The amount of treatments you need depends largely on two things-how large the area of hair removal is and how well the lasers take to your particular skin and hair color. If you only want a smaller area such as your upper lip or your eyebrows done, then laser hair removal treatment can be done in just one or two visits, though occasionally it can take longer. However, larger areas such as an entire leg can take several treatments. The average treatment length is generally four visits, but this can vary widely.
The reason you may need so many visits is because the lasers attack the growth of the hair follicle. Since not all hairs are on the same growth cycle, one initial treatment may not be enough to catch all of them at the right time. All of the hairs will not be the exact same length when they get treated; so more than one visit is necessary to catch them all at the appropriate time in the growth pattern. As previously stated, the average is four visits but larger areas or lighter hairs can be more difficult and possibly take longer.
Just about any part of your body can be treated with a permanent hair removal treatment from lasers. There are a few guidelines and parameters for which areas a laser specialist will treat but generally speaking, if your skin is in good health, the hair covering it can be removed.
If you have a skin condition in a particular area, a doctor can choose not to treat that area and treat others parts of your body. For instance, if you have acne on your face, they may not want to treat your upper lip or eyebrows for fear of making the acne condition worse. This is a precaution that most doctors take. If you have a condition that makes your skin dry and flaky, you will likely be passed over for laser hair removal as well for fear of exacerbating the condition.
The most popular areas are under arms, legs and the bikini line. This is because the majority of hair removal clients are women. But men also are starting to get in the act, with backs, underarms and chests being the most commonly treated areas.
It is actually quite common to experience some level of hair re-growth after your laser hair removal treatments. No matter where you got treatment-your bikini line, legs, face or anywhere, there is a chance you will see hairs grow back. If you do see hairs growing, don't panic. This does not necessarily mean that the laser treatment didn't work. It could mean many things, such as the dead hairs that were underneath the skin are now shedding from the follicle bed. This is a natural occurrence and could still mean that the treatment was successful.
For this reason, it is important not to shave or pluck any new hairs until you are done with treatments. Even if your hair does not appear to re-grow after one treatment, you will still have to go back to the clinic and get a follow-up exam. It is then that your specialist will be able to tell you if another treatment is necessary for permanent hair removal.
If the re-growth is not dead hairs shedding themselves from the skin, then you will likely need another treatment. Laser hair removal is not an exact science. Everyone responds differently to treatment and what may take one person only two visits to handle may take another person five. There are many variables that factor into this, so be sure that you are prepared to go for several visits before the hair removal is truly permanent.