Why Doesn’t Laser Hair Removal Always Permanently Remove Hair? (II)



A hair will go through 3 stages in its lifetime :

(1) Active/Anagen
(2) Regressive/Catagen
(3) Resting/Telogen.

Laser hair removal is more effectual in the Anagen stage where the hair contains the most pigment, and is most sensitive to the laser light. If the laser treatment is applied when the hair is in either of the 2 other stages, then the possibility of permanent hair removal is lesser.

Everyone's hair grows differently, and factors affecting hair growth include: age, weight, metabolism, hormones, genetics, medications and environmental influences. However, disregardful of how these factors act on individual hair growth, hair itself grows through three differing phases:

1. The ACTIVE or ANAGEN growth phase, consists of approximately 85 % of our body hair at any given moment in time and can last up to several years. During this stage, the hair shaft and follicle has an accumulation of pigment and is most affected by the laser light.

2. The REGRESSIVE or CATAGEN phase is the stage during which the hair stops growing but is not yet shed. This phase often lasts a few weeks comprising about 3 - 4% of our total body hair at any given moment in time. The laser will work in this stage, but if it is late in this part of the cycle, a new hair might already be coming through and the new hair will not be affected by the laser.

3. The RESTING or TELOGEN phase lasts 5 - 6 weeks, at the end of which the hair falls out and the new hair becomes visible. The new hair might not be affected by the laser because it will not have pigment in it yet, remembering that the laser actually relies on the pigment to find the hair. Approximately 10-13% of our body hair is in this phase at any one time.

Getting an appreciation of the hair growth cycle leads to the ultimate question, "Is it possible to get permanent hair removal?" The answer is Yes, Laser Hair Removal can certainly provide a level of permanence. As you can see, if a hair in the Active/Anagen stage is revealed to the laser, then that hair will most probably be killed permanently. If a hair that is in either of the other 2 stages is revealed to the laser, then that hair will most probably be killed, but the new hair coming through will still carry on growing.

So to get permanent removal of your unwanted hair, you will more than likely need a number of laser sessions. You could be lucky - your first Laser hair removal session will permanently remove all of your unwanted hair, but the expectation is that you will need a number of sessions at set intervals to ensure that you get to the hair when it is in the first stage of growth. And that's all there really is to know, permanent Laser Hair Removal is definitely realizable !


By: Jim McDonald
Laser hair removal permanently removes un-wanted body hair by targeting the follicles or root of growing hair. For further information please visit www.permanent-hair-removal-laser.com