Why Do I Have to Wait Between Laser Hair Removal Treatments?

Understanding hair-growth cycles, treatment timing, and why more frequent appointments don't necessarily mean faster results

By Ashley Serveta, LE, LSO, LC, CHHP

Published in The Renew Clinical Journal™

A publication of Renew Laser & Aesthetics

One of the most common questions I hear from laser hair removal clients is:

“If I still see hair, why do I have to wait before my next treatment?”

The simple answer is that laser hair removal works with the hair-growth cycle—not simply with the amount of hair you can see.

Treating too frequently doesn't necessarily produce faster results. Proper timing gives newly developing hairs an opportunity to reach a stage when they may be appropriate targets for treatment.

Why doesn't one laser treatment remove all the hair?

The hairs within a treatment area aren't all growing at the same time.

Hair follicles move through different phases of growth and rest, which means that during any one appointment, only a portion of the hairs in an area will be at the most favorable stage for laser treatment.

This is one of the primary reasons laser hair removal is performed as a series of treatments rather than a single appointment.

After treatment, successfully affected hairs may gradually shed. Meanwhile, other follicles that weren't appropriate targets during that session can progress through their own growth cycles and become visible later.

That doesn't necessarily mean the previous treatment “didn't work.”

Why can't I come back as soon as I see a few hairs?

Because seeing some hair doesn't automatically mean it's time to treat the entire area again.

This is something I explain frequently at Renew.

My goal isn't to fire the laser at every hair the moment it appears. I want enough appropriate new growth to be present for the next treatment to be worthwhile.

If someone returns too soon, we may simply be treating an area before enough of the next cycle has emerged.

More appointments do not automatically equal better results.

Good laser hair removal requires knowing when to treat—and sometimes when to wait.

How far apart should laser hair removal appointments be?

There isn't one interval that's ideal for every person or every body area.

Hair-growth patterns differ between the face, underarms, bikini area, legs, back and other treatment areas. Timing can also evolve as treatment progresses and hair becomes progressively reduced.

That's why I don't believe laser hair removal should simply operate on an arbitrary calendar.

At Renew, I evaluate how the area is responding and whether sufficient growth is present before determining when the next treatment makes sense.

As a series progresses, appointments may sometimes need to be spaced farther apart rather than closer together.

That's often something clients don't expect.

“But my hair came back.”

What appears to be “the hair coming back” may actually be another group of hairs becoming visible as they progress through their growth cycle.

That's an important distinction.

Laser hair removal can produce long-term hair reduction in appropriately selected hair, but it doesn't freeze every follicle in the body at one moment in time. Hair growth is biological and dynamic.

Hormonal changes can complicate this further—particularly with facial hair.

New or changing growth associated with hormonal influences isn't necessarily the same thing as previously treated hair simply returning.

This is one reason I look at the pattern of growth over time, rather than judging an entire laser series by what someone sees on a particular day.

Should I tweeze or wax between laser appointments?

Generally, no.

Waxing and tweezing remove the hair from the follicle—the very structure we're relying on as part of an effective laser target.

If hair needs to be managed between appointments, shaving is generally the preferred method because it removes visible hair above the skin without intentionally pulling it from the follicle.

I give each client specific pre-treatment instructions based on the area we're treating.

What I look for before recommending the next treatment

After performing laser hair removal for more than a decade, I've learned that treatment timing deserves as much thought as treatment itself.

Before simply scheduling another session because a certain number of weeks have passed, I want to know:

• Has the previous treated hair shed?

• What does the new growth actually look like?

• Is there enough appropriate growth to justify another treatment?

• Has the density changed?

• Has the hair become finer or more sparse?

• Is the remaining hair still an appropriate laser target?

• Would waiting longer make the next treatment more productive?

And occasionally, the answer is that laser is no longer the best tool for the remaining hair.

For example, once only isolated hairs or hairs without sufficient pigment remain, electrolysis may make more sense than continuing to laser an area simply because laser was the treatment we started with.

That's one advantage of offering both modalities at Renew.

The Renew Approach

Successful laser hair removal isn't about performing the greatest possible number of treatments.

It's about performing the right treatment, on appropriate hair, at the right time.

I would rather tell a client to wait a little longer between appointments than perform a treatment I don't believe is necessary or appropriately timed.

That judgment is part of the treatment.

Ready to Determine Your Next Step?

Whether you're considering laser hair removal for the first time or you're unsure why previous treatments haven't produced the progress you expected, the appropriate plan begins with evaluating the hair that's actually present.

At Renew Laser & Aesthetics, laser hair removal and electrolysis are personally evaluated and performed by Ashley Serveta in Palm Beach Gardens.

Submit an Appointment Request to determine the most appropriate treatment approach and timing for your hair.