Warmer weather is quickly approaching, and you know what that means: You’re about to spend a lot more time shaving, waxing, plucking, or all the above. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
With a series of highly targeted treatments, laser hair removal can help you attain silky smooth skin virtually anywhere.
Over the course of a few sessions, laser hair removal can help you permanently reduce the amount of hair virtually anywhere, including your:
With two offices in Murray Hill and Midtown East, Manhattan Dermatology is your go-to dermatology practice for expert laser hair removal in New York City. Here, our team explains why this popular treatment requires multiple sessions to achieve the complete results.
Contrary to the widespread misconception that laser hair removal destroys hair follicles to give you bare skin, this reliable cosmetic treatment actually flips the switch on active-growth hair follicles, essentially deactivating them so they no longer grow shafts of hair.
How does it work? The advanced, handheld laser device sends energy pulses directly into an active-growth hair shaft. When this targeted heat reaches the follicle itself, the melanin cells (pigments) that give your hair its natural color swiftly absorb it.
As the laser’s energy seeps into the follicle’s melanin, it momentarily super-heats the pigmented cells from the inside out, effectively turning off the follicle’s growth mode. Once it’s been deactivated, a treated follicle no longer grows hair.
No matter what area of your face or body you’re treating, obtaining bare, silky-smooth skin requires multiple laser hair removal sessions spaced out over the course of several weeks.
Why? Hair grows in cycles, and the laser only targets follicles that are in the active growth phase. Catching each follicle when it’s growing requires you to spread your treatment sessions across the hair growth cycle.
Hair follicles go through four phases over the course of several weeks. A specific follicle could be in any one of these phases at any given time:
About 85-90% of the hair follicles on your face and body are in the growth phase at any given time. This means that, during treatment, only 10-15% of the hair follicles in the targeted area are unaffected by the laser because they’re transitioning, resting, or shedding.
It’s necessary to undergo multiple laser treatments because you must work your way through the hair growth cycle to ensure optimal hair-free results in a given treatment area.
So, how many laser sessions do you need to attain smooth, hair-free skin in your chosen treatment area? It depends on:
A denser region of hair, with a high number of follicles, requires more laser treatments than a sparser area. Likewise, dark hair (follicles with darker melanin pigments) usually absorb more of the laser’s energy and deactivate faster — which can mean fewer sessions.
In an area of hair that grows relatively quickly, we can schedule your laser treatments closer together, making your overall treatment time shorter.
For example, on treatment areas where hair grows quickly (like your upper lip), you can have a session every month or two. Where hair grows more slowly (like your back), each treatment is scheduled three or four months apart.
Most people require at least three laser hair removal treatments to get smooth skin that no longer requires shaving, waxing, or plucking — but depending on your personal needs, you may require up to six sessions to attain the results you’re after.
Given that the laser deactivates targeted hair follicles instead of destroying them, it’s possible for some of them to reactivate as time goes on. If you’re noticing a bit more hair regrowth than you’d like, simply schedule one or two touch-up laser treatment sessions to restore smooth, bare skin.
Are you ready to ditch your razor for good? Our Manhattan Dermatology team can help. Call your nearest New York City office in Murray Hill or Midtown East today, or use our easy online booking feature to request an appointment at your convenience.
