Many clients experience a slight pinch at the treatment site; it doesn’t hurt as much as waxing or plucking.
Many people report feeling less discomfort after each session due to thinner hairs and lessened sensation.
Staying hydrated and taking over-the-counter pain relievers prior to an appointment may also provide significant assistance.
Pain Receptors
Laser hair removal hurts, but not as badly as you might expect. Although initially uncomfortable, most find its sensations bearable and similar to that of rubber bands snapping against their skin quickly. Laser is also often less painful than waxing for more sensitive areas like upper lips or temples.
At the heart of all pain is a nociceptor sensor that detects potential harm or damage to your skin, sending signals through to your spinal cord and ultimately brain causing you to experience discomfort as a warning of something needing correcting.
Pain levels for laser hair removal vary between people as everyone’s bodies have unique tolerance levels. Some factors that could exacerbate your experience of laser hair removal include hair color and density, skin type, and heat sensitivity.
Darker-haired people are usually subject to more pain from laser treatment as the light from the laser absorbs into the pigment in their hair, while blonde or light-haired individuals usually experience minimal discomfort due to not absorbing light directly.
Another factor that may impact how much pain you feel from laser hair removal is where it takes place. For instance, areas like your upper lip and temples tend to be more sensitive due to more nerve endings being concentrated here and thinner skin thickness; similarly, lower back areas, bikini lines and underarms could all prove sensitive due to being thinner areas that contain more nerve endings.
Avoid shaving during and immediately prior to laser hair removal appointments to reduce pain, which may seem counterintuitive considering its goal is hair removal. Shaving may help, but too soon of a shaving could cause irritation and itching in your skin. You could also take an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen for 30 to 45 minutes prior to an appointment so the medication has time to work effectively.
Air Coolers
Laser hair removal works by heating up the pigment in unwanted hair and producing small plumes of smoke with a sulfurous scent, which then release toxins and carcinogens into the skin. Therefore, prior to receiving laser treatments it is crucial not to shave, wax, or use depilatories; chemical peels or retinol creams should also be avoided for two weeks before and after your treatments as well as sunbeds or fake tans as these could pose significant health risks.
If you are going through with laser hair removal, we advise using a high-grade medical grade machine designed specifically for this process with built-in contact cooling to make it more comfortable and achieve better results in less time. While some discomfort may still exist with older machines without built-in contact cooling features, it should be much lower.
At our clinic we use the MeDioStar laser hair removal machine – an advanced diode laser which is extremely effective and features built-in contact cooling to make treatment far more comfortable than other clinics that rely on using ice gel on their skin for cooling purposes. Our clients find our laser machine far more soothing.
Not only can this process be messy and cumbersome, it can be downright uncomfortable as well. Our MeDioStar laser has an exceptional cooling system which uses a jet of cold air on the skin prior to and during laser energy emission – our scientific studies showed that 86% of clients preferred air cooling over gel cooling!
Our practitioners are highly-skilled professionals with years of training. This means they know exactly how to use these machines so they can treat you faster, more effectively, and with reduced pain – one reason our clients love us and how their sessions are less painful than at clinics without medical-grade machines or staff who have undergone comprehensive laser training.
Warm Water
Laser hair removal works by targeting each individual follicle with tiny high-heat laser beams, producing an experience similar to being flicked with a rubber band during treatment and similar to having mild sunburn afterwards. Numbing cream may be applied before or during a treatment to lower pain levels from 8-2; shaving, waxing and plucking the area prior to your session also helps significantly.
Laser hair removal tends to hurt more on areas with thin skin such as the upper lip and temples than other parts of the body, but everyone’s tolerance for pain differs considerably, with most patients reporting that any discomfort they experience from laser treatment is far less than with waxing, tattooing or childbirth.
Remember, too, that your body’s sensitivity to laser treatments depends on its hormone levels; thus, ideally you should plan laser sessions prior to your period if possible. Many women who undergo backhair laser treatments experience more discomfort due to menstruation cycle-sensitive areas like their legs, underarms, and bikini area.
Prior to your laser hair removal appointment, it is also a wise idea to limit exposure to tanning beds and natural or artificial sunlight for several weeks prior to treatment, as exposure could reduce effectiveness of treatments as well as cause side effects.
Before and after laser hair removal appointments, it’s advisable to drink lots of water. Hydration helps flush out substances in your system that increase pain perception while making skin more receptive to treatment.
If you’re concerned about the pain associated with laser hair removal, get some input from those who have undergone it by asking their friends who’ve had it done if it was worth the discomfort and what changes would they recommend making. Most patients find their discomfort is short-lived compared to what the results provide! Plus, no more waxing or tweezing your unwanted hairs!
Over-The-Counter Pain Relievers
Laser hair removal is an incredibly effective long-term solution to unwanted hair removal, yet can still be uncomfortable for some people. While pain levels vary between individuals – some experience just a pinch, while others describe excruciating pain – there are ways you can manage pain during laser treatments by shaving before an appointment, using air coolers or topical numbing cream, taking over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol or acetaminophen, or applying cold compresses after treatments.
One reason laser hair removal can be painful is because its focus is on targeting pigment in your follicles – so, if your skin is very fair, the laser may not detect the difference between your hair and surrounding skin and see it clearly enough to distinguish. Therefore, prior to beginning laser hair removal treatment it’s advisable to shave and use no chemical-based products on it for best results.
Another factor influencing pain levels is the thickness of skin in the area being treated. Underarms tend to be more sensitive due to thin skin. Lips also tend to be more delicate because of this factor.
At least the good news is that your pain during laser hair removal should lessen with each session as your hair lightens and thins, and laser technology becomes easier to target it. If after your first session you are still experiencing much discomfort it may be beneficial to visit a clinic using advanced laser technology.
At Premier Laser, we use only high-grade Candela lasers renowned for their reliability and effectiveness, which come equipped with free cold compresses post treatment to ease any pain associated with your treatment. Contact us now to arrange your consultation session; we look forward to helping you achieve smooth, radiant skin!
