At the Spa at South Lake in Clermont, FL, we know that shaving can be one of life’s great annoyances. That’s why we offer laser hair removal. Did you know that if you shave about three times a week, you will end up shaving nearly 4,000 times over 25 years? If you want to save time, and money, consider a laser treatment.
How Many Sessions Are Needed for Laser Hair Removal?
The exact number of sessions you will need will vary depending on your body and the area you want to be treated, but the good news is, it will not take very many sessions no matter what your goals are! For most people, four to six sessions are enough.
Your Body
One thing that will affect the number of sessions you need is your unique physiology. We will schedule sessions in accordance with your personal hair growth patterns: everyone has a different amount of hair and a different growth rate for their hair.
The color contrast between your skin and hair also matters. The stronger that contrast, the stronger the pulse of laser light we can use. If there’s a weaker contrast, we’ll need to calibrate the laser in a way that protects your skin. It will still work, and our laser can treat nearly any skin color or hair color, but you may need a few more sessions.
Area Being Treated
Another thing that will affect the number of sessions you need is the area of the body being treated. Women generally schedule laser hair removal for the legs, under the arms, the upper lip, and the bikini line or Brazilian area. For most people, 4 to 6 sessions are enough for all of these, though in some instances a person may need up to eight sessions if the hair is particularly thick.
The Results You Want
Most people want to get rid of all the unwanted hair in a particular area, however, there are occasions where a person may want just to thin out the hair rather than remove all of it. Some women with dense lower arm hair like to get rid of some of it, and many men request just one or two sessions on the face in order to make it easier to shave and avoid razor burn.
All About Laser Hair Removal
How Does It Work?
This Laser Hair Removal treatment uses laser energy to attack unwanted hair at the root, literally. The laser energy will travel down your hair, targeting the pigment in the hair itself, and the heat it generates will disable the follicle from which the hair grows.
Other methods of hair removal either remove the hair completely, like plucking, or waxing, or simply remove the hair that is peeking out above the skin, as with shaving. This treatment deals with the problem at its root and can thus deliver smooth skin.
Safety
This treatment is approved by the FDA and uses medical-grade lasers that are color sensitive and can be calibrated to reach your hair and the follicle at the end without harming the skin. The treatment is also non-invasive and requires no downtime or recovery. You can go right back to your normal routine after treatment.
In addition, there is no risk of any of the side effects that come with other forms of hair removal. For example, you will never worry about razor burn ever again. Unlike depilatory creams, there is no chance of getting a chemical burn. You also avoid the pain and skin irritation that comes with waxing, which can even pull off some of the skin when done incorrectly.
Good Candidates for Treatment
As mentioned, this treatment is suitable for nearly every skin type and tone. It is also useful for both men and women. It works fastest when there is excellent contrast between the skin and the hair, meaning that those with light skin and dark hair will see their results most quickly. However, this laser is safe for most people with dark skin and is effective for most shades of light hair, except for the very lightest reds and whites.
The only thing that could preclude your candidacy for this treatment is if you have a condition that makes your skin abnormally sensitive to light. Some people develop such conditions as a side effect of taking certain medications, including some acne medications, and if this is the case for you, we will talk with you about pausing your medications for a while in order to get rid of your hair.
Why Are Multiple Sessions Needed At All?
If you have read to this point and are wondering why this treatment can’t get all the unwanted hair in just one session, know that this is due to the way our hair grows in cycles.
The laser can only effectively disable follicles that are in a growth cycle, so we schedule sessions that line up with your hair growth pattern so that we can effectively target more hairs as they cycle into a growth stage.
Stages of Hair Growth
Anagen
This is the active growing stage, where your hair is visible above the skin and continuing to lengthen.
Catagen
This is a transition phase. During this phase, your hair is moving from actively growing to becoming dormant.
Telogen
This is the dormant phase. When your hair is in this stage, it can still be seen on the skin, but it is no longer growing. Instead, the follicle beneath is preparing to produce new hair.
Exogen
This is the final phase, and during this phase, the existing hair will shed and a new hair will begin to grow under it.
Working With Hair Growth Cycles
Each session with the laser eliminates somewhere between 10% and 30% of the hair in the area. This means you will see a big difference very quickly, but, at the same time, you will need to schedule another session in order to get the next 10 to 30% as they cycle into the anagen phase.
The best schedule for most people is a session every 4 to 6 weeks. This means most people can achieve all of their hair removal goals within a year at most, and often much more quickly.
Will I Need Follow-Up Sessions?
Our hair growth is controlled by genetics and our hormones. Some people do need to return for a touchup treatment once a year or so, but for some people, this is not necessary.
For a few people, more touchups might be needed. It all depends on what your hormones do, and some things can cause a dramatic change in hormones, such as pregnancy. We can tell you more about what to expect when you come in for a consultation.
What Are the Benefits of Treatment?
Saves Money
The average woman will spend about $10,000 over the course of a lifetime on shaving products. A lifetime of depilatory creams and waxing appointments are likewise extraordinarily expensive over time. While it does cost money to get your laser treatments, once you finish, that’s it.
Saves Time
It only takes around 30 to 90 minutes for a laser treatment, depending on the area of the body you are having treated. If you are treating multiple areas, it may take a bit more time, but when you consider that you probably spend about 10 to 15 extra minutes in the shower every time you shave, the savings in time becomes obvious.
15 extra minutes three times a week adds up to 58,500 minutes of wasted time. It takes about the same amount of time to use a depilatory cream, and while waxing is done less frequently, it’s not permanent, which means constant appointments every few weeks.
Saves Irritation
Depilatory creams can burn the skin. Shaving creates razor burn and runs the risk of giving you ingrown hairs that can become infected. Waxing is painful and can even damage the skin.
Of course, you don’t experience razor burn every time you shave, nor do you always get a burn with a depilatory cream. But because you must repeat these methods over and over again endlessly for life, the risks are constant. Once you get rid of your unwanted hair with laser treatment, you don’t have to worry about this irritation any longer.
Contact Us to Learn More
Reach out to us at the Spa at South Lake in Clermont, FL today to learn more and find out if this is the right treatment for you!