How Long Does Laser Hair Removal Take?

For decades, one of the most globally accepted beauty standards is removing body hair from the legs and underarms. Over time, people have also adopted trimming or removing hair in the pubic region. However, although hair removal like shaving and waxing is very common, these methods can be irritating and time-consuming. Fortunately, laser hair removal treatments at Reno Sparks MedSpa in Reno, NV can produce fast results.

How Long Does Laser Hair Removal Take?

Usually, an appointment to remove unwanted hair from the body can take under an hour. The length of your appointment time will be determined directly by how many areas of the body you want to treat and the density of your hair growth.

For example, if you only want to treat the underarms or the legs, your appointment may take 30 minutes, while treating additional areas of the body such as the chest can add more time to your treatment.

What Type of Hair Can Be Removed?

Laser treatments for hair removal are designed to remove dense or thick hair on the body. Specifically, these treatments often work best on dark brown or black body hair, which is commonly found on the underarms, arms, stomach, and legs. This treatment is not designed to remove peach fuzz on the face, and it may not be effective for removing very light blonde or white hair.

As for treatment locations, you can usually use laser hair removal systems on any area of the body where dark, dense hair grows. For example, you can remove hair on the cheeks, upper lip, chin, neck, chest, back, stomach, underarms, and legs. Some people may also be able to use this treatment to remove hair in the pubic area as an alternative to wax treatments.

How Many Treatments Will You Need?

Usually, to achieve optimal results, you will need a series of six to eight treatments that are spaced about four to six weeks apart. Multiple treatments are required so that each hair follicle in your targeted treatment area can receive adequate laser energy to stunt hair growth. Because the hair growth cycle in each follicle is at a slightly different stage, multiple treatments are the best way to reduce all hair growth in any given location.

Will You Need Additional Treatments for Other Areas of the Body?

Some areas of the body will grow finer hair, such as the upper lip or the forearms. Although it seems counterintuitive, it takes fewer treatments to remove thick hairs that grow in the pubic region, underarms, and legs. Other areas of the body may require additional treatments, even if the amount of hair growth is comparatively sparse.

How Much Hair Can Be Removed During Each Appointment?

Laser treatments for hair removal are exceptionally powerful. On average, these treatments can remove about 15% to 30% of hair in any given treatment area during each appointment. This is also why you will need additional treatments to achieve your desired results.

What Should You Do Before Treatment?

Two weeks before your treatment, you should not undergo any other laser treatment and you should avoid contact with self-tanning products, tanning beds, and direct sunlight. This is to avoid skin irritation and hyperpigmentation.

Before your treatment, you should shave at least 48 hours before your appointment. This is because the laser treatment will work best if the hair shaft is visible, but not too long. The longer visible hair is, the less energy will meet your hair follicle and the less effective the treatment will be.

What Should You Do After Treatment?

After a treatment, you will need to protect your skin from direct contact with the sun for at least two weeks by wearing SPF outside. You should continue to avoid tanning beds and self-tanning products. For the first few days after your treatment, you will also need to avoid steam, hot water, swimming pools, and hot tubs.

About three to five days after your treatment, it’s a good idea to gently exfoliate your skin. Gently exfoliating your skin with an exfoliating mitt or manual scrub in the shower is a good way to reduce dryness on the surface of the skin, and also helps treated hairs dislodge from hair follicles more quickly. After exfoliating, you should use a gentle, fragrance-free lotion to keep the skin hydrated.

How Quickly Will You See Results?

Most people will start to see early results after about three treatments. Although you may notice results after your first appointment, the results after several treatments will be more apparent because you will have less visible hair growth. Furthermore, any hair growth at this point will generally be thinner and sparser. Most people will see optimal results after about six months.

How Long Will Results Last?

The results of laser hair removal reno treatments are designed to last for a long time. For example, you can generally expect your results to last for six to 12 months after you have achieved optimal results. To maintain your desired results, you will need to have touch-up appointments to prolong your results. With enough touch-up appointments, some people may be able to achieve permanent changes in hair growth.

What If You Skip an Appointment?

If you skip one of your treatment sessions, you will usually land yourself back at square one. This is because missing an appointment will slow your progress, or even allow your hair follicles to recover and restart the hair growth process. It’s best to attend all of your appointments without rescheduling. However, if you must reschedule, try to book your next appointment as soon as possible so you don’t delay your results.

As for your maintenance appointments, it’s also a good idea to attend your touch-up appointments as scheduled. Delaying your touch-up treatments may make it harder to maintain your desired results, and this may mean you will need additional maintenance appointments to continue enjoying your desired results.

What Are the Benefits of Laser Treatments for Hair Removal?

One of the main benefits of using laser treatment to remove unwanted hair is the fact that you will be spending less money on shaving supplies. Razors, shaving cream, and skin-soothing aftercare for ordinary shaving can be major investments in the long run – especially if you are continually trying new products to find something that will reduce skin irritation and itching. Other benefits include:

Less Skin Irritation

Traditional methods of hair removal, such as waxing, shaving, and tweezing, are known to cause skin irritation. For example, if you use a slightly old razor with dull blades to shave, you may experience itching, razor burn, and even ingrown hair. Likewise, waxing and tweezing can often lead to skin sensitivity. With a laser treatment that reduces your body hair growth, you will have significantly less skin irritation.

Additionally, some people may notice that the tone of their skin also improves after laser treatment due to the body’s restorative response after being exposed to laser energy. Although your skin texture may not change significantly, concerns such as dark spots and sun damage may fade slightly.

Less Sweating

Body hair is designed to help the body regulate a healthy body temperature. However, insulating body hair can also lead to more sweating, especially in the underarm and groin region. By removing hair in these areas of the body, you can reduce sweating and improve body odor.

Less Time Shaving

Finally, you can save time on your body hair removal maintenance. Shaving can take up several minutes in your day, even if you’re only shaving every other day or once a week. Likewise, tweezing and waxing are long treatments that can eat into your daily schedule. Laser treatments can save you time in the long run once you achieve your optimal results.

Are You an Ideal Candidate?

Most adults who are interested in removing unwanted body hair make excellent candidates for laser hair removal treatments. The best candidates are those who have dark brown or black body hair. You may be able to use this treatment if you have red hair or other light-colored hair, although you may need additional treatment sessions to achieve optimal results.

Good candidates for this treatment also don’t have a history of hyperpigmentation scarring and have relatively healthy skin. Pregnant women cannot use this treatment.

Enjoy Fast Hair Removal Treatments

Your appointments for laser hair removal will usually take under an hour to finish. You will be able to achieve your desired results in about six months, although you will notice early results after three months. If you think laser hair removal is a better solution for removing your unwanted body hair, contact Reno Sparks MedSpa in Reno, NV to schedule your first appointment.