Page 71 - Chapter 3 - An Introduction to Laser/IPL Hair Removal

Chapter 3 – Fundamentals of Laser/IPL Hair Removal 1st Edition
Both of these will reduce the overall efficiency leading to poor results and too many treatment sessions.
So, what is the best, or ‘optimum’ time to treat after the first session. Remember, the first time you treat someone, all their anagen follicles will be alive – that’s when you will achieve the best result!
We looked at this scenario in our model and found the following:
4 Any time!
8 4 – 12 12 6–8
Table 17 – After the first treatment session, when is the ‘optimum’ time to treat for the second and third sessions?
Our analysis shows that predicting the ‘best’ time after the second session is very difficult, That is because some anagen follicles will be killed, while others will survive. But it is impossible to know which are which! Consequently, when the next session comes around, some of those anagen follicles which were ‘missed’ previously will be in catagen or telogen, and some will survive the next treatment – perhaps because they are deeper and require a higher fluence than is being administered.
Of course, in the real world, most people will not want to wait 10 or 12 or more weeks between sessions. That’s because people tend to think that a more frequent treatment will generate a faster result.
It doesn’t!!
We are physically restricted by the hair growth cycles, over which we have no control. To achieve the ‘best’ results, we need to wait until the follicles are back in anagen, since that’s the only time we can destroy the germ cells effectively with light and heat.
Applying a treatment too early has no effect if the follicles are in catagen or telogen phase – those treatments will only treat a smaller number of follicles. In fact, our calculations show that
________________________________________________________________________ 71 Chapter 3 Laser/IPL Hair Removal
© The Laser-IPL Guys, 2022
Body Area
Treatment 2 (weeks after first treatment)
Treatment 3 (weeks after second treatment)
Chin
8
2–4
Upper Lip
Arm Pits
7
6 – 10
Bikini
Arms
Legs & Thighs
8
6–8