Mistaken Regrowth After Laser
A lot of regrowth after laser hair removal can be very disheartening, and you might even feel that the treatment isn’t working for you and maybe even give up.
Any new hairs that appear during treatment are usually NEW cycles, which is good because it means we're targeting hairs that weren't in the growth phase at your previous appointment. Here we will cover the types of hair growth that can often be mistaken as regrowth after laser hair removal.
Telogen (resting) Phase
Laser hair removal is ineffective during this phase because the hair is fully detached, and the laser can’t reach the follicle to destroy it. The follicle becomes dormant until a new anagen hair develops, and a new growth cycle will begin. As this new hair grows, it will push the old hair up and out of the skin. This can often be mistaken as regrowth from previously lasered hair.
Empty Follicles & hidden hairs
During the resting phase, some follicles will be empty, and some will have new hairs (early Anagen hairs) hidden under the skin. Concealed hairs can surface a few days after your laser treatment, and the inactive follicles will produce new hairs over the next 3-4 months. These hairs were never treated with laser but can be mistaken as regrowth.
Shaving
If you are shaving between laser appointments, you may find that many of the slow-growing telogen and catagen hairs are entirely invisible, and you only see the fast-growing anagen hairs.
Even after shaving, the telogen hairs will sit at skin level until a new fast-growing Anagen hair is produced and shows a false regrowth.
If you’re unsure, we recommend you stop shaving between appointments. Shaving doesn’t affect your treatment, but it may hide the actual amount of hair you have.