Correct time period between laser sessions?

[Jules]

Hi everyone. I'm getting pretty confused and just wanted to ask what everyone's opinion is on this.

Most of what I read on the internet says you should get your laser hair removal done every 6-8 weeks.

However there are a couple of places saying they got a new IPL system where you only have to wait every 4 weeks. So you can get it done in half the time!


How does this laser work? How come it is twice as fast?

Is the internet just a bit behind the times?

[aaron]

The people were using an IPL system?


I thought IPL systems weren't as good as lasers? I wonder why they think an IPL can do it twice as fast.


Maybe IPL technology has caught up?

[Jules]

The ad I read said laser hair removal. I take it they actually use a laser

What is IPL?

[Eleanora]

I've done a lot of reading on laser hair removal. Or Laser hair "reduction". It always seemed to me you had to wait at least 8 weeks for the hairs to grow back sufficiently. I can't understand how using a different laser or an IPL could shorten this by half.

I can't believe it makes the hair grow back faster! That woudln't be a good way to get hair removal.


And from what I can tell IPL stands for intense pulse light. Its basically just a big powerful bulb which has a red filter in front.

A laser is more powerful and more expensive. All of the light is exactly the same. A bit like a laser pointer shining in your eyes compared to a red torch shining in your eyes. Most stuff on the internet says lasers are better

[Jules]

HI Eleanora can you point me in the direction of some of this information you are reading?

I'm particularly interested in why most people think it takes 6 weeks between sessions?

[Eleanora]

I hope this doesn't get me banned pointing you in the direction of a website!


Wikipedia is a good place to start. I'll PM you some more specific websites.

[jomol31]

*SIGH*

No you wont get banned for recommending wikipedia eleanora! I'm not that much of a Nazi.


The only things the forum tries to clamp down on is obvious advertising

[Hairy Brady]

I got my hair removal done at a day spa.

They were pretty convincing in saying I only needed to wait 4 weeks between sessions. They showed me a study with 12 people showing the ones who waited 4 weeks got results just as good as the ones who waited 8 weeks.

I've had 4 sessions so far and I think I can see some thinning of the hair.

[d-wayne]

A study with 12 people total?

Just 6 people in each arm? I would hardly call that conclusive evidence.

If any medical type people can respond I'ld love to know the answer to this question as well.


BUt getting studies with a grand total of 12 subjects interpretted for me by a beauty therapist is hardly conclusive stuff!

[Eleanora]

I agree with d-wayne. The stuff I've read saying you should wait 6-8 weeks has studies with hundreds of patients.

From my hazy memories of stats in high school I think a sample of 10 people is not convincing.


Some of the stuff I've come across says the longer you wait between sessions the more effective each session is.

['mealia]

I'm pretty cynical about the laser hair removal centres that ask you to go back every 4 weeks.

When you look hard at laser hair removal the whole theory is the hairs you permanently destroy are the hairs that are in the growing phase. At any one time only 30% or so of your hairs are growing.

The whole idea of waiting a long time between treatments is to allow as many hairs as possible be growing. If you go back too soon you won't remove as many hairs as you might.

I'm a cynic. I'll admit it. But I think the places that advertise 1 month sessions instead of 2 month sessions are only doing so to double the amount of money they make!

[Jules]

I guess that explains a lot.

From an economic point of view!


So the longer I wait between sessions the more hair will be destroyed?

['mealia]

I forgot to put into my first post.

10 patients is a statistically irrelevent study! Only someone who doesn't understand stats would use such a small study to prove anything.

[Nina27]

You should stop asking around on the internet where half the posts are planted anyway!


Go and see somebody and ask them why they think you should space it out to 4, 6 or 8 weeks.

Australia is be a bit funny. I got mine done back home in Taiwan (loads cheaper) but only doctor's are allowed to do laser hair removal there.

Still I guess there are a lot of day spas that have experience in laser hair removal here. Still cheaper to get a Taiwanese doctor to do it though.

[mrgym]

melia. How many people do you think you need to show a laser works.

I've done a pretty low level google search and a lot of the studies have 20 or 40 people. Is this convincing?

[Tanny]

Why are you guys trying to read studies meant for doctors!!! Just ask someone. There's a reason we haven't studied for a gazillion years. Let the experts decide on the right time course.

For the record my doctor said to wait 8 weeks between sessions for my legs because this is how long it takes for the hairs to grow back in that area. On my face I only have to wait 6 weeks

['mealia]

Tanny,

I am a doctor! So I am perfectly happy interpretting the studies myself. I think quite a few other people here are well trained in statistics too so its not unreasonable they try to understand and interpret the evidence themselves.

After all from personal experience I can tell you now not all doctors are altruistic and many many of them really need the money to pay off their new laser systems, motorboat, mercedes, stupidly huge 8 bedroom house, that sort of thing.

A lot of them would love you to come back twice as often just to meet their new higher repayments

[Tanny]

sorry (?)amelia. You are a doctor? A medical doctor?

Do you do laser hair removal yourself? What is your take on this question about time period between sessions?

[Kwan.G]

I think its definietly 6 to 8 weeks.

I went to one doctor and got it scheduled every 4 weeks apart.

I trully could hardly see any difference after 6 sessions.

I went to one of the more famous aestheticians here in vancouver and I got a better result after just one session. He scheduled it 8 weeks apart!


I would say definietly wait the full 8 weeks

[Sue46]

I thought you had to get each laser session done every 4 weeks. You want to accumulate the damage as quickly as possible to kill off the hair follicles.

If you wait too long between treatments it will not work