People talk a great deal about the protocol and almost never about what comes after. Yet that is what decides whether you will be satisfied in five years. Here, honestly, is what happens once the sessions are over, area by area.
What “permanent” actually means
The accepted term is “permanent hair removal”, and it deserves clarifying. A follicle destroyed by the laser does not grow back: on that point, the result really is permanent.
What is not guaranteed is that your body will never produce new active follicles. On some areas it can, under hormonal influence. It is that nuance — not any supposed “regrowth” — that explains why maintenance is needed on certain parts of the body.
A centre that promises zero hair for life without ever mentioning maintenance is selling you a simplification.
The areas that need little or nothing
On most body areas, the protocol ends and the matter is closed. These are areas that are not hormone-dependent:
What we observe in practice: a few isolated hairs may reappear over the years, often finer and lighter than before. A top-up session every two or three years is plenty, and many of our clients never even feel the need.
The areas that do need maintenance
These are the hormone-dependent areas, and it is worth knowing before you start:
- The face — lip, chin, cheeks, neck
- The beard and its outline
- To a lesser extent, men’s chest and stomach
On these, expect one or two sessions a year after the initial protocol, sometimes fewer. It is not a new protocol: it is a short pass over hair that is already greatly reduced, to neutralise newly active follicles.
The pace depends a great deal on your hormonal context. PCOS, perimenopause or hormonal treatment bring the appointments closer together — the subject of our article on laser hair removal and hormones.
What can restart hair growth
Even on a settled area, certain events can reactivate follicles:
- A pregnancy and the months that follow
- Menopause or perimenopause
- A change of contraception or a hormonal treatment
- Long-term corticosteroids
- A thyroid or adrenal disorder
This is not a failure of the earlier treatment: destroyed follicles stay destroyed. Other follicles are waking up.
What maintenance costs
A maintenance session is charged like a normal one, at the price for the area. On a full face at €89, one session a year bears no comparison with what waxing or tweezing every three weeks used to cost — we did the sum in our article on the real cost of hair removal over ten years.
There is no subscription, no maintenance package, no commitment. You come back when you need to.
How to know when to return
No theoretical calendar: the right marker is your own eye. When you start watching an area again, reaching for tweezers or the razor more than once a week, that is the moment.
For the face, many of our clients simply book in late autumn, before winter — the season when the skin is not tanned and the laser works in the best conditions.
Book an appointment in Uccle, Etterbeek or Watermael-Boitsfort, or call 0491 76 96 39 if you are unsure whether it is time.
