This is what I read on the “Laser Frequently Asked Questions”:
“This is because hair grows in three (3) phases. Several treatments are needed to target all hair in every growth phase. Approximately 8-12 weeks after every treatment, the next treatment is needed to eliminate the hairs that now came out of the dormant phase and are now active. After 6-8 treatments or so, patients should experience a considerable hair reduction.”
Based on the above, I am assuming that - in general, and on average - after at most about 96 weeks (12 weeks X 8 treatments), the human body has made each of its individual hairs pass through the full life cycle of a hair (anagen, catagen, and telogen). Am I understanding this correctly?
A related question: Does hair grow in “batches”? (I don’t know what else to call it.) So, over let’s say 96 weeks, are there three batches of hair that grow out, each batch of hair starting the anagen phase at approximately the same time? Or, is it more like 10 batches? Or, do we have hairs entering the anagen phase pretty much equally each day of our lives? And - if the hair does start the anagen phase in batches: Do these batches tend to be equally spaced apart? Or, are there batches that tend to be bunched together, and then a long period of time passes with relatively few hairs entering the anagen phase?
The answer to the first question is yes. You are correct on the timing.
In terms of the second…the cycling continues throughout your life. I think what you’re basically asking is if at any one time you see hairs in both anagen and catogen. The answer is yes - in the beginning. After a few treatments, the hairs synchronize, so that everything you see at any one time is in anagen. To speed up this process, you can also wax 1.5 months before starting your first treatment. This way, all the hair treated on your first treatment will already be in anagen. Thus, you may see results faster overall.
Assuming the skin could take it - Is there some optimum number and spacing of waxing sessions that would force a maximum number of hairs to be synchronized into the anagen phase? This way, fewer laser treatments would be neeced, since presumably you’re getting far more of the hairs in the anagen phase at the same time. Thus, overall, the total cost of waxing and fewer laser sessions would be significantly less than the total cost of 6 - 8 laser sessions.
You would still need at least 6 sessions when for example you would have needed 8 otherwise. however, that’s very hard to tell. the biggest benefit from what I’ve seen personally on myself is that you kill a larger batch of hair at once from the beginning, so the results are more obvious upfront, after just a few treatments. You would just need one waxing about 1.5 months before you start laser. Since you would be ripping the hair out with the root, most of the hair that would come in at that point, before the laser treatment, should be in anagen.
Its been over 3 months since my last treatment on my chest. 5 in total now.
The hair is thinner and sparser, but i still want another 2 treatments.
If i had another treatment tommoro, would the regrowth levels be the same as if i left it another year until the next treatment?
i know its been said before that its better to leave it longer, so that the pigment darkens etc.
But if we look at it in exagerated terms like i said above - does that rule still apply?
hope that makes sense.
Basically, im just wondering if i need to be in any hurry to get another treatment, or will the the final result not change, if i leave it another 6 months or year…
Sorry to hijack the post DLN. i just didnt think this warrented a new thread.
If you are definitely sure that you want to get more treatments, it’s best to do it now at 3 months as the hairs are synchronized and in anagen still for a bit. Once you wait longer than 4 months or so on this area, these hairs will go into resting phase and things will get thrown off. So it’s not a big deal, but you may need more than 2 treatments if you do it later just because the hairs will not be synchronized anymore.
I’m doing these with my legs as I have a considerable reduction after just 2 treatments. I haven’t had treatments since July.
lagirl, i have to ask.
it has been almost 4 months since my last laser treatment. i had full body hair removal. i still have a few weeks till i complete my 4th month. and i am having electrolysis treatments. can the hairs on my body still be in anagen phase or am i too late according to the statistics?