Hair Removal: 15 Things You Should Know

There is plenty of information online related to hair removal for both men and women but it’s sometimes difficult to separate fact from fiction.

Here are 15 questions and answers to hair removal topics you need to know.

Does your hair grow back thicker after you shave?

Shaving, waxing, depilation and hair removal creams do not change the way your hair grows back in any way nor do they impact how much hair grows back. Each method temporarily removes hair for a period of time but the hair grows back in the exact same way. It goes not grow back thicker or thinner and it will not decrease in amount either.

Most hair removal methods don’t impact the growth or regrowth of hair. Your genes determine that. The only hair removal methods that impact regrowth of hair are Electrolysis which can lead to permanent hair removal over time and laser or Intense Pulsed Light which can lead to thinner finer hair and less total hair with repeated treatments.

How long does hair removal cream last?

Hair removal creams last a few days at best. Some dissolve the hair down to the root but the hair begins to grow back usually within several days. Traditional hair removal creams are smelly and are made from strong chemicals so you have to be careful not to touch your eyes or other sensitive parts of your body after use. You also need to avoid touching any hair you don’t want removed.

There is no such thing as a permanent hair removal cream so don’t fall for that marketing scam. Hair removal creams generally provide hairlessness for about as long as shaving, maybe an extra day or two, before you’ll see stubble again.

Is there any hair removal option that is permanent?

Electrolysis is cleared by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to offer permanent hair removal with repeated treatments. Don’t expect to get 100% permanent hair removal after one treatment though. Some hairs may need to be treated several or more times to get full clearance. Electrolysis involves zapping hair with an electrical current and then manually removing the hair with tweezers down to the root.

Hair grows in cycles and electrolysis can only treat hairs that are visible above the skin. If dormant hair grows in the future it will need to be treated at that time. The concern with Electrolysis is that it treats hairs on a strand by strand basis one at a time so it is time-consuming. Electrolysis is not time or cost efficient for removing large amounts of hair from areas like the back, chest and legs for example which is why laser and Intense Pulse Light are often preferred.

Is laser hair removal permanent?

Laser hair removal isn’t permanent but can offer permanent hair reduction with repeated treatments over time. Laser hair removal only removes hair that is above the skin so any dormant hair that hasn’t grown above the skin yet can’t be treated. Since hair grows in cycles, laser hair removal treatment should be done over time on a schedule to properly and most efficiently treat as much unwanted hair as possible.

Laser hair removal only works during the growth (anagen) phase too. Fortunately the anagen phase is the longest phase which may last up to 7 years in length. So at any given time you will have hairs on your body at various stages of its lifespan and hairs are constantly falling out and being replaced.

If you’re wondering why you suddenly have unwanted hair growing on your back, ears or nose as you get older, now you know: They were previously dormant hair that suddenly started growing at a particular time due to hormones and other reasons specific to you.

Is laser hair removal safe?

Laser hair removal has been used since the 1970s to remove unwanted hair but it really came into prominence during the 1980s. Accordingly it has a long track record. Over time, laser hair removal technology has become more modern and newer machines have cooling technology built in to make the treatment safer and easier on the skin. Common methods of cooling include cold air, cryogen spray and contact cooling options that may be included in the machinery or added separately from a third party supplier.

The benefit of cooling technology is to reduce the pain felt during laser treatment but also to enable the person operating the machine to increase the setting to better treat your hair more effectively. The higher they can safely set the machine’s energy output, the more likely your unwanted hair may be eliminated permanently over time.

Having said that, the skill and talent of the person operating your laser machine and doing your treatment also matters. Lasers are powerful machines and the energy zapping your skin can hurt if they are unskilled or sloppy.

Will a tan affect laser hair removal treatment?

Older laser machines and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) hair removal machines work best on people that have dark and coarse unwanted hair and light skin. The machines naturally search for the contrast between dark hair and light skin. The light energy ignores light skin and targets the dark melanin of the hair shaft down to the bottom of each hair follicle. Over time, newer laser hair removal technologies like the Nd:YAG laser can successfully treat not only those with tans but people with dark skin tones, too.

While back in the day, tanned skin was not conducive to success for laser hair removal, modern laser machines often come with automatic skin tone detection abilities so that the machine can be set to your personal skin tone even if your skin is tanned. Having said that, IPL machines typically still work best with people with light skin tones and dark unwanted hair.

How effective are home laser hair removal machines?

Commercial laser hair removal machines used in clinics can cost $65,000 and up for a reason: They are powerful machines that have special features and benefits and require professional training. A $50 home hair removal machine cannot be expected to perform nearly as well.

Home laser machines are actually often Intense Pulsed Light or IPL machines that use light-technology rather than laser. Clinic-grade laser machines can cause serious damage when used incorrectly and are operated by professional clinicians and by surgeons or nurses in some clinics. A home hair removal machine is much less powerful, less dangerous and also less efficient at removing unwanted hair.

