Can laser hair removal thin out or lighten body hair e.g. for mens legs and arms, or is it all-or-nothing?

Question

My leg and arm hair is very dense, thick and dark for my very white skin. I'd like to have almost zero hair above the knee and elbow, but I don't want to end up with bare calves and forearms. It seems most men have finer, lighter and shorter hair than me in these areas, which I like the look of. Is it true what I've read that some hair can regrow with laser removal but it will end up thinner/lighter as I want? So could I do a 'half' job on some areas and fully bare on others?

W. John Bull, MD · Answer

LHR will permanently reduce hair growth but the regrowth may not come back evenly. Until the series is completed, the regrowth can sometimes looks patchy. I wouldn't advise to do LHR unless you were ok with all of the hair being removed. Keep in mind that you will also need to completely shave the areas of treatment before your appointments.

Chien C. Kat, MD · Answer

Hi Thanks for your question.Yes as Laser Hair Removal is a gradual process over an average of 6-10 treatments. Therefore if only half or 3 quarters of the course is completed you should end up with thinner, lighter and less hair over all. I have had patients who had had a very successful reduction overall after about 4 treatments. This then would need to maintained with treatments about twice a year.We use the Soprano Ice Elite. This is a pain free laser which cools the surface of the skin whilst heating and destroying the roots.Hope this helps

Maha S. Shakir, MD, FACS · Answer

If you are wanting to still have hair but just not a lot I would suggest only getting 1-2 sessions of laser hair removal to help slow down the hair growth. When getting these treatments its important that the laser technician has good spacing and won't give you striping of the hair. Hope this helped
LOVA- Lake Oswego Vein & Aesthetics

Can laser hair removal thin out or lighten body hair e.g. for mens legs and arms, or is it all-or-nothing?

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Can laser hair removal thin out or lighten body hair e.g. for mens legs and arms, or is it all-or-nothing?

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Laser Hair Removal

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.