If the laser passes too fast over the skin, the laser energy will not be absorbed properly. As a result, you'll notice that some patches have been lost and the hair grows back much faster than others. The treatment will feel uncomfortable if you are not given breaks during a session. On a daily basis, I see clients for laser hair removal consultations who have had unsuccessful laser hair removal treatments before coming to Medispa Jouvence.
Sometimes it's obvious why they didn't get results, for example, their hair is gray. Other times there's no good reason why they don't treat each other well. There are numerous reasons why a laser hair removal treatment might not work for you. Keep in mind the following 10 reasons why laser hair removal might not be effective for you.
The laser won't see gray, blonde, or red hair. If you were treating your chin, for example, and your chin had some gray hair and some black hair, the black hair should have been treated successfully, but the gray hair will remain. If the treatment site only had dark and dyed hair, then you should have seen a result. The thicker the hair, the better.
If the hair at the treatment site is OK, it will not be treated well, if at all. I see a lot of clients who said that when they started their laser treatment, the hair was fine, but now all the hair stays and now it's clear. The treatment zone needs to be shaved, so if fine hair is shaved, the texture of that hair will change. But, you have to leave your hair fine as it is.
If the hair is very thin, you should leave it alone. Don't shave it and don't do laser hair removal on that hair. The reality is that some people are not good candidates for laser hair removal. I have seen many people, who have come for a laser consultation after having had lasers before.
They didn't get results or they burned. There is a limit to the amount of skin color I will treat simply because I will NEVER risk damaging the skin and even if a client with a lot of color gets any improvement, it will be very slow and very expensive because they will need many more treatments than the average person. If you've had laser treatments, have a lot of skin color, and didn't get a result, it's probably because the settings were set too low so you didn't get burned, but you didn't see an improvement either. You can learn more about why laser hair removal is not recommended for everyone.
When laser hair removal is performed, the only way to remove hair, at the treatment site, is by shaving. You can't remove hair from the follicle. While doing laser hair removal, if you are waxing, waxing, or threading the treatment site, you won't get the best results. The laser needs to see colored hair in the hair follicle.
If you are removing it (waxing, waxing, threading) there is nothing there for the laser to see and that follicle will not be treated, the hair will continue to grow. In Canada, the laser hair removal industry is not regulated. If you receive treatment for your laser hair removal with an unqualified technician, your results may not be good. Often, inexperienced technicians will “treat you badly”.
They will set the laser at very low energy levels to prevent it from burning, but you won't get a good result either. To do laser hair removal well, a laser hair removal technician must have worked on many different skin types and hair types. A qualified technician can immediately recognize the amount of color in the skin, the amount of color in the hair and the thickness of the hair. These three factors will determine the energy set in the laser machine.
And it is the configuration of the laser machine that will determine your results or the lack of them in the end. When performing your laser hair removal treatment, the technician must be meticulous and cover the entire surface of the treatment site. The attention to detail and thoroughness of laser sessions are very important to get good results in the end. Lorie Docker considered one of Montreal's leading experts in skin analysis and non-surgical anti-aging treatments.
Lorie has been highlighted and cited as a renowned expert in medical aesthetics in several news articles, and has appeared on Global's This Morning Live television program and CJAD's Health Show. View all posts by Lorie Docker. Rarely, laser hair removal can cause blistering, crusting, scarring, or other changes in skin texture. Other rare side effects include graying of treated hair or excessive hair growth around treated areas, especially on darker skin.
You'll likely see results right after treatment. Results vary from patient to patient. The color and thickness of the hair, the area treated, the type of laser used, and the color of the skin affect the results. You can expect hair reduction between 10% and 25% after the first treatment.
To remove hair, most patients need 2 to 6 laser treatments. After finishing treatments, most patients do not see any hairs on the treated skin for several months or even years. When hair grows back, there tends to be less. The hairs also tend to be thinner and lighter in color.
Laser hair removal can only target hair follicles that are in the first stage, the growth stage (source). While some areas may require more rigorous training and study of hair growth patterns, endocrinology, and dermatology to qualify as a laser hair removal professional, other areas have more flexible guidelines. The pigmentation of the hair follicles must be dark enough in relation to the skin so that the laser can locate the hair follicles and burn them. However, if you have too much hair, it could be due to a hormonal imbalance that could negate the results of laser hair removal.
Laser hair treatment is a relatively new procedure, with treatments dating back to the early 90s. There are certain medications that can interfere with the hair reduction results of laser hair treatments (source). Some predictors of excess hair due to hormonal imbalance include sudden hair growth, obesity or acne problems, or a family history of hirsutism. Several laser hair removal treatments are needed for initial hair removal, and maintenance treatments may also be needed.
When laser hair treatments fail to achieve perfect results, there are several reasons why this may be the case. If hair growth is the result of a hormonal imbalance, laser hair removal may not work at all for excess facial and body hair. Everyone doing laser hair removal should ask to see proof (a recent sticker on the laser, paperwork) that the laser is serviced regularly. Lasers heat the hair to damage the stem cells of the hair follicles, but if the hair is too long, the laser can burn the skin.
Rough, rough hair will have more prominent hair follicles, while thin, straight hair will have less distinctive hair follicles. . .
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