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Laser Hair Removal: is 4 Months Between Treatments Too Long a Wait?

asked 1 year ago by Siouxella in London
Latest answer by Michael Sullivan, MD
Question viewed 1,844 times
Tags: hair growth, timing

I had my first session on my bikini about 3 - 4 months ago and at first the hair fell out and left about 30% hairs only, it was amazing, but now it has all grown back and is as dark and thick as it was before I got treated. The clinic is very busy and it is hard to get time off work so I have left it such a long time between treatments...will this affect the results and be a waste of money in the long run? Thanks to anyone who can help with this question. All advice is much appreciated.

9 answers to Laser Hair Removal: is 4 Months Between Treatments Too Long a Wait?

+2

Treatment Intervals for Permanent Laser Hair Reduction.

The goal of Laser Hair Reduction Treatments is permanent reduction of hair growth in the treatment area. For this to occur, treatment sessions are spaced to allow for successive targeting of hairs in  active growth phase.  Usually treatments are spaced at a minimum of 4 and as much as 8 weeks apart. Four months is a long time between treatments, which is why you see that the hairs in your bikini area have grown back. To get to the desired goal of permanent hair reduction,... more
Anifat Balogun, MD

Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

How Long Between Laser Hair Removal Treatments

Hi Siouxella.  The correct answer to the question is that it depends.  The hair growth cycle is different lengths for different areas of the body.  In some cases, the hair growth cycle can be as short as four weeks and in other cases it can be longer than 12 weeks.  Because we often treat multiple areas simultaneously, we stick to an average of 6-8 weeks. If we had to err on the side of longer than short, we would err on the side of longer in between treatments.... more
Harold J. Kaplan, MD

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

Laser hair removal works at whatever interval of treatments you can manage

Each treatment for laser hair removal treats those follicles actively growing hair.  As our follicles are all in different phases of growth, only some are active at any point in time.  For this reason, it is generally not adviseable to have treatments too close together.  Waiting at least 4 weeks between treatments should be enough time for a large group of follicles to have become active and so to become sensitive to the laser treatment.  However, there is nothing to... more
Elizabeth Lee, MD

Bay Area Plastic Surgeon

artfulsurgery.com

+2

4 months between Laser Hair Treatments

Yes 4 months is too long.  The recommendations are 8 weeks and based on the growth cycle of the hair follicle.  I would recommend getting your second treatment now and then follow up every 8 weeks.
David V. Poole, MD

Orlando Plastic Surgeon
+2

Four months is too long between laser hair removal sessions

Normally hair follicles are in different stages of growth. Only a certain proportion of hair follicles are in active growth phase at one time.  What percentage of them are active really depends on the body area. Laser hair removal treatments affect only the actively growing hairs.  The first 2-3 laser treatments tend to synchronize the growth cycles of the hairs and the subsequent treatments are more effective. It is best to do the treatments 4-6 weeks apart. ... more
Emily Altman, MD

Short Hills Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Laser Hair Removal Timing

Yes, your treatments must be scheduled on regular time intervals from four to six weeks.  If you don't follow a regular time schedule and wait longer than suggested, it becomes difficult to successfully remove all hair.
Michael Sullivan, MD

Columbus Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Treatment Intervals for Laser Hair Reduction

Treatment intervals for lasers hair reduction depend on the area treated, and usually range between 1-2 months for ideal results.
Anatoli Freiman, MD

Toronto Dermatologist
+1

Laser hair removal and waiting months in between treatments

Waiting longer in between laser hair removal appointments than 4 - 6 weeks should not adversely affect  your end result. The theory is not to treat you too soon after your last treatment to allow hairs to grow in a new cycle and benefit from the laser energy. By you waiting longer you are ensuring that there will be more hairs in the active growth cycle when you will be treated than if you had it done too soon after the last treatment and treatment during the active cycle is most... more
Ronald Shelton, MD

Manhattan Dermatologist
+1

Time Between Laser Hair Removal Sessions

Great question!   Ideally you should have the bikini area treated every 4 to 6 weeks in order to target hairs that are in a new growth cycle.  Most patients see progressive improvement with each treatment.  It should not matter how long you wait in bewteen treatments, but some hair does seem to regrow with time, even after several sessions space appropriately apart.  You do not want to treat any sooner than 4 to 6 weeks, but spacing it out further should not affect... more
Timothy G. Rodgers, MD

Dallas Dermatologist

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