help needed with patchy regrowth/induced hair

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#21

Thanks for the answers.

Lagirl: I had never used any hair removal methods before on the area and never had any problems with ingrown hairs before. And during the treatments I did not have any problem with this, that is during the tree months of regrowth between each treatment. It only began after the last treatment and has continued now when I have stopped doing the treatments, so it does seem to be because the hairs have gotten too thin. And then I guess there is a risk that this will happen to an even bigger extent if I would decide to do laser to thin out more areas, since there will be more hairs that will be too thin then?

Dee: I will look into ways of exfoliating.

Thanks.

#22

Exfoliating will help. Also, shaving correctly will help too.

But yes, this happens to many with any hair removal methods. So it’s not “laser” that caused it. It’s simply starting to tamper with the hair there that caused it because it grows in different directions now and it’s thinner.

#23

Lagirl: Thanks for your answer. I understand that laser per se is not the cause of ingrown hairs, but that the ingrown hairs relate to (just like you say) the tampering with the hair and the thinning of it - which can be related to almost any hair removal method. But it does also seem to me that it is most likely that the thinning of the hair with IPL has caused this to become a problem in the first place, and thus laser (or whatever other hair removal method that thins the hair) will probably make it worse. I’m not questioning laser as a method, I am just trying to be realistic about possible side-effects for me personally. And if I would thin out/tamper with more hair by doing laser, then increased amount of ingrown hairs does seem to be one of those side-effects. So at least for me it seems likely that laser treatments can aggravate the already existing problem of ingrown hairs, and that’s something I will have to consider if would decide to do laser. Sorry for going on about this - I just wanted to explain myself:)

#24

Well, the upside is that more treatments will kill more hair, i.e. there won’t be that much hair left that can become ingrown. That’s usually the positive effect of laser that women for example experience on areas like bikini lines that they normally shave. Your case is a bit different since unlike most people getting laser, you haven’t touched that area at all. Most people have shaved, waxed, etc and get laser as a last resort to prevent all the bumps and scars from ingrowns, and they actually get a lot less ingrowns after laser once the majority of the hair was removed. I can attest to that personally.

I should also remind you that you had mediocre IPL treatments, not true laser treatments. True laser treatments may have killed the hair right away instead of just making most of the hair thinner.

And once again, the way you shave before treatments has a significant impact. Shaving has to be done properly in general to avoid ingrowns, whether you’re doing it to prepare for a laser procedure or not. Shaving in the wrong direction, without soaking the area, withou shaving gel (not cream), and without a good new razor will make all the difference in the outcome.