How Long Does Laser Hair Removal Last?

Are you considering laser hair removal? The prospect of banishing unwanted body hair and kissing your razors, waxing products, and hair removal creams goodbye is exciting, but you may be wondering just how permanent this procedure is. If you’re wondering how long results will last after you go in for a laser hair removal session, keep reading! 

Is Laser Hair Removal Permanent?

For a long time, this procedure of damaging or destroying hair follicles with a laser to prevent regrowth was referred to as “permanent hair removal.”

However, the truth is that if the hair follicle is only damaged and not completely destroyed during the procedure, it may regrow. That’s why laser hair removal is officially referred to as “long-term hair removal” by doctors. This helps set realistic expectations for your treatment plan and procedures!

However, this doesn’t mean that all hair will come back, or that permanent results can’t be achieved. This is mainly because if any hair comes back in the targeted area, it can also be removed!

Does Hair Removed By a Laser Always Come Back?

When our aestheticians target a specific area of your body for hair removal, they use a laser to target the hairs in the area. The light will travel down the hair shaft and into the hair follicle, damaging or destroying the follicle with heat. 

If the hair follicle is destroyed, you won’t experience regrowth in this area. We mentioned before that if the follicle is only damaged, your hair may come back.

However, that doesn’t mean it can’t be removed afterward, especially in a follow-up treatment!

How Long Does Laser Hair Removal Last?

Even if your first laser hair removal treatment doesn’t destroy all your hair follicles in the desired area, the procedure lasts long enough to give you a break from your regular hair removal products!

That’s because the laser light travels all the way down the hair shaft to damage or destroy the follicle, which means any remaining hair will have to grow for a longer time period before it’s ever visible.

Results vary based on your individual cycle of hair growth ( some people's hair just grows faster than others!) but generally, laser hair removal treatment will last for a few months. Once any remaining hair begins to grow back, you can have another procedure.

And luckily, this hair will also often grow back much lighter and less noticeable than it was before due to the damage in the hair follicle.

How Many Treatments Do I Need?

Most of the time, it’s not possible to get permanent removal of every hair in a targeted area in one session. That’s why multiple laser hair removal treatments are needed for permanent results!

On average, most people require 4 to 6 treatments to achieve permanent results. You’ll also need to wait for your hair to actively begin growing again, which means those treatments will be spaced out every 4-6 weeks.