Upper Legs Laser hair removal

Hello friends,

I am a skin type III female with dark coarse hair on upper legs.I had my first laser treatment 6 days ago. The technician used Cynosure Elite Laser. It was Yag. The diameter was 15mm. She doesn’t have a bigger one. I asked her about the setting, she said she used a beginner setting and it is a “conservative” setting. She said she doesn’t want me to get uncomfortable. She said next time, she will use higher setting. She also applied a gel on my skin like the one that is used during ultrasound.

The hair started growing back again the day after the treatment. It is still coarse dark as if I had not any treatment. during the treatment, the follicle became red and a little bit swollen, she said this is good because it means the follicle is absorbing heat and the laser is working. The redness went away in less than 24 hours. It was a little bit painful but it was not torture. In some places it hurts more than other places and the smell of burned hair was stronger.

I called her to check if this is normal for the hair to grow back really quick? She said this the growing hair is the hair that was treated, and it will fall or shed within 10 to 14 days. I have no feeling that it will shed because it is still very dark and dense. She told me I can shave. My next treatment is after 8 weeks.

My question is, is it normal for the hair to grow back the next day? coarse, dark, and dense as before? Was the setting low? What should I ask her to change/ do next treatment?

Thanks a lot,

As You were told, the hair will fall out in about two weeks. Until then it will continue growing (those hairs which had not been hit by the laser, what else should they do?) respectively appear to be growing (those hairs the laser did kill - the skin recovery process will slowly push them out). The latter should look a bit different, dryer, a bit brittle, and it should be possible to carefully pull them out from the follicle without any resistance.

Your description reads as if the treatment was actually successful to at least some degree. Which is the most and the best that can be said after that short time.