the question of whether it is possible to prepare for the procedure in order to increase the effect and get rid of more after the first time. There are several recommendations, but you shouldn't expect that you can get by with just one procedure. Laser hair removal is an effective way to get rid of hair, but you shouldn’t expect a magical effect from it after the first time.

Some preparation tips:

• Initially, you should constantly take care of your skin, scrub and moisturize it. Scrubbing really slows down hair growth and also gets rid of possible ingrown hairs.
• Sunbathing a few weeks before the procedure, either on the beach or in the solarium, is prohibited.
• A couple of weeks before the session, you should completely switch to a razor. It is strictly forbidden to perform epilation or depilation with hair pulling.
• It is better not to use alcohol-containing products the day before the session.
• If you are taking antibiotics, you need to inform your cosmetologist about this. It is not recommended to take tetracycline antibiotics.

The chosen clinic will tell you everything else. Your doctor may recommend taking medications containing melanin. This is necessary for the best effect. Sometimes the hairs may not contain enough of this hormone and in order to really have an effect you will have to take these drugs for several days.

As it became clear, no complicated preparation is required. It is important not to forget about health. If there are any problems, then you should refrain from the laser procedure for a while.

For example, it is strictly forbidden to do laser hair removal if you have any skin diseases in the active phase. It is also better to avoid the laser on areas of the skin where there is damage (scratches, wounds, burns).

Why the hairs did not fall out - the main reasons

If more than 2 weeks have passed after the laser hair removal procedure and unwanted hairs remain on the skin, this may be due to several reasons.

Why treated hair remains on the body:

1. A lack of loss could occur if the specialist who conducted the session incorrectly calculated and set the individual indicators on the laser machine. As a result, an insufficient amount of thermal pulse energy is generated, which is necessary to destroy the hair follicle.
2. If the hairs are light, it is best to remove them with diode devices. When working with an alexandrite laser, some of the hair may remain on the body.

It is possible to accurately determine the reason why all the hairs have not fallen out only together with the cosmetologist who performed the laser treatment.

How does hair behave after laser hair removal?

You won’t see any special changes in the first minutes after hair removal and you shouldn’t. The most important thing is to pay attention to the condition of your skin. There should be no severe redness similar to burns. If your skin condition causes concern, it is better to immediately contact qualified doctors. This type of hair removal is considered completely safe.

The effect will be different, depending on the zones and what kind of hair removal will be done. Chances are, if this was the first session, most of the hair will remain in place, which can cause anxiety.

The laser affects the root of the hair. The main goal is the destruction of the follicle, as well as coagulation of the vessels that nourish the hair itself.

However, the hair remains in place. However, it is without power and after a while it will be pushed out and fall out on its own. It should take from 2 to 14 days.

Important! It will take from 3 to 12 procedures (depending on the area) to achieve results and really smooth skin.

However, you can shave during the full course. It is not necessary to grow your hair before the procedure.

If after two weeks no changes have occurred, you should contact your doctor about the problem and report it. This is necessary so that the doctor prescribes either a different session schedule or the necessary medications. This does not always mean that laser hair removal is not suitable.

At what stage of growth does hair fall out completely?

Complete loss of unwanted hair does not occur immediately after laser hair removal. Typically, treated hairs begin to fall out 7-10 days after the hair removal process. This is due to the fact that not all hair is equally susceptible to laser treatment.

The rate of hair loss is affected by the phase of hair growth:

• anagen – the stage when active cell division begins and the formation of a hair follicle;
• catagen – the phase when the hair’s nutrition stops and its follicle dies;
• telogen – during this period, hair begins to go into a “dormant” state and falls out.

The maximum impact of the laser device is observed at the first stage, when the structure of the growing hairs is saturated with melanin along the entire length. Under the influence of a laser beam, you can completely get rid of unwanted hairs on the body, as they quickly fall out along with the root.

