Laser hair removal works by heating the follicle to inhibit further hair growth. Results typically take several treatments before seeing visible improvement; any new hair that returns after treatment will likely be thinner, lighter and finer.
As with any laser hair removal session, there will likely be some temporary hair shedding after your treatment. This is normal and shows that it worked.
Shaving
Laser hair removal is an aesthetic procedure used to effectively rid unwanted body hair. It works by targeting hair that grows above the surface without impacting its follicle; safe for people of all skin tones and colors and effective against excess body hair, including cases such as hirsutism (women growing more hair in places they normally don’t) and hypertrichosis (children having excessive body hair growth in certain parts).
Laser treatment works best when intense light beams are targeting hair follicles above the surface of skin. Shaving disrupts this process, so it is wise to avoid shaving prior to receiving laser therapy treatment. Waxing or other methods that remove hair below skin also interfere with laser treatments and could result in poor outcomes.
If shaving prior to laser treatment, it is recommended that it is done 24 hours in advance in order to ensure the hairs are at their ideal lengths and thus allow the procedure to work effectively. Otherwise, hair that is too long or short may hinder its performance and become ineffective for its intended purposes.
After your laser session, it is normal for some of your hair to begin to shed; this indicates that damaged follicles no longer produce hair growth. Exfoliating may help remove damaged hairs from the surface.
After laser treatment, your skin may become reddened and sensitive, so it is wise to wait several days until the redness and sensitivity have subsided before shaving again. Furthermore, activities that could potentially irritate or abrade it such as hot showers and saunas should also be avoided to minimize risk of further irritation.
Waxing
Shaving and waxing can both be painful, time-consuming methods of hair removal that often leave ingrown hairs behind. Laser hair removal provides a more convenient, painless solution – safely eliminating unwanted hair without the risk of razor bumps or rash.
Before going in for laser hair removal, be sure to shave the area a few hours or even the night before your appointment. This will allow just enough hair growth for the treatment while minimizing risk from shaving mistakes which could cause redness, rash or irritation. Also avoid moisturizers with oil as this could hinder light penetration into your treatment and thereby lessen its efficacy.
Avoid waxing, plucking, and bleaching body hair prior to your appointment in order to preserve its pigment and root. Avoid tanning beds; instead opt for sun protection with at least 30 SPF sunscreen for outdoor tanning sessions.
On the day of your laser hair removal session, it is essential that your skin be free from cream, makeup, deodorant, perfume and sunscreen products. Furthermore, avoid rubbing the area to alleviate excess moisture or itching as this could cause inflammation and delay healing.
When shaving after laser hair removal, use a sharp, clean razor that has been properly maintained and stored for optimal results. Apply gentle pressure while moving the blade smoothly across your skin’s surface to avoid irritation. Exfoliation should also be avoided for four days post treatment to allow dead cells to shed off naturally.
Bleaching
As you may have heard, bleaching your skin prior to laser hair removal is generally advised; the reason for this is simple. A laser’s light beam can only reach hair follicles that have visible hair above the surface if visible follicles exist in sufficient numbers for laser light beams to target. When bleaching creams or shaving your skin too early remove hair altogether, rendering this treatment ineffective and potentially costly.
As part of our recommended treatment strategy, it is wise to shave only on the evening or morning prior to an appointment with us. Waxing or other hair removal methods such as plucking may remove melanin from hair follicles leaving them vulnerable to laser light exposure; similarly tweezing or plucking will damage them and compromise laser targeting capabilities.
As much as possible, avoid sunbathing and tanning beds in the weeks before your appointment to reduce risk of burns and maximize effectiveness of laser light beam. Doing this may increase risk and darken skintone and therefore decrease effectiveness of treatment with laser.
On the day of your laser hair removal appointment, it’s essential that you refrain from using any skincare products like scrubs or facial masks that contain glycolic acid or any other ingredients which could interfere with its light wavelength. Furthermore, any prescription drugs which increase light sensitivity should also be discontinued prior to any laser hair removal treatments.
Sunbathing
After laser hair removal, it is best to avoid direct sunlight for at least several weeks to allow your skin to recover while also lowering risk of hyperpigmentation. If necessary, sunscreen with high SPF rating should be worn.
Sunbathing should be limited if you have underarm hair removed by laser. UV rays can lead to skin cancer, so limit exposure by tanning only areas not directly exposed to sunlight such as your face or arms.
UVB rays can stimulate vitamin D production in your skin, but overexposure could result in sunburn.
Sunscreen
Sunscreen should always be worn when going outdoors and following laser hair removal, particularly after. Sunscreen protects your skin from the harmful rays of the sun, helping avoid hyper-pigmentation, burns, scarring and longer lasting tans if you use sunscreen regularly. Be sure to abide by all instructions from your laser hair removal specialist regarding sun exposure as well as applying protection using sunscreen regularly.
Laser hair removal treatments work best during autumn months, but that doesn’t mean avoiding tanning sessions altogether. Just as shaving before laser treatment, sunbathing may affect its results negatively; when your skin has been sunburned or tanned, its sensitivity increases and reacts negatively with laser energy causing pain, discomfort, or damage to it – both can compromise results.
Sunbathing before laser hair removal treatment should be avoided, however if necessary it’s advised that reapplying sunscreen every two hours and wearing loose-fitting clothing that covers your limbs are done so. Furthermore, any makeup or creams could impede how effectively light energy reaches into the skin in order to destroy hair follicles.
After receiving laser hair removal treatments, it is recommended to shave occasionally in between appointments to maintain smooth skin. Depending on the area being treated, shaving once or twice weekly between visits may be required in order to keep treated skin hair-free until you complete your treatment plan and permanently reduce hair growth; hopefully you won’t need to shave again after that! To get started on permanent hair reduction plans contact Body Details now.
