Laser hair removal on chin did not work - why is this?

Question

I started getting chin hairs a few years back but they started growing faster. I had laser hair removal. 6+ sessions and it did nothing. They asked i do bloodwork to see if there were abnormalities but everything came back fine. Why did this not work for me? Is it worth trying elsewhere and spending more money. Was it the machine or is it just me not being a good candidate?

Falguni Patel, MD, FACOG · Answer

thank you for your question. this is hard to answer without knowing what type of hair/skin tone/laser you used. i think you can get a more accurate answer if you include those answers in your question!

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

Please know that it will take a series of treatments to get improvement. I typically have patients do laser hair removal every 4 weeks for the first 3 sessions and then every 4 to 6 weeks for the following 3 sessions. This schedule gives great results with hair removal. Some patients do require treatments to maintain results. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer​

Laura A. Katz, MD · Answer

a picture here would have been really helpful, to be more specific in recommendations.  Having said that, there are several simple essentials to successful laser hair removal.  First , the skin type has to be determined correctly.  caucasian skin types are usually types 1 to 3 and asian skintype is type 4.  All of these skin types require a shorter beam laser like an alex laser for better hair removal.  Skin types 5 and 6 are the hispanic, indian, and african american  skin types and require a longer beam yag laser for effective laser hair removal.  The other key element to remember is that laser hair removal only targets hair that is in the active phase of the growth cycle, when the root bulb is the biggest, allowing the beam to target and destroy it.  This active phase only cycles about every four weeks from the waist up and every 8 weeks from the waist down.  There for any treatmens sooner than every 4 to 8 weeks are redundant.  There is nothing about laser hair removal that should stimulate more growth..  It does not work that way.

Derakhsh Fozouni, MD · Answer

Hello there!
Certainly we have to rule out any hormonal imbalances. This can certainly affect and rate hair growth and resistance to lasers. Also, if you are around 50's, menopause can also affect the course of your treatment even if your hormones are balanced.
Skin tone and hair pigmentation are another huge factor to consider. If your hair is not super dark then the laser will have a harder time targeting the root of the hair and the treatments are not effective. If you skin is very deep, this is also a factor that makes the laser less effective to target the hair follicule or root.
The main thing is to determine if you are a good candidate for laser hair removal and if you are then, you can also consider other laser machines to try.
I hope this helps!Good luck!

Melissa M. Chan, MD · Answer

The effectiveness of laser hair removal depends on your skin and hair pigmentation. The most ideal candidate would be lighter skin with thick dark hair for the laser to detect the color. For someone who has blonde hair, it would be more difficult to treat. With that said, it is important not to pluck out the hair roots during the weeks to months of treatment because the lasers need to detect the pigmentation from the root of each hair. Good luck and hope you can find a doctor that can help you.

Laser hair removal on chin did not work - why is this?

Answers (5)

Answer: Great question

Answer: Great question

Answer: Laser hair removal

Answer: Laser hair removal

Recommended reading

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.

Laser hair removal on chin did not work - why is this?

Answers (5)

Answer: Great question

Answer: Great question

Answer: Laser hair removal

Answer: Laser hair removal

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

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.