Laser Hair Removal - will it affect my results if I have to take a break and let my hair grow back?

Question

I have gotten 9 sessions on my Brazilian area and 7 sessions on my full legs. I am pregnant now so I have to take a break until after delivery. I’m wondering will my hair grow back, will it affect my results and will I have to restart. I still have some hair in those areas.

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

Hello, my name is Ranen and I am an aesthetic nurse at Aesthetic skin in Chicago.  Congrats on your pregnancy! I can give you a clear breakdown of what to expect with laser hair removal during this break. Hormones matter: During pregnancy, increased estrogen and progesterone can stimulate hair follicles, so some hairs may grow back even if they were previously reduced. Areas affected: Brazilian and legs are both sensitive to hormonal shifts, so you may notice more hairs than you expected. Temporary effect: This regrowth doesn’t mean the previous sessions “didn’t work”—it’s normal and usually temporary. After pregnancy, hair cycles may return to pre-pregnancy patterns.

Barbara Padilla, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question! Your hair will not grow back in terms of amount/density compared to before you started laser hair removal. Taking a break will not affect the hair follicles that were targeted during your previous treatments, as these were already destroyed in their growth phase and will not return. Any hair growth you notice would be from hair follicles still remaining. You can resume treatments after pregnancy where you left off.

Falguni Patel, MD, FACOG · Answer

Some of your hair may grow back during this break period. However, depending on the laser used and the settings, your hair will not go back to its full potential of growth due to the destruction of the hair follicles during your previous treatment sessions. You will most likely not have to restart or re-treat completely, just continue your laser hair removal treatments as scheduled after pregnancy.

Sheryl D. Clark, MD, FAAD · Answer

Hello Plucky:

It will affect your results if you take a break longer than 2 months on your legs and 6 weeks in the bikini area, This is because your hair grows in a cycle that has 3 stages; growing, resting and shedding. At any given point in time, it is impossible to kill all the hairs with a single laser treatment, because laser energy will be absorbed only if the hair is in the early growing phase. If the hair is not present, i.e. it has shed, or it is resting, there will not be enough pigment in the follicle for the laser to destroy the hair bulb. So, on the legs, after having a laser treatment, it takes two months for the shedding phase hairs to shift through their cycle into the early growing phase. At that point, they can be killed with treatment but if the treatment is delayed, they will continue growing and losing their pigment so that laser will not be effective.

If laser hair removal is time to carefully, and high enough energy is delivered to kill hairs on the first round of treatment, one should not expect to need more than three to at the very most 6 treatments for permanent removal of most hairs. You will need to consult a dermatologist’s office for this to occur.

All the best from New York City, 
Sheryl Clark MD, FAAD

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