Skin care conditions during the course

During the course of sessions you will also have to adhere to certain conditions. Firstly, so as not to harm your skin, and secondly, to achieve maximum effect. The specialist will tell you in detail how to care for your skin and most likely these will be the following recommendations:

• After laser exposure, the skin will definitely have to be treated with antiseptics and medications. Which ones the doctor will tell you exactly. Basically, these will be products containing panthenol.
• Laser hair removal is a thermal treatment. Therefore, the skin will have to be constantly moisturized with various creams.
• Redness may occur after the session, so you should stock up on cooling wipes and other products.
• You can shave only when your doctor tells you to; at first, it may seem like your hair is growing rapidly. Actually no, they are pushed to the surface.
• After the procedure, it is better to avoid exposure to sunlight, as well as visiting baths, saunas, and hot springs.
• At first, it is better to avoid visiting massage rooms. The fact is that massage can cause blood flow and accelerated hair growth.

It is important to follow all doctor's recommendations. The skin after the session becomes very sensitive, so if you do not follow all the recommendations, you can greatly harm the skin and not only not get rid of hair, but also provoke skin diseases.

Features of the new technology

The success of dynamic hair removal is due to three factors.
This:

• Powerful alexandrite laser with advanced characteristics;
• Special sapphire tip with built-in cooling system, in contact with the skin;
• The impact is “in motion” close to the skin, and not the traditional “stamp” method.

Let's see how changing these parameters allowed us to improve the procedure.

Moveo technology is based on an alexandrite laser (standard wavelength 755 nm) with specific characteristics.

This:

• Peak power up to 6000 W;
• Ultra-short pulse from 3 ms
• Safe energy density level -2-8 J/cm
• The contact method ensures a minimum coefficient of laser energy loss
• Ability to split one power pulse into two
• The clock frequency of the alexandrite laser has been significantly increased to 10 Hz - which makes the procedure record-breaking fast

What to do if your hair does not fall out and if laser hair removal is not effective?

It all depends on the area where hair removal was carried out and what kind of hair removal it was. For example, for a deep bikini you will need from 4 to 10 procedures. Therefore, do not rush to draw conclusions after the first session.

If, after a long course, the hair does not want to leave your body, then you will have to seek the help of a doctor. Most likely you will need an endocrinologist. You need to get tested for hormones. Perhaps excess concentrations of hormones in the blood caused hirsutism. Then hormonal correction will be required and laser hair removal alone will not help.

No worries. Competent treatment and laser hair removal sessions will help get rid of hair, although not forever, but for a very long time.

As for general recommendations, you can slow down hair growth in the following ways:

• Special medications that must be taken orally. They are sold in pharmacies, but it is better not to take them without a doctor's recommendation.
• Scrubs and creams that slow down hair growth and also prevent ingrown hairs.
• Reduce the frequency of razor use. If your hair has grown a little, don’t rush to grab the razor right away. The less often you shave, the slower your hair grows.

Simple recommendations, as well as complex therapy, will help keep your legs smooth for a long time. And laser hair removal will be a good help.

Contraindications

For all its versatility, dynamic hair removal still has contraindications.
They are standard for all hardware procedures:

• Oncological diseases. Laser hair removal can only be done after 5 years of remission;
• Pregnancy and lactation. During these periods, the female body may react unpredictably to laser exposure;
• Fever, any infectious diseases. We need to wait for recovery;
• Violation of skin integrity, inflammation, rashes and tattoos in the treatment area. If the tattoos are small, they can be glued or covered, but the vegetation in these areas cannot be removed with a laser, so that the image does not change color or fade;
• Severe neurological and mental illnesses;
• Photodermatosis. When taking medications that have a photosensitizing effect, it is better to postpone the procedure;
• Age up to 18 years. The reaction of a teenage body can be unpredictable, and the procedure may be ineffective.

The best technique today

Conventional hair removal with an alexandrite laser has become for many the optimal solution to the problem of excess hair growth. However, due to the impossibility of using this technique on dark skin, it was not available to everyone. Moveo technology does not have this drawback: even dark-skinned people can remove hair using dynamic hair removal.

Those who have had laser hair removal in the past will be pleasantly surprised at how comfortable, effective and fast the procedure has become. Never before has hair removal been so fast and enjoyable. It's time to forget about pain and discomfort; with Moveo you don't even need anesthesia. You no longer have to spend precious hours of your life regularly getting rid of excess hair: after a short course, the delightful smoothness of your skin will remain for many years, or even forever.

Just come to the Otrazhenie clinic and appreciate the benefits of the new technique from your own experience.