How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?

Laser hair removal is a way to eliminate unwanted hairs growing on any part of your body, including the legs, arms, armpits, bikini area, and face. It works by focusing laser energy on hairs, which transmit heat to the follicles, inactivating them and causing them to cease hair production.

About Laser Hair Removal

At Dr. Aycock’s practice, we view laser hair removal as an alternative to regular shaving and waxing. Once we treat a follicle, it will no longer make hair, eliminating the need for lengthy morning hair removal routines. 

Laser hair removal works by shining light beams on hair follicles to heat a color chemical they contain called melanin. This compound then transmits heat through the strand, down to the follicle, destroying the biological machinery that creates hair. 

Is It Permanent?

Once our aesthetic nurse specialist treats a hair and successfully inactivates the follicle, it will reduce the growth of hair with every treatment. However, you may still notice some growth after a session because of the way hair growth cycles work. A few hair follicles will be dormant at any point in time. Since there is no hair above the skin’s surface, the laser cannot transmit heat to inactivate the follicle, and so it won’t die. 

Fortunately, you can return for further sessions to clear up any remaining hairs. Most patients require around four to eight treatments spaced four to eight weeks apart to ensure removing all hairs, including those in the dormant phase of their growth cycle. 

Benefits of Laser Hair Removal

The benefits of laser hair removal are considerable. 

• Reduce time spent shaving or waxing: Nobody wants to spend all their time shaving and waxing in the morning. It eats into your day and takes up valuable time you could be spending doing something else. Laser hair removal permanently removes this chore from your schedule, improving your quality of life. 
• Non-invasive: Laser hair removal is non-invasive because it does not require any penetration of the skin. Instead, it remotely inactivates follicles using unwanted hair itself as the transmission vehicle. 
• More affordable: You have to spend money on laser hair removal upfront, but it can save you money over the long term. That’s because you no longer have to pay for waxing and shaving equipment. 
• No ingrown hairs: Waxing and shaving can both lead to painful and unsightly ingrown hairs. But because laser hair removal stops the production of hair altogether, it eliminates this problem. You get perfectly smooth skin, with no bobbling. 

Take the Next Step

Ready to take the leap? Schedule a consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Aycock in Walnut Creek, CA or Greenbrae, CA. You can reach us by filling out the form on this page or by calling (925) 937-8377.

Dr. Aycock serves the greater San Francisco Bay area.