Laser hair removal can be a fantastic treatment, yet sometimes difficult to achieve the results desired – this is particularly true in relation to your face.
Avoid shaving on the day of your appointment and any hair removal methods (waxing, plucking or anything else) prior to it – these are necessary in order for the laser to effectively target and destroy follicles.
Avoid shaving the day of your appointment
Keep in mind that your hair grows in cycles. Each hair can be at one of three stages – anagen, catagen or telogen. Each stage influences how effective laser treatment will be for each stage; anagen stage occurs when active growth begins from within your follicle and lasts about 30-45 days; during this time period your body sheds old and dead follicles while simultaneously growing new, healthier strands to replace them.
Avoid shaving right before your laser treatment by shaving either the night before or morning of your appointment to give the laser enough hair for it to target and destroy. Also, it is wise to avoid waxing, plucking or other methods of hair removal which pull out hairs directly from the root, leaving nothing for it to target with laser.
Shaving can also help prevent thermal injury during laser treatment. Your laser will singe and burn your hair, which may cause an uncomfortable reaction in the surrounding skin around the hair follicle. Shave just before your appointment; otherwise, fresh skin could be more sensitive to the heat generated by the laser and cause more discomfort than necessary.
When shaving, make sure you use a new razor and apply gentle pressure. A worn razor blade may cause more frequent abrasions or cuts in the skin while too much pressure may cause hairs to get trapped under the surface and result in painful rips or pulls.
As well as shaving, it is also wise to avoid products containing alcohol in the days preceding your laser treatment as this could further irritate and increase your risk of infection. Wearing loose clothing to appointments will protect the area from potential abrasions caused by shaving or other forms of treatment.
Don’t shave the day before
Getting hair out quickly may lead to painfully clogged follicles that will not respond well to laser treatment, making it harder for technicians to locate and target hair follicles with laser. Furthermore, shaving prior to your appointment makes it harder for technicians to locate hair follicles accurately with laser. In many clinics this practice will not be allowed and laser hair removal won’t take place as promised.
Experts usually suggest shaving at least 24 hours before an appointment with laser hair removal, though not immediately before. Their belief is that for the laser to work effectively at targeting its roots and burn them out completely. Waxing, plucking or using other forms of hair removal in the days leading up to it may remove too much hair that needs targeting by the laser and leave nothing for its targeted beam.
Exfoliation before shaving can also help eliminate razor bumps and make skin feel smoother, as dead cells buildup can contribute to razor bumps and make shaving uncomfortable. Furthermore, moisturizers and deodorants should be kept off of treatment areas as these may leave residue that compromises laser effectiveness.
Always wear sunscreen when venturing outside, as the sun’s rays can be extremely damaging to skin cells and make it difficult for a laser treatment to reach damaged follicles.
After your laser hair removal treatment, damaged hair follicles will take days or weeks to shed themselves, sometimes appearing like continued growth. Therefore, it’s crucial that follow-up appointments be kept, to prevent unwanted hairs from growing back too soon.
As you progress with laser hair removal treatments, you will likely notice that any hair that grows back after treatment is finer and sparser than what it was prior to starting treatment. This is because its resting phase has yet to be activated by laser energy; multiple sessions will likely be necessary before all unwanted hair has been eliminated from your scalp.
Don’t shave the day of your appointment
Shaving prior to laser hair removal can create havoc with your results. Hair follicles must remain undamaged for the laser energy to effectively penetrate them; otherwise, too close shaves could damage or destroy the follicle, thus disallowing your body from absorbing enough energy for removal of unwanted hair and prevent future growth.
Avoid shaving on the day of your appointment in order to minimize skin irritation. If it is necessary, ensure you use a quality razor which provides close shaves without irritating your skin, such as using an electric shaver without shaving creams or moisturizers as these may exacerbate irritation and interrupt laser treatments.
Before shaving, exfoliation will help ensure a more thorough shave with less razor bumps. Furthermore, in the days prior to laser hair removal sessions it is wise to limit UV radiation exposure since UV rays increase risk of skin discoloration after treatment and it would also be wise to stay away from self-tanners as these may also contribute to skin discoloration.
Following your treatment, it is common to experience redness and swelling for up to 72 hours after your procedure, resembling mild sunburn symptoms. These can be alleviated with cooling or soothing cream applications or aloe vera/calamine balm applications to speed up shedding processes.
Once damaged by laser therapy, hair follicles require several days or weeks to shed completely – this may appear like continued hair growth; but rest assured, its regrowth will be much finer and sparser than before treatment.
Remember that laser hair removal requires multiple sessions over time in order to be effective. For any inquiries about how often or for how long, contact Simplicity Laser today.
Don’t shave the day after
Shaving directly after laser hair removal treatments can result in razor bumps. You may also notice grazing marks that take time to heal; nothing to be concerned about here; just avoid shaving for several days after treatment to minimize risk of razor bumps. When it is necessary, use an electric razor instead to minimise risks of cutting the skin or nicking and cutting yourself accidentally!
Waxing and tweezing should also be avoided after treating an area. Doing so would interfere with the laser’s ability to reach the roots of hair to destroy it and stop future growth; waxing/tweezing removes them prematurely leaving no target follicles for it to destroy.
Avoid wearing perfumes or fragrant body products near where laser hair removal will take place as certain common skin products increase photosensitivity, meaning the laser may burn your skin instead of targeting unwanted hair follicles.
Avoid shaving until after several sessions have passed; this will allow your laser hair treatment to produce its full effect and rid your skin of unwanted hair. Once laser hair removal sessions have completed, unwanted hair should have decreased significantly and new growth should be finer and sparser than before.
Shaving properly prior to and following laser hair removal can give you a silky-smooth complexion you’ll be proud to show off, while helping maintain results between appointments. By following the tips above, you will enjoy permanent hair removal while having an unblemished face to show off!
