Is Laser Hair Removal Permanent? (2021)

The word Laser stands for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiance.

Laser hair removal came into commercial prominence back in the early 1990s even though it has existed since the 1960s in different forms. It wasn’t until the 1970s that laser technology really became viable after hair removal was noticed as being an unexpected side effect of using lasers for skin lesions and tattoo removal.

Up until this time, “permanent” hair removal tended to refer to time consuming and painful option known as electrolysis that requires each hair to be treated individually.

Is Laser Hair Removal Permanent?

Laser treatment usually requires repeated visits, the number of which will be determined by the amount of hair to be removed as well as other factors such as the color of your hair, the shade of your skin, the location of the hair, etc.

Is there such thing as permanent laser hair removal?

Well, if you find a practitioner who advertises “permanent laser hair removal” I’d suggest asking them for a plain English money back guarantee if you notice a single hair growing back in the area you had treated at any point in the future.

See what they say if you ask for this sort of guarantee in writing.

A realistic end result of repeated laser treatments could produce what might reasonably be described as a permanent reduction in the amount of visible hair that you have.

In other words, the amount of hair decreases over time with repeated treatments and the hair that does grow back tends to be finer and visually less noticeable.

Referring to laser hair removal treatment as a permanent hair removal option would not be 100% correct or truthful so a good practitioner who offers the service should not promise you that you will achieve permanent hair removal.

Some laser hair removal practitioners have been sued for claiming that their service offers permanent hair removal so chances are that you are more likely to be told that the service offers permanent hair reduction instead which is more accurate.

At the end of the day, your personal situation (ie. the color of your hair, the color of your skin, the amount of hair to be removed, the location of the hair to be removed, etc) will determine the long term success or lack thereof of your ability to achieve permanent hair reduction using laser treatment.

Also, the skill of the practitioner operating the laser is vitally important to your success and safety.

Why Consider Laser Hair Removal?

So if laser hair removal isn’t permanent per se, why consider it?

Laser practitioners are able to deal with a large area of hair rather than having to treat each hair one by one like electrolysis does, which is obviously not as efficient. The advent of viable laser hair removal technology brought the hope that we had moved to permanent – or at least long term – hair removal for larger areas of skin simply not viable with electrolysis.

Plus, when done properly laser hair removal tends to be less painful than options like electrolysis although different laser technologies do cause varying amounts of pain.

So if you’re looking to clear a relatively large amount of hair (back, shoulders, chest, legs, arms) and for a longer period of time than other hair removal methods like waxing or shaving, laser hair removal might be worth a look.

Is Laser Hair Removal Safe?

Laser hair removal machines generally use a wavelength of between 694nm and 1064nm. Wavelength refers to the color of the laser light (ie. ultraviolet, visible, infrared) and it’s measured in nanometers (nm). One billion nanonmeters equals one metre.

When operated properly, laser hair removal is generally considered to be a safe method of hair removal. Having said that, there can be side effects including serious ones if not done correctly.

Minor Side Effects

• Temporary reddening of the skin
• Swelling of the skin after treatment
• Ingrown hairs

Serious Side Effects

• Pigment changes in the skin which are often temporary but could be permanent in serious cases.
• Risk of skin infection
• Eye damage

You have probably seen pictures of laser (and IPL) treatment where both the patient and practitioner are wearing special eye glasses to protect against the flash of the light. Protective eyewear should always be worn especially when the treatment is being done on the face and near the eyes.

Rare Side Effects

• Burns and blisters on the skin
• Scarring to the skin

Laser works by using a beam of light to destroy or at least to disable the hair follicles without harming the skin around the hair. This is one difference between laser hair removal and IPL hair removal which uses a broader light that hits other parts of the skin and isn’t as focused as laser.

With both methods however, a potentially dangerous instrument is being used on your skin to destroy hair follicles. If the machinery is used incorrectly, it can hurt you.

Is Laser Hair Removal Painful?

If we’re going to ask Is laser hair removal safe, one would also want to ask Is hair removal painful, correct? Given some of the side effects above, you can already imagine that some pain is involved even when things are done correctly.

Laser hair removal is often described as feeling like someone is flicking a rubber band against your skin. The same claim is made for IPL hair removal treatment. At least, that’s what it’s supposed to feel like when done properly, they say.

Having tried both laser hair removal (once) and IPL hair removal (16 times) I can tell you that the rubber band analogy is somewhat accurate. But there tends to be more pain in certain instances.

I can say from experience that when the laser hair removal treatment involved clearing denser areas of hair, was near sensitive areas of skin, and was done near bones, it hurt more. I especially felt some pain on the back of my neck.

I actually had skin discoloration on the upper back of my neck for around one year following IPL treatment. So to be clear, it was not laser hair removal that did this, but this can also be a side effect of laser.

I also noticed more pain when areas with significant hair were being treated. And when areas near bone were being treated – near my collarbone for example – it hurt quite a bit.

I didn’t have any permanent damage or serious side effects, but I often felt a warm, light stinging feeling on my skin following the treatment until the next day. It felt like a mild sunburn, by way of comparison.

Conclusion

Is laser hair removal permanent? Laser hair removal can offer at best permanent hair reduction with repeated treatment and over time, to individuals who meet the criteria that describe an ideal candidate.

Your skin color, hair color, amount of hair to be removed and area of the unwanted hair will largely determine your success in this regard. As will the skill of the practitioner performing the hair removal.

Check out my complete page on the four major types of laser removal technologies: Ruby, Diode, Alexandrite and ND: YAG to learn about pros and cons of each and what you can expect in terms of results.