Laser hair removal involves pressing a handheld device against your skin to treat hair-producing follicles. The entire procedure may last from 15 minutes up to an hour.
Before your treatment begins, it is wise to avoid darkening skin creams and tanning beds as well as shaving the area where you will be receiving treatment.
Redness
Your skin may experience redness and small bumps after laser hair removal sessions, similar to what may be experienced after waxing and shaving. These side effects should pass within several hours. If persistent redness persists or worsens, consult a medical provider.
Within the first week after your session, it is recommended that you avoid direct sunlight and apply broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF 30+ rating to prevent darkening of the skin. In addition, avoid harsh cleansers and exfoliants as these could irritate or harm the area until its fully healed. Finally, don’t pluck or shave until all signs have faded from view.
After laser hair removal, it’s common to experience redness on your face or neck due to open hair follicles that are susceptible to bacteria and environmental irritants. Over time, however, this redness should fade with time; you can minimize its effect by using cooling aloe vera gel.
If you think laser hair removal might be right for you, consult an experienced practitioner and assess which device would best suit your skin tone and hair color. A patch test – in which a small patch of skin is shaved before testing the laser on it – should also be performed prior to treatments in order to ascertain any skin sensitivities or allergies caused by its heat.
When performing treatments at home with your laser, always adhere to its user manual. Keep the treatment area free from non-aloe vera products such as makeup and creams; additionally, do not wash for 24 hours post treatment to allow the follicles time to heal properly and reduce redness.
After receiving laser treatment, hair bulbs may take several weeks to come out from under the skin and this may cause redness and bumps that appear like ingrown hairs as your body pushes out dead hair from its follicle. Shaving or tweezing these areas may result in ingrown hairs forming, making your skin appear bumpy and giving the appearance of bumpy skin.
Swelling
Have you ever experienced the discomfort associated with shaving, waxing or plucking unwanted hair from your body? Lasers used in these procedures emit concentrated light beams which target hair follicles to break them down from their roots resulting in swelling, itching and redness around the area of treatment – an all too familiar feeling during these procedures! But rest assured it should soon pass as hair follicles disable themselves and die off naturally over time.
Swelling from laser hair removal may last from several days to weeks depending on how sensitive your skin is, making treatment sessions uncomfortable for some individuals. You can help to minimize swelling by keeping the affected area cool with ice packs or cold towels and use an ice compress on it to soothe itching as well as reduce itching altogether. Furthermore, any beauty products containing chemicals or can irritate treated areas (scrubs, retinol creams and glycolic acid should all be avoided up until two weeks post treatment. Sun protection or fake tanning should also be avoided no sooner than several days prior to treatment sessions to minimize their side effects and ensure maximum recovery afterward.
Occasional swelling after laser hair removal is normal; if you experience any other serious symptoms such as hives or other serious discomfort, contact your physician immediately. Hives occur when dead skin cells cannot escape pores after heat from a laser is applied directly onto the surface of skin cells; antihistamine medications like diphenhydramine (Alert-Dryl), hydroxyzine and loratadine (Claritin) may help alleviate this side effect.
Laser hair removal treatments vary in terms of pain levels for different parts of the body, with lower back hair removal being amongst the most agonizing. Applying a numbing cream before your appointment can help ease this discomfort to an acceptable 2 level; it may be difficult to focus during treatment when trying to rid yourself of unwanted back hair, however.
Upper lip laser hair removal can be quite painful due to thinner skin. But most people consider the sacrifice worth paying in exchange for permanent hairlessness.
Black dots
Laser hair removal uses a concentrated beam of light energy to destroy unwanted hair follicles, often leaving black dots – dark marks on the skin as a result of damage – as dark marks on your skin as a result of damage to these follicles. While these spots usually fade over time, if they persist it may be beneficial to speak to the practitioner who performed your laser treatment and obtain recommendations regarding skincare products and other treatments that will help lessen their appearance.
Laser treatment itself is relatively painless. A practitioner will press a handheld device against your skin before activating the laser; you should feel a snapping sensation similar to elastic band snapping at your skin. Each session can last anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour depending on its size; post-procedure, your treated area may remain red and swollen for some time; using ice packs regularly may help alleviate some of this discomfort.
Unwanted hair can be challenging to remove using traditional methods like shaving, waxing and plucking, which may disrupt daily activities and make you self-conscious about certain parts of your body. Laser hair removal offers a permanent solution that will significantly decrease unwanted hair while making life simpler for you.
Laser treatment rarely leads to permanent hair reduction in an entire treatment area. Furthermore, it’s possible for overzealousness during laser sessions to reactivate hair follicles and increase chances of future unwanted growth.
If you are concerned about black spots after laser hair removal, it’s a good idea to share them with the practitioner who performed your treatment. They may provide guidance as to how best to diminish their appearance as well as suggest additional therapies or skincare products that could enhance results and make an improvement possible.
Hyperpigmentation is a side effect of laser hair removal that typically resolves on its own; however, if it persists beyond this point you could try hydroquinone-free skin lightening products to gradually fade the pigmentation away. If it still does not disappear on its own then speaking with your physician might provide recommendations for an over-the-counter bleaching cream which will lighten discolored areas.
Discomfort
After laser hair removal, you should expect some discomfort and redness that should subside within several days. If the pain and irritation becomes bothersome, speak to your practitioner at the clinic where treatment was received as they can provide painkillers or topical numbing cream to ease any pain that arises from treatments.
Tweezing, waxing and plucking after laser treatment should also be avoided in order to preserve hair follicles and prevent unwanted hair growth in unexpected places. Instead, consider shaving the area as it will speed up this process, but it’s important to remember that not all anagen (growth) phases occur simultaneously if you don’t have patience to wait for all unwanted hairs to shed themselves naturally. Alternatively you could rub or scrub the area in order to speed up this shedding process faster.
Skin around hair follicles may become red and swollen, similar to mild sunburn. This is caused by trapped hairs beneath the skin being released by body’s attempt at pushing them out; if redness or bumps become bothersome, cold compresses may provide soothing relief.
Exercise for 24-48 hours after swimming or exercise sessions to prevent sweat-induced acne breakouts that result in tiny pimples that appear as pores become blocked up. A gentle exfoliator, loofah or scrub can be used to exfoliate dead skin cells away and keep your pores clear – another preventive measure to take.
If you are having difficulty managing the pain and redness associated with laser hair removal, try taking either a numbing cream or acetaminophen to help relieve some of it before your appointment. Doing this may reduce how much discomfort is felt during laser process. However, avoid taking NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen or Alieve because these drugs thin blood and increase bruising; ask your laser technician if he/she could wipe on an over-the-counter pain reliever on treatment area before starting.
