2. The REGRESSIVE or CATAGEN phase is the phase during which the hair ceases to actively grow but is not yet shed. This phase often lasts several weeks comprising about 3 - 4% of our total body hair at any given point in time. The laser will work in this stage, but if it is late in this part of the cycle, a new hair might already be coming through and the new hair will not be affected by the laser.

3. The RESTING or TELOGEN phase lasts 5 - 6 weeks, at the end of which the hair falls out and the new hair becomes visible. The new hair may not be affected by the laser because it will not have pigment in it yet, remembering that the laser literally relies on the pigment to find the hair. Approximately 10-13% of our body hair is in this phase at any one time.

Getting an appreciation of the hair growth cycle leads to the ultimate question, "Is it possible to get permanent hair removal?" The answer is Yes, Laser Hair Removal can definitely provide a level of permanency. As you can see, if a hair in the Active/Anagen stage is subjected to the laser, then that hair will most likely be killed permanently. If a hair that is in either of the other 2 stages is exposed to the laser, then that hair will most likely be killed, but the new hair coming through will still continue to grow.

So to achieve permanent hair removal, you will more than likely need multiple laser treatments. You could be lucky - your first Laser hair removal session will permanently remove all of your problem hair, but the likelihood is that you will need multiple sessions at set intervals to ensure that you get to the hair when it is in the first stage of growth. And that is all there really is to know, permanent Laser Hair Removal is definitely possible !

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