After laser hair removal sessions, it is essential not to rub or scrub the treated area. Shedding of unwanted hairs should occur naturally and may continue for weeks.
Some individuals incorrectly believe that rubbing their area will hasten this process; however, doing so actually worsens things as this pulls out hairs that have yet to shed. Scrubbing will only pull out those which are already ready for shed.
It’s Not Necessary
At a laser hair removal session, your doctor will use an instrument containing a cooling device on its tip to protect your skin from being burned by the intense heat from laser beams that target hair follicles and pass through your skin. Furthermore, this cooling device helps avoid potential side effects like blistering, redness or swelling.
Within days or weeks following your laser hair removal session, you will notice that some of the treated hairs have begun to shed. Though it may look like new growth, this shedding process is actually your body’s way of clearing away old, dead strands – and gives your skin an uneven texture as well as sometimes leading to ingrown hairs.
After laser hair removal, the shedding process is essential in allowing the laser to target and disable hair roots again. Therefore, waxing, tweezing or picking at hair is best avoided; they all pull it out and won’t allow laser treatment to target it again. Rubbing, scrubbing and shaving may help temporarily reduce hairs in an area prior to another appointment, though too frequent shaving could remove hair roots that interfere with treatments.
Plucked or waxed hairs can also be dangerous to your health. By plucking or waxing post-laser hair removal treatment, not only are you risking losing some of your own hairs but you are preventing others from growing in the area, potentially making future laser treatments less effective as well as possibly leading to permanent skin damage in that region.
It’s Not Safe
Laser hair removal is an affordable and quick way to eliminