It’s Back Again? A Guide to the Best Times to Treat Hair Regrowth After Hair Removal
You’ve just finished your hair removal regimen and are enjoying your perfectly smooth, hair-free skin. Nice! Unfortunately, you know that the clock is ticking and inevitably you’ll be at it again, working hard to get that smooth skin back. It’s a seemingly endless cycle that can be tough to break and get those great hair removal results for longer periods of time.
So, why do some hair removal methods produce longer-lasting results than others, and why do some hair types seem to be more noticeable when they grow back than other types? Well, there are excellent answers to those questions, and today we’re going to explain them. Before we get to the specific details of what you can expect from regrowth after different hair removal treatments, there’s one myth that we feel obligated to dispel.
Does hair really grow back faster and thicker when you remove it?
While we enjoy a good urban myth as much as anyone else, but this one just doesn’t have the science to back it up. Hair does NOT grow back thicker or faster after you remove it. It really, really doesn’t.
There are certainly reasons to explain how this myth became so widespread, and why it’s easy for people to assume that this is indeed the way things work, but it’s actually not how hair grows. If it was, the hair on most women’s legs and men’s faces would grow back so fast you’d be able to see it in real-time!
How fast does human hair grow?
It’s important to understand that hair will grow at a slightly different rate for different people, and that rate can vary slightly depending on the part of the body where the hair is growing. Hair on your head for example, may grow slightly faster than hair on your legs. Furthermore, it’s been observed that most men experience a slightly faster rate of hair growth than most women. However, the average overall growth rate for human hair is about .5” per month, which equals about 6” in a year.
So, why is some hair more noticeable as it grows back?
In general, when it does seem like hair is growing back faster or darker, it’s due to one or more factors that are easily explained. First, the method of hair removal can influence how the hair looks and feels as it regrows.
Shaving in particular is the best example of this, since it cuts off the visible portion of the hair, instead of removing the entire hair down to the root. This leaves the hair with a flat end, which causes stubble that feels coarse and rough as the hair regrows on the skin. When hair is removed down to the root, an entirely new hair is grown, which has a smoother, tapered end and does not feel as coarse as it grows back.
In addition to the coarse feel of hair regrowth after shaving, it also appears to be darker in tone than the tapered tips of entirely new hair. This is because the cut end of the hair is thicker in diameter than the tip of a new hair, making it appear to be darker in tone as it regrows. Usually, people who use methods that involve the removal of the entire hair all the way down to the root find these effects to be far less noticeable.
However, these aren’t the only reasons why hair may look different as it regrows time and time again after many sessions of hair removal. Hormone changes and the natural effects of aging are also proven to cause visible differences in many aspects of our body, including greater areas of hair coverage on the body as well as the tone and feel of the hair.
Although the myth generalizes these factors and blames them on the frequency and type of hair removal treatments, the reality is that it’s just a natural progression in how our bodies grow hair as we go through life, and no amount of shaving (or not shaving) will change that.
In light of these facts, it should come as no surprise that you’ll find there are vastly different timelines for hair removal depending on which method you choose, and how it works. Let’s do a deeper dive on this and explore the typical intervals that most people experience when using different hair removal approaches.
What hair removal method offers the longest interval between treatments?
Shaving is definitely the hair removal method that yields the shortest times between retreatments simply because it only removes the portion of the hair that protrudes from the surface of the skin, leaving the root and the portion inside the follicle intact. This means that the rough stubble of hair regrowth can be seen and felt quite soon, sometimes even later the same day. This is where the term ‘five o’clock shadow’ comes from, which refers to the visible regrowth that some men experience on their face later in the day after shaving their beards that same morning.
However, it should be noted that the face isn’t the only place that fast regrowth can be noticeable after shaving in the morning. Some people experience the same thing on their legs, bikini area, or underarms depending on the closeness of the shave of their razor, and how fast their body typically grows hair. As a guideline, most people can expect to shave at least every couple of days in order to maintain the desired appearance.
Depilatory creams results will usually last longer than shaving, but not nearly as long as some other methods. This is because the amount of hair that gets dissolved by these creams varies depending on the strength of the cream, the characteristics of the hair itself, and how long the cream can safely be applied before needing to be removed. On average, depilatory creams last about 5 days before the next application is needed.
Waxing, sugaring, and epilators all provide longer lasting results than shaving or creams, since they work by pulling out the entire hair, including the root. Because of this, the average interval between hair removal with waxing, sugaring or epilators can be anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks. Unfortunately, these methods require hair to be a certain length in order to provide the proper ‘grip’ to pull it out. This means you’ll need to wait until the hair is long enough to be effectively removed, and it can be frustrating to have to live with that necessary regrowth in between treatments with these methods.
For the longest-lasting, permanent results for hair removal, electrolysis, laser hair removal, or intense pulsed light - IPL hair removal are the most common methods. While professional electrolysis is able to treat all hair types, the process can often be quite uncomfortable, and the treatments are very time-consuming, not to mention expensive.
Laser hair removal is also costly and requires lengthy treatment sessions with a professional, it is not an effective solution for all hair and skin tones. Laser hair removal is generally only used with patients who have a strong contrast between their skin and hair tones, meaning dark hair on light skin is required for effective treatments.
IPL hair removal offers an ideal solution for permanent hair removal without the shortcomings of electrolysis or lasers. IPL hair removal devices provide easy, painless, effective results that last, and can give you the permanently smooth, hair-free skin that you’ve always wanted. While similar to laser hair removal, IPL devices use a broader spectrum of light that provide effective results to a much wider range of skin and hair tones than what lasers are able to achieve.
If the idea of permanent hair removal without any pain, discomfort or irritation sounds appealing to you, what would you say if we also told you that you can achieve these results quickly and easily in the comfort of your own home? We bet you’d be even more excited to learn more, so let us introduce you to the Silk’n Infinity!
How does the Silk’n Infinity hair removal device produce permanent results?
The Silk’n Infinity is an advanced IPL hair removal device that combines light-based hair removal with galvanic energy to provide incredibly easy and effective hair removal that lasts. The light pulses produced by the Infinity target the melanin in the hair and are absorbed by it, thereby producing heat energy that travels deep down into the root of the hair to the surrounding cells in the follicle. This heat energy affects the cells around the root, which are responsible for hair growth and regeneration, and inhibits their ability to make new hair.
The addition of galvanic energy to the process allows the Infinity to help to stimulate the skin and open the pores and follicles, allowing the light pulses to penetrate deeper and further into the root of the hair.
The first 4 treatments with the Infinity are generally done two weeks apart. The next 3 treatments are then four weeks apart, with successive treatments on an as-needed basis. With each treatment with the Silk’n Infinity, the results become more and more permanent. Thanks to the combination of intense pulsed light and galvanic energy, your skin will become smooth and hair-free, and stay that way!
Forget About Hair Regrowth and Achieve Permanent Results with Silk’n
If you’re fed up with rough, scratchy stubble from shaving, or simply done with having to live with short regrowth until it’s long enough to wax again, then isn’t it time you experienced a better way to get rid of that hair for good?
With the Silk’n Infinity hair removal device, you’ll love how easy it is to get the smooth, permanently hairless skin you want without any of the hassle of other methods. Say goodbye to hair regrowth forever, and hello to the Silk’n difference!
