Ingrown hairs and shaving go together like Coney Island and the Cyclone. Painful, annoying…whatever you want to call them, ingrown hairs are an unwelcome side effect of shaving. That’s why many people who regularly get ingrown hairs come see us at Romeo & Juliette Laser Hair Removal to get rid of their ingrown hairs for good.
What is an ingrown hair?
Ingrown hairs are single hairs that reenter the skin when they are growing back after being shaved, plucked, or waxed. The hair itself isn’t painful as it mistakenly goes under the skin; it’s the inflammation that it causes that hurts.
Why do I get these?
Some men are prone to developing ingrown hairs on their face and neck. This can be a result of coarse or curly hairs that are more likely to become ingrown. For women, plucking around the bikini line can lead to more ingrown hairs, which become unsightly due to the inflammation apparent on the surface skin.
What can I do about them?
At Romeo & Juliette, we put our 12 different lasers on the job removing hair all over the bodies of our clients, and this includes ingrown hairs. Lasers can permanently reduce the volume of hair in areas prone to developing ingrown hairs, which will then lessen their recurrence. Not as many follicles will be actively producing hair after laser removal, so the chances of developing ingrown hair decreases.
How do lasers get rid of ingrown hairs?
Hair follicles, whether they’re growing hair normally or whether they’re growing hairs that are curving and reentering the skin, are the target. We set the laser wavelength to match the melanin in the hair shaft. We then direct shorts pulses of laser energy down onto the unwanted hairs. The melanin in the hair shaft absorbs the laser light energy, and it instantly converts to heat. This heat then travels down the hair shaft into the hair follicle, damaging or destroying the follicle and preventing it from growing hair in the future.
Why do I need more than a single laser hair removal session?
The key to successfully damaging the follicle is to catch the hair in the growth phase of the hair lifecycle. In this phase, the hair is still actively anchored in the follicle and receiving nourishment. Laser energy can reach the follicle and destroy it.
The problem is, hair can also be in the transition or resting phases. In both of these phases of the hair lifecycle, the hair is in the process of being shed or has already been shed. Because these hairs aren’t actively anchored in the follicle any longer, the laser energy cannot travel down the hair shaft into the follicle. So, when these hairs are hit during a hair removal session, they are not affected by the laser energy. That’s why multiple sessions are necessary: to catch as many hairs as possible in the active/growth phase.
Want to say goodbye to your ingrown hairs for good? Call us at Romeo & Juliette Laser Hair Removal, (212) 750-2000, to set up a consultation.