Does prior waxing affect laser results?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

So, I know you can’t / shouldn’t laze hair that has been waxed “within 6 weeks” or so, because you need the follicle to regrow completely. I am curious if “wax-virgin” follicles are easier to successfully laser than ones which have been waxed before.

I ask, because I think I learned that constant waxing can make electrolysis more difficult since waxing can damage the shape of the pore or otherwise change the follicle. So I thought, maybe it can affect laser too?

There are a lot of areas on my body I have never had waxed, but keep clean shaven. But, I’m getting very sick of shaving now since my body has had some hormone changes and has started breaking out in nasty razor bumps every time I shave. Previously, I avoided this with proper preparation and a gallon of GiGi No Bump, but even my careful prep methods aren’t working any more.

So I don’t want to / cannot keep shaving, but I also can’t just jump into laser without budgeting / researching. I’d like to use wax to keep the areas clear until then, but I will avoid it if it has a chance to make the laser less effective.

In case it’s important, the areas I’d be lasering would be legs (full), armpits, belly (small amount around navel, annoys me), and bikini (the hair extends too far to the sides and has earned its death sentence).

#2

Waxing should not affect laser outcome. Waxing matters in electrolysis because it’s harder to fiddle with a needle in distorted follicles. Laser beam penetrates uniformly even in distorted follicles as long as there is enough dark pigment in the hair root. I’m also not convinced by the idea that waxing “synchronizes” all hair to grow in anagen phase thus making laser treatments more efficient and affective. If it were true, we wouldn’t need 6+ treatments to cover all hair cycles over a year period. The only issue I see with waxing is having to wait a period for hair to grow in before starting laser, as you don’t want to waste treatments if post waxing hair hasn’t grown in fully.

#3

That is a clear, simple explanation that makes a lot of sense to me.

In that case, I will probably wax for the time being. Then come back here and devour all your laser knowledge, when I’m ready to do it. That should keep me busy during the 6 weeks of regrowth time, haha.

Thanks so much for explaining it. =)

#4

Waxing does synchronize the hair making you have fewer treatments overall. Hair will still be in a few phases, but the majority will be in say 3-4 batches vs. 20.