How long does laser hair removal take? I am constantly being asked about laser hair removal and how long a full treatment will take. The answer to this question isn’t straightforward as there are several factors that can affect treatment times and the number of sessions you might need.
Laser hair removal will always require a course of treatment to commit to in order to get the most impressive and satisfactory results. The treatment will only affect hairs that are in the anagen phase of growth. At any one time, around 30% of your hairs will ever be in this phase.
So, with an effective, medical-grade laser treatment, expect to see around 25 to 30% of the hairs in a chosen treatment area reduce each time. You need to leave around a month to 6 weeks between treatments and this is vitally important as you don’t want to leave it longer, as you could miss the hair regrowth cycle.
Similarly to this, coming back for treatment too soon really isn’t necessary. Essentially you’ll be paying for a treatment that isn’t having an effect as the hair won’t be in the right phase. At Skin Perfection, we monitor your progress and time your treatments so that we make sure we catch you at the right stage in order to affect the hairs in the anagen phase.
On average, for hair that has pigment, an average of 6 sessions is required for optimum results. However, in some cases, more sessions may be needed.
The average treatment time is around 30 minutes, but can take up to an hour, depending on the area to be treated.
In-between laser hair removal treatments
What you do in-between your laser hair removal sessions could also affect your results.
If you pluck or wax the hairs this will remove the ‘target’ of the laser energy. Laser hair removal heats up the hair follicle and the root of the hair to kill it. So, if you decide to wax, pluck or even use depilatory cream between treatments, the laser has nothing to aim for and therefore the treatment will take longer than the average 6 sessions required.
Shaving the hair between treatments and around 24 hours before your laser hair treatment is welcome (and vital). I encourage all clients to stock up on a good shaving soap and fresh razors!
Laser hair removal and hair colour
Your hair colour can also have an effect on the time it takes to remove your hair.
If you have extremely bright red hair, the pigment is not as affected as a brown or blonde hair. Therefore, it may take many more than the 6 sessions required to permanently reduce hair growth. If you have white or grey hair, laser hair removal will probably not be effective, but in a consultation with one of our fully-qualified practitioners, your hair and skin type will be analysed so you will be able to make an informed decision on whether laser hair removal is going to be suitable for you.
We may even pluck a few of your hairs to see what colour your hair root is, so we can determine whether the laser light will penetrate and heat the melanin within the root, thus retarding the hair growth.
Gold-standard Laser Hair Removal
Of course, the quality of the laser device used can have massive impact on your treatment time, comfort and end result. At Skin Perfection London, our lasers are manufactured by Cynosure, an award-winning medical-grade laser manufacturer. We use the ‘gold standard’ class Cynosure Elite + and Apogee + class 4 laser platforms.
This ensures a faster, more comfortable and highly-effective treatment.
It’s important to remember that top up sessions may be needed every 6 months in order to maintain your results, following your initial course. If you continue your top-up sessions once a year, you could enjoy a 90% reduction in hair growth, permanently.
Stop wasting time – book a consultation today
Want to save time and money on hair removal? Book your consultation with the London laser hair removal experts, by contacting my team today. We look forward to meeting you.
