Your Hair Cycle Explained
When it comes to laser hair removal, your hair cycles are crucial to getting the best results.
Here we will explain some of the stages of hair growth and how this affects treatment for laser hair removal. It is entirely normal to have hair re-growing between laser sessions, which doesn't mean the treatment isn't working. It's all about the hair cycles. Hair grows in cycles, and hair will continue to grow until we have successfully treated every cycle.
Anagen (growth phase)
This is the only stage where the hair bulb is intact and has an abundance of pigment, making it the only stage for laser to be effective. Any new regrowth in the area is likely to be hairs in a new Anagen cycle - Only 20% of hair is actively growing during one Anagen growth phase, and this is why we need multiple sessions.
This stage usually lasts about four to six weeks on our bodies and a few years on our heads.
Catagen (transition phase)
The hair stops growing and begins to detach from the follicle, even though the hair has not yet been shed the laser cannot reach the follicle once it has separated.
About 1-5% of all hairs are in this phase at any time. This stage lasts for about two to three weeks.
