Hi,
Im one week post treatment. I have been pulling on some of the hairs to see if they will come out. Some came out with ease, while others seem to be missed spots as they will not come out.
I was wondering if pulling out hairs that are shedding is going to affect the outcome?
Don’t mistake shedding for laser induced hair death. Hairs shed anyway, sometimes the heat from the laser only pushes this natural process forward by disrupting the collagen binding that keeps the hair in. If a hair was in Catagen or Telogen phase, the hair was dead anyway. You can pluck those to your hearts desire, and it will make no difference. A new hair is going to grow back anyway because it was unlikely the laser delivered enough destructive energy due to the hair root bulb being distanced from the papilla by means of papillary drift.
Plucking doesn’t interfere with any death process after a laser treatment (that’s if it was successful). The hair was either killed, partially disrupted, or left untouched. That all happened in the split second the laser pulsed on it. The only thing plucking can hurt is removing a potential hair for destruction in the next future laser session.
And note that a hair can fracture under the skin during or after a laser session. This can appear as hair death as well, when in fact only part of the hair is being extruded.
Mantaray
to answer the original question - pulling hairs that slide out easily doesn’t make anything worse. just don’t pull on the ones that are intact. you should wait another 2 weeks to judge. shedding takes up to 3.5 weeks, so more hairs will come out in the next 2 weeks. you’re judging “missed spots” too early.
Hey LA girl. Does that mean hairs that are still tightly planted in your skin (ie there’s a lot of resistance when you pull them) might actually be killed and just need time to shrivel up? I ask because I just had a treatment a week ago on stomach and thighs, and so far none of the hairs are “loose” yet.
wowzers are you male or female? I noticed you’re in Mississauga where did you go for your treatment. I went to LCI for my underarms.
Im a week and 1/2 post and some shedding has happend. Im going to do my lower abdomen and lower legs at womens college hospital derm clinic. They’re super pricy so Im hoping for good results.