Many laser treatments, but if the hairs wont permanently go away, how can I remove the hair without undoing all the work?

Question

14+ laser treatments brazilian area, thick dark hair and now its still hairy but very soft and thin. If it wont permanently remove my hair, i shouldnt keep paying. my Q is how can i remove the hair after all of these laser treatments without completely reversing everything I paid 4? I worry that shaving or waxing will make hair back 2 how it used 2 be, basically flushing all money i invested down the drain. I'm scared I wasted all this money must be a way to remove hair without undoing effects

J. Jason Wendel, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question about Laser Hair Removal.Laser hair removal is a permanent Reduction treatment. The hair will never be 100%  gone. Although with so many treatments that you have already had, you should see more of a results. Laser settings should increase each treatment for maximum results. To be sure, see two or more board-certified providers in your area for a complete evaluation to make sure you are a good candidate and that it is safe for you to have treatment.I hope this helps.

Sheryl D. Clark, MD, FAAD · Answer

Dear kesa2772:If your settings were correct, you should have been able to achieve permanent hair removal after 3 to 6 treatments with the Alexandrite, Diode, or NdYag lasers, and not a light device such as IPL. The NdYag is not as effective for fine hairs as the other two lasers; all three work for coarse hairs. The diode and NdYag lasers can be more painful than the Alex, but are safer for really dark skin types. The Alex works best on fine hairs and can treat from fair skin up to Indian and Saudi Arabian types of dark skin. It can take more treatments to achieve enough clearing for you to be satisfied, but after three to six treatments, you should have definitely seen a significant reduction in the number of hairs if not near total clearing.The fact that you are seeing almost an equal number of hairs, but very fine rather than coarse, suggests to me that inadequate energy levels were used. The hair follicle was stunned rather than killed, so now the hairs are finer but not gone. Without further laser treatment, as each follicle goes through several of its growing-resting-shedding growth cycles, they may become thicker again.  I would recommend  that you seek treatment at a board-certified dermatologist's office, with strict supervision by the attending dermatologist of your treatment settings. With an alexandrite laser, you can safely and effectively treat these fine hairs for permanent removal. I would recommend that you not seek treatment at a spa. In general, I would recommend for anyone seeking this treatment to be suspicious of any laser hair removal service being offered without direct physician oversight or as a yearly package, as the result is likely to be exactly what you describe.A more detailed explanation for this is given below.All the best,Dr. Clark

Many laser treatments, but if the hairs wont permanently go away, how can I remove the hair without undoing all the work?

Answers (2)

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.

Many laser treatments, but if the hairs wont permanently go away, how can I remove the hair without undoing all the work?

Answers (2)

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.