Why won't laser hair removal work on light hair? Let’s talk about it!
To understand why the laser won't work on light-colored hair, we have to start with how exactly laser hair removal works, overall.
Laser is used to remove hair by damaging the hair follicles enough to where they do not grow back. Using light energy and a wavelength to “zap” the follicle, the damage caused makes the hair harder to grow back; this is usually why multiple treatments are required for lasting results!
Our hair follicles are like fingerprints: they are all different and have multiple properties that make our specific hair type. Think of a crime show, like CSI or Dateline where there are hair follicles left at a crime scene, and that specific DNA can be used to narrow down who committed the crime, much like a fingerprint would! All in all, everyone has different hair types and follicles, by color (pigmentation) and coarseness (thickness). This is where laser hair removal can get tricky for some…
Much like humans, the laser is very, very particular about what it’s attracted to. Laser can only detect darker pigmented follicles, i.e. why blondes DO NOT have more fun when it comes to laser hair removal!
It's not just our blondie babes who may find laser results harder, but red, gray, and white hair, too. Not saying that it is not effective, ever, but it does make results harder and you may have to have more than the usual six sessions done.
The best candidates for laser hair removal have darker, more coarse hair and hair follicles. Luckily, many of the places where we want to get rid of annoying hair, naturally grow darker, thicker, and coarser, such as underarms, bikini areas, arms, and legs.
We aren’t saying that getting rid of pesky hair for good is impossible, but it will be harder for our light-haired friends!
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(N.d.). photograph. Retrieved from https://livsmooth.com/about-laser-hair-removal/