Number of sessions needed for Laser Hair Removal

Multiple treatments, usually 5-7, but as many as 12, depending on the type of hair and skin color have been shown in practice to provide long-term reduction of hair. Current parameters suggest a series of treatments spaced at 4–6 weeks apart for most areas, although the timing of treatments has still not been standardized.

The number of sessions depends on various parameters, including the area of the body treated, skin color, coarseness of hair, and sex. Coarse dark hair on light skin is easiest to treat. Finer hair and hair on darker skin is harder to treat and may require more treatments. Certain areas (notably men's and women's faces) may require considerably more treatments to achieve desired results. In addition, since hair grows in several phases, (anagen, telogen, catagen), and laser can only affect the currently active growing follicles, (anagen), several sessions are needed to kill hair in all phases of growth.

It's important to note that laser does not work on light hair and very fine and vellus hair . Laser hair removal is NOT permanent but it is long term and can be patchy. Electrolysis is the only permanent solution for those types of hair but has shortcomings such as possible scarring, expense, and discomfort, as noted above.

Short history of laser hair removal

Epilation by laser was performed experimentally for about 20 years before it became commercially available in the mid 1990s.

How it works? Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) epilators, though technically not a laser, use xenon flash lamps that emit full spectrum light. Laser and light-based methods, sometimes called phototricholysis or photoepilation, are now most commonly referred to collectively as "laser hair removal".

One of the first published articles describing laser hair removal was authored by the group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998.

Below you can see a representation for hair growing, the IPL epilators using methods to stop the activity in one of the steps.

What is the efficacy of using laser hair removal ?

The efficacy of laser hair removal is now generally accepted in the dermatology community, and laser hair removal is widely practiced. Many reviews of laser hair removal methods, safety, and efficacy have been published in the dermatology literature.