Face Shaving between Face Laser Hair Removal Sessions?

Question

Hi there! I have been lasering my face for about 8 years now and still have some hair left. I have been told that facial hair is harder to fully get rid of compared to body hair due to hormonal reasons. During all these years, I was advised to shave my face before each session but recently I joined a new clinique to get my face laser done and the nurse told me to not shave between sessions as it caused paradoxal hair growth. Anyone heard of this before?

Laura A. Katz, MD · Answer

I have never heard of paradoxical hair growth from shaving.  Actually, you want to shave between treatments to get the hair short enough so that only a few mm stick above the surface.  This way, the hair shaft is short enough that the laser can penetrate all the way to the root bulb and fully get rid of the hair permanently.

Supriya Tomar, MD · Answer

The cause of paradoxical hair growth after a laser session is not definitively known, but not only is this side effect extremely rare, it's unlikely to be caused by shaving. And ironically, paradoxical hypertrichosis is treated with laser hair removal, so even if you happened to experience this rare side effect, you would still continue on with your treatments as usual. Hope this helps!

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