What kills hair follicles permanently?

Hitting the bottom of the hair follicle with light energy through Electrolysis, laser or Intense Pulsed Light can with repeated treatments permanently disable a follicle’s ability to grow hair in the future. While Electrolysis offers permanent hair removal over time and repeated treatments, laser and IPL can also permanently disable hair follicles’ ability to regrow hair which can lead you to have less unwanted hair over time.

Hair removal technologies that use laser and light are designed to target the bottom of the hair follicle with enough energy to damage the follicle’s ability to regrow hair but to avoid damaging the surface of your skin at the same time. A balance is required between the two. In the past, laser technologies were powerful enough to hurt people with dark skin tones because the melanin in their skin absorbed the light energy. Newer technologies can largely ignore the skin color and target the bottom of the hair follicle to disable it without damaging a person’s skin.

Can you kill a hair follicle by plucking?

Hair can be removed from the root by plucking it with tweezers but the hair will grow back over time. Electrolysis involves zapping each individual hair with an electrical current that can damage the follicle’s ability to regrow hair. The hair shaft is then manually removed with tweezers but it’s the electrical current that damages the hair follicle’s ability to grow hair not the act of tweezing.

Simply tweezing hair will result in temporary hair removal and while plucking hairs constantly can prevent hair from growing back over time, it’s not the most effective or recommended way to achieve long term hair removal due to the chance of infection if the tweezers are contaminated. Plucking hairs from sensitive areas like the nostrils can also cause infection and painful bumps.

Can laser hair removal increase hair growth?

In rare cases, a person may actually trigger hair growth through laser hair removal treatments. It doesn’t happen often but it has occurred in some cases. A condition known as paradoxical hypertrichosis occasionally may occur that triggers new hair growth rather than hair removal. It underlines the importance of speaking in detail before hair removal with your chosen clinic about your health and medical history to ensure that successful treatment occurs.

These rare cases seem to occur more with people who have dark skin tones and who receive lower powered laser or IPL treatment where the lower power actually stimulates hair growth rather than reducing or eliminating it.

It should be noted that since hair grows in cycles, having more hair in the future after having laser hair removal could simply be new, previously dormant hair now growing. This is why men and women often notice back, nose and ear hair suddenly growing as they get older that they previously didn’t have. Hair growth can also occur due to hormonal or other health-related conditions too.

What is the success rate of laser hair removal?

Laser hair removal success is on a case by case basis since your personal situation matters. Your skin tone, hair color and coarseness of your hair helps to determine your success but so does the quality of your chosen laser provider and the laser machinery that they use.

Modern laser hair removal machines can successfully treat qualified patients who have dark, coarse unwanted hair with a high level of success regardless of their skin tone. Currently those who have unwanted hair that is very thin or fine or is blonde, red, gray or white in color tend not to have significant hair removal success.

What happens if you don’t shave before laser hair removal?

Laser and IPL hair removal success requires that the unwanted hair to be treated is shaved 24 – 48 hours prior to treatment. The shorter the hair shaft, the better the light energy can travel down the shaft to the bottom of the hair follicle. A longer hair shaft means that the energy has further to travel before hitting the hair follicle which is not ideal. The longer the hair shaft, the more likely the hair may be singed and not properly treated.

While some hair removal clinics may shave your hair prior to treatment, they tend to charge for this service so check ahead of time. By shaving your own hair the night before treatment or during the time frame specified by your hair removal clinic, you may save yourself money and also better prepare yourself for hair removal success.

Can I do laser hair removal every week?

Laser hair removal tends to work best every 6 weeks according to research. Following laser hair removal, it may take up to two weeks or longer for hairs to fall out naturally. Doing hair removal more frequently isn’t cost effective nor efficient as previously treated hairs may not have fallen out yet and new hair hasn’t yet grown above the skin to be treated.

What stage of hair growth is best for laser hair removal?

The anagen or growth phase is the only one that laser hair removal works with. The anagen phase typically lasts 3-5 years on average but may last up to 7 years and is by far the longest of the four hair growth phases. For laser hair removal to work, the hair shaft needs to be visible above the skin and growing. Once the hair shaft moves to the shedding phase and begins to be pushed out, it can no longer be successfully treated with laser.

Why is my hair not falling out after laser?

Treated hairs may take up to two weeks or longer to fall out after laser hair removal treatment. Hairs typically start falling out around 5 – 7 days after treatment but others may remain in place until 14 days or longer after treatment. You’ll probably notice that treated hairs curl up after a laser hair removal session and you may also notice a slight reddening of the skin.

If the hair was accidentally missed during treatment, it won’t fall out and if the power setting was too low it can prevent hair from being successfully treated too.