For the most part, post-care treatment is simple. “Immediately afterward, we don’t want you to use vitamin A and retinols and anything that could be harsh,” says Dr. Engelman. “And avoid the sun. Your melanocytes have been stimulated by UV radiation, so the risk of hyper or hypopigmentation is higher.”
How do you keep up laser facial hair removal?
No matter which laser your doctor selects for your skin tone, the great equalizer for anyone getting laser hair removal on their face is the treatment cadence. Expect to go in for treatments every four weeks, which syncs with the body’s natural hair growth cycle: the antigen phase, meaning growing; the catagen phase, which is when the hair rests; and the telogen phase, the period when the hair falls out.
“We can only actively treat hairs in the antigen or growth cycle,” Dr. Engelman says. “You can’t kill something that’s already fallen out. That’s why we don’t want you to wax the hair beforehand or tweeze or pluck it, because then there’s no hair. There’s no target for the laser to hit.” (Shaving in advance—preferably the night before—is fine, and even recommended to avoid potential irritation.)
For most patients, four to six treatments may result in a 70 to 80 percent reduction in overall hair growth, with many only needing annual touch-up for stubborn hairs (every six months for some people; more like two years for others). Of course, this varies based on the person and touchups can be necessary anywhere from every six months to every few years, according to Dr. Gohara.
Six months and six treatments under my belt, I gawk at the smoothness of the skin along my jawline and cheeks. No sores, or redness. With a few swipes of an electric razor every three days, I can now eliminate every hair on my face. I’m free of the blemishes and the hairs trapped in inflamed, beet-red mounds—mounds that were rarely larger than a sesame seed, but would weigh so heavily on my self-esteem. Honestly, more heavily than I even realized, until a few five-minute appointments liberated me from the tenderness and frustration of folliculitis—and the drawerful of razors, balms, and salves that I have now gleefully replaced with… well, different beauty products. (Hey, it’s part of the job!) Full-coverage concealers and foundations have exited stage right, replaced by skin tints and a newfound confidence.
