Are lower arms at risk for induced hair growth? I know we recommend dark AND coarse hair for results, but I’m not sure I saw anyone talk about induced hair growth on lower arms. I’m not looking for a completely bare look…just a nice reduction. Is that reasonable after 3 tx? Will it look natural?
Thanks
No risk for induced hair.
If you have coarse dark hair then it is reasonable to get some reduction after 3 treatments. After it grows back completely it will look natural, it’s possible that at the beginning of the treatments it will look occurred (maybe maybe not) but for sure after it all grows back.
This area shouldn’t have any induced growth. That tends to be on female faces and male backs/shoulders. So upper arms are a bit risky, but I’ve never heard of someone having induced growth on lower arms.
I had laser several years ago on a lot of brown, fine hair all over my arms. At the time I didn’t know this was a bad idea - they said it would work. I don’t want to put you off because I know mine is an unusual case, but I experienced a lot of induced growth on my upper arms and quite a bit on my lower arms. The hair came back sparser than it was before, but much thicker and darker. I’m now having electrolysis on upper arms and am trying laser again on the darker hairs on the lower arms - hoping it will work. My advice is that if your hair isn’t at all coarse, it isn’t worth the risk. The parts that came back worst were the areas where hair was previously finest - e.g. inside of the lower arms and the whole of the upper arms. If you really want to get treated, i’d recommend having just one session then waiting a good 12 weeks before assessing results. I saw the darker hair coming back after the first treatment, but persisted because they told me such a reaction was impossible. Those were my gullible days before Hairtell!
Eesh, that sucks bea!! You’re pretty brave for trying again.
hey kitty, yes it sucks!! to be honest I’m only going back to laser very temporarily, because i don’t want to be paranoid about my arms all summer and, where i live, 1 session of laser on half-arms is cheaper and longer lasting (in the temporary sense) than 1 clearance from electro. And at this point I don’t think things could get any more induced than they already are! But in the long run, I’ll be moving onto my lower arms with electro as soon as the upper arms are manageable…
Bea,
What were your settings? Which laser? I would be interested to know if possibly it was a result of low settings.
Thanks!
Hi Blues,
I’m afraid it was several years ago so I don’t know the exact details. I do know I was treated at high settings - I had some scabbing and a very strong reaction to the heat. It also hurt a lot! I have fair type III skin, and my hair was dense, dark and extremely noticeable - but each individual hair was fine. I started noticing the stimulation on my upper arms and shoulders after just the first treatment, but it didn’t happen on the lower arms until later. So if you do decide to have treatments, I would recommend having the first and then waiting a good 12 weeks before going in for another, so you can assess the difference. Take photos so your imagination doesn’t play tricks on you!
There are some other factors: I was young when I started treatment (around 20) and so my body may have reacted more strongly than if I had been older. I know for sure, though, that these were not hairs my body would have produced anyway. They look too weird, way too coarse and dark for the arms, esp the upper arms! They are also very patchy. This is not necessarily an indication of poor treatment - I was always competely bald for 6 weeks after treatment and never had missed patches. I can only imagine it is something to do with the highest energy being at the center of the spot, whereas there is lighter energy at the edges. Overlapping spots might eliminate this problem.
Other info about my situation - I am female and have a lot of hair for genetic reasons. Fine but noticeable brown fuzz all over my torso and buttocks, thicker hair on legs. Laser hair stimulation is a funny and unpredictable phenomenon. My laser tech was lovely (although clearly ill-informed) and used to throw in other areas for free occasionally - so I had laser on peach fuzz on my lower back and on my areolas a couple times. No stimulation there, despite the hair being finer than on my arms.
Bottom line is that laser is just unpredictable on areas which are not dense, coarse and dark - i.e. lower legs, underarms and bikini on most women. Even if hair is not stimulated (and most likely you’d be ok - I know I’m unusual) it is possible to be left with patchiness. so, If you decide to take the plunge, be militant about overlapping spots, high settings, before and after photos, and ice adjacent areas (i.e. your upper arms) to avoid stimulation there. If you upload photos to this site, then the laser experts can give their advice about the texture and color of your hair.
Let me know if I can help any more.
p.s. it was an alexandrite laser - no more info than that though, sorry!
I thought there’s no risk on arms and legs as in the topic made by peace1?
It’s unpredictable. Just because something is not widely reported doesn’t mean it doesn’t occasionally happen. Arms are definitely riskier than legs, though.
I wouldn’t worry too much about lower arms. I would, however, keep in mind that you won’t necessarily get even results. You have to be prepared to have some patchiness. You just can’t predict these things. It may not happen, but you never know.