Just wanted you all to know that I am one of the few patients who actually had hair GROW after laser hair removal(LHR).
This is most common in middle eastern or indian women but actually can happen in anyone who is at least olive skinned.
I knew that this was a risk for me (I am a physician and read ALL of the literature before deciding on treatment)....spent THOUSANDS of dollars after many treatments (>10) and now suffer from this and am being saved by electrolysis/spiro/OCPs.
Just beware that this has even been reported in a chinese man (light skinned) who had it done for the Few sparse hairs on his face and now he has SO much hair where ever he had been zapped.
Also in another man on his back!!
It is also more common in people who had a low fluence used on them because they are darker skinned.......JUST BEWARE.
Best of luck....LHR has been a god sent for many people...it just was NOT for me.
Hoe strange - I've never heard anything like that. Can you provide us with some links to where you read about this? I'd like to learn more.
Thanks in advance, Mez.
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I just started laser hair removal. I did a LOT of research. And it CAN cause hair growth. It is most typical in darker skinned people, trying to treat fine hair... it happens due to the laser joules not being high enough to kill hair. It is VERY important to be sure that you know what laser is being used, if its a good fit for YOU, what joules will be used, and make sure you get treated with someone with plenty of experience! I've had only one treatment so far and am VERY happy!!
-Nicky
Sorry, but my access to this medical literature is through pubmed and medline (medical journal databases) which are probably not open to public access. You need to pay for a membership---don't know how much it costs as I get it through the hospital.
You may be able to get a trail membership....you would have to look it up.
Here is one example through the AAD:
Dermatology, July 2005 Journal Scan
From Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology July 2005 ( Volume 53, Number 1 )
Paradoxical Hypertrichosis After Laser Epilation
Alajlan A, Shapiro J, Rivers JK, et al Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2005;53(1):85-88
Laser and intense pulsed light (IPL) hair removal has become a staple of cosmetic dermatology, also serving as a means for hair reduction in medical conditions such as hirsutism due to hormonal imbalances (eg, polycystic ovary syndrome). Lasers and IPLs cause permanent hair destruction through primarily photothermal effects, targeting melanin within the hair shaft and bulb. Intriguingly, anecdotal reports of paradoxical hair thickening and darkening have surfaced as the popularity of laser hair removal (LHR) continues to grow.[1,2]
In a single-center, retrospective case series, Alajlan and colleagues assessed the prevalence of apparent laser-stimulated hypertrichosis in a population of 489 patients who had received at least 1 LHR with a long-pulsed alexandrite laser (755-nm) over a 4-year period. They also sought to identify patient variables predictive of a higher risk of developing postlaser hypertrichosis.
For study purposes, investigators defined postlaser hypertrichosis as "a definite increase in hair density, color, coarseness, or a combination of these at treated sites when compared with baseline clinical photographs in the absence of any other known cause of hypertrichosis." To assess potential predisposing factors, cases of postlaser hypertrichosis were compared with a randomly selected control group of 50 patients (taken from a pool of 489) who had undergone LHR without apparent hair stimulation. Potential predisposing variables identified by the investigators included patient age, sex, skin phototype, hair color, laser settings, and number of treatments.
Out of 489 patients, 3 showed clinical evidence of postlaser hypertrichosis in laser treatment sites during a 4-year treatment period (prevalence of 0.6%, 95% confidence interval: 0.01%-1.9%). All 3 of these subjects had black hair and phototype IV skin. Although additional variables such as age, sex, treatment settings, and number of treatments did not appear to differ between this group and the controls, the small sample size precluded adequate statistical analysis. One 39-year-old woman who showed signs of post-LHR hypertrichosis on her face was of Mediterranean descent; she received 13 laser treatment sessions without apparent improvement, and had a negative work-up for hyperandrogenism. The other patients were both men: one 30-year-old white man undergoing back and arm LHR, and one 21-year-old Chinese man undergoing facial LHR. This latter patient had also started finasteride for androgenetic alopecia prior to noting the increased facial hair growth. Comment
There is a growing consensus in the laser community that paradoxical laser-induced hypertrichosis is a rare but real phenomenon. Unfortunately, the low incidence of this event makes it hard to prove that other factors are not involved. In the study above, for instance, 1 man developed facial hypertrichosis in the context of using finasteride for androgenetic alopecia. One main factor arguing in favor of a cause-and-effect relationship between laser treatment and subsequent hair stimulation is the occurrence of hypertrichosis only in laser-treated areas. When documenting such cases, it is important to obtain baseline and follow-up photographs to confirm a true increase in hair color and/or density, since patients may mistakenly perceive increased hair growth, especially if they are paying cosmetic fees to see hair reduction. It is also vital to obtain a full medical and drug history, including endocrine work-up, to rule out any other causes of hypertrichosis or hirsutism. Finally, it seems prudent to warn patients -- especially those with darker skin phototypes -- that, while rare, postlaser hypertrichosis is a possible complication of LHR. Other investigators have suggested that individuals with an ill-defined hairline, especially those of Mediterranean descent, may be at increased risk of developing laser-induced hypertrichosis.[1] Hopefully, as more case series are reported, data pooling will allow for statistically meaningful analysis to confirm the importance of such hypothesized risk factors
If you have PCOS you have elevated androgens unless you get these under some sort of control ie with a birth control or various other treatments then all of u are prone to growing back the hair ....
My laser technicion said that with PCOS its a case of keeping on top of it its going to be a life long of getting re-lazerd
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Hey-same thing happened to me. I spent above $1500 on Laser Hair Removal and my hair was back within months! What a waste of money!
By the way, I'm Hispanic with nice dark-tan skin.
Just really think about it before you do it
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Age: 24 Size:1 or 3 115 Lbs. Not Diagnosed My current approach-natural herbs & a healthy life style: *Black Cohosh *Saw Palmetto *Fenugreek *Drinking Spearmint Tea *Eating lots of Soy Products *Exercising
My Biggest Problem-Facial & Body Hair Used to have horrible back acne-but it's gone!
I am olive skinned and used the laser with great success. The thing not to forget is we have pcos and our hormones are out of whack. So with laser , like pp mentioned, you have to keep up with it. I started in 2000. After 6 treaments, going in monthly, I was typically hairfree. I still have to go get what is called 'maintenance' about 2 times a year. This is the best I have felt (about my facial hair). It was totally worth it. If I don't keep up with it I will get some new growth I am sure, but I will not let it get like that ever again. When I do go in for maintenance is after I have notice some growth of very fine hair, nothing that gets my panties up in a bunch, but enough to remind me to go in. I think it is rare to have a severe regrowth of hair.
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I'm olive skinned and have very stubborn hairs that grow on my chin. Dermatologist recommended since it was starting to scar my skin with the "ingrown hair like growth". Received 14 mos. of treatments to mixed results. Good news is after 4 mos, derm kept providing at no cost.
Also tried Vaniqa to no avail so d/c.
As stated above, it is the hormones that are the problems, so without that being controlled the hair removal is futile.
I've only been on BCP so not sure how Metformin and/or other drugs may or may not help me. I am considering as I'm now TTC and off the BCP which has exacerbated the hair growth as well as other symptoms - LOVELY.
Three more weeks until my Doctors appt. Can't wait for some resolutions.
Laser hair removal CAUSES hair growth!!! 
