Yearly Touch Up Sessions?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hey,

I was told by my laser practitioner that I would need semi-annually or annually touch up treatments after my initial 4-6 laser treatments and I just had a couple of questions.

  1. Are these treatments needed for everyone or does the hair stay away permanently with no regrowth for some people?

  2. Is this actually regrowth or new growth of different hair?

  3. Are touch up treatments less expensive and less time consuming?

It would be great to hear from anyone that has had the first bunch of initial treatments and what they have experienced in the following years in terms of regrowth/new growth and any subsequent touch up treatments they have had.

Thanks!

#2

I’m not sure why your laser practitioner would tell you this unless they expect that the treatments will not work and you are buying into temporary hair removal. The lhr treatments I have had personally and treatments I have provided for clients have effectively killed the hair follicles, not every last follicle mind you, but 95 to 98%. No touch up appointments have been necessary. For the last few hairs most have electrolysis to complete the process in its entirety.

I would continue to search for another practitioner. What type of laser are they using?

#3

Gentlelase 20j 18mm spot size

I should also mention that I am being treated by the director of laser as Sunnybrook Hospital, Dr.Howard Bargman who is a dermatologist that has been working with lasers for a very long time. I’m not going to some shady underground med-spa so I can’t imagine he would give me false information but rather what he has observed from his years of practice. Any information or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

#4

Depends on a few things. But in short:

  1. yes, depending on body part
  2. regrowth
  3. DefINITELY less time consuming, and usually less expensive.

i’m gonna give underarms as an example. Laser hair removal is actually laser hair reduction. It is to reduce the amount of hair you have by a heck of a lot for good. On some areas of the body 75%-85% perm reduction is common, like underarms for example, and for that remaining 25% of hair, that’s what they are removing via touch up, and will continue to touch it up, that’s not going to be removed permanently so laser is just to remove it “long term” (stays away about 6-12 months). It is not new hair.

Some areas respond amazingly well, like legs, it’s very common for people to get 98/99% permanent reduction. Those don’t need touch ups.

I used to get touch ups on my underarms b/c my med spa always participated in spa week which is $50 for undie arm treatment 2 times a year. and many places do offer cheap “touch ups”.

A lot of people will use home machines for touch ups post laser. Again, those hairs aren’t going away permenently, they’ll just be stunned for 6 months or so.

I did 2 touch ups on underarms just to make sure any permanency i could get would be gotten, then i knew after that, those that grew back were going to be what was left.

hope that makes sense.

#5

prettysure explained it well. Since laser achieves some % of reduction which is permanent when done correctly, the remaining hairs that keep on growing back can not be permanently removed by laser because they are finer and don’t have enough dark pigment in them for laser to target. For these hairs, some clinics do touch-up deals because zapping them with laser slows down growth cycles dramatically. So technically these touch ups become long lasting waxing. Some clinics tell you to come in once a year or twice a year. 18mm/20j is highest setting and I think the clinic you’re using knows what they’re doing and are being very honest about touch ups.

#6

and for some reason, some coarse hairs are also resistant to laser even when the bulk of them responded well. No idea why, but it’s not just fine ones. and for some reason undie arms are one of the areas that tend to exhibit this phenomenon the most.

#7

No disrespect intended, if it is necessary to have touch up treatments it is not a permanent solution to unwanted hair.

#8

Ay yi yi. Permanent reduction. For people like myself who used to have to shave their underarms every 1-2 days, to be able to go to shaving 10-20 hairs 1x a month, yes, very good solution. Life changing actually.

And no disrespect intended, but first you tell this person they need to find someone else, and they shouldn’t be saying there needs to be touch ups, now you’re saying laser isn’t a good permanent solution because their needs to be touch ups (or some other subsequent treatment can be used). Just makes no sense. Not everyone gets 95% perm on every body part. Unless you’re saying that every person can get 95% of perm reduction on every body part. Which is great, where can we all go for that. Even just 10% left would require subsequent treatment.

#9

I didn’t think my post was unclear, perhaps I should clarify.

I was not trying to imply that lhr is not a good permanent solution for unwanted hair, my point is if the practitioner cannot provide good results, ie: a significant amount of hair follicles incapacitated with no requirement for further treatments, then the service being provided is not going to be a solution for the client.

In my practice I provide lhr to the point where only a sparse number of hairs remain, if the client chooses to have the remaining hairs treated with electrolysis they will essentially be hair free, except for possibly some very fine hairs that are not easily seen with the naked eye. This has been my experience and these clients are happily on their way enjoying the freedom from unwanted hair. I know this because I get many referrals from previous clients, and sometimes I see them for other treatments and they will often mention how pleased they are with the results. Providing the client is a candidate for lhr a good practitioner, who knows how to manipulate the settings on their machine, can provide 90% plus reduction.

#10

I just saw an ad today where a laser business was advertising for 50% off laser touch ups. I have never seen this before. Is this a new thing?

So, Prettysure, are you saying that laser is attracted to the light, fine hair that are left on an underarm or leg and it can stun or have enough effect on those light, fine hairs to stun it into submission for six months?

#11

Carmella, I thought you were very clear on your points and expressed them very politely. As a laser specialist and an electrologist, you of all people should know what you are talking about!

#12

I’m not saying all hair left is hair so fine a laser can’t effect it.

I think hair treated with laser that come back tend to be more fine than it was but not always fine. The hair that was left on my underarms wasn’t fine, more medium, but that certainly was effected by laser touch up (that medium less than very coarse hair). In fact, the few hairs that i have left on my legs could certainly be lasered as well. I probably have 5-10 hairs, and they are not fine. I certainly could go in and have those touched up, doesn’t mean my lhr was unsuccessful or that the person who did it was ineffective.

but touch-ups aren’t new, i’ve heard of touch ups since i started following laser. I know even Pulse in nyc has touch up pricing.

#13

Ah, gotcha. Although if 5-10% of 100’s-1,000’s of hairs are left, that is something that a provider would tell a person that they either a touchup or some other subsequent treatment (of course lhr places are going to offer laser as subsequent treatment instead of elec, even if elec would be better). So i still don’t see how telling that to a client would indicate ineffective laser treatments.

Unless i’m wrong on texture and laser will never leave anything but hairs that are fine enough that a laser can’t find it.

#14

If treatments are effective, there is no “regrowth”. If your body develops NEW hair in the future, you’ll need to treat it.

I’ve personally had zero “regrowth” on all areas treated and it’s been over 6 years now or more on some areas.

#15

Damn. then i am so dumb for finishing up with electrolysis on my underarms. I shoulda just gone with more laser hair removal now i’m kinda bummed. i was gonna just wait for the play i want, to run a special and do it i re-do my brazilian but i figure elec was the way to go. luckily it’s only been 3 less than ten minute sessions, but still.

so now i have to ask you this. Are you saying laser is, and i have no problem hearing yes, i’m big on laser, 100%, not 85-99? (i’m about to have my brazil redone soon, very excited for it).

#16

I think of a lhr touch up treatment as a treatment for the last few stragglers, it would be done once, maybe twice, then the job would be complete. Even after a touch up treatment there are likely to be a small number of hairs remaining.

I wouldn’t expect to have to have an annual or semi annual touch up for years to come.

#17

prettysure, you’re confusing things. Laser can’t target finer hair. What you’re treating with electrolysis is NOT “regrowth”. It’s hair laser couldn’t target in the first place because it was too fine. If the hair is damaged permanently by laser, it doesn’t “grow back”. Terminology is important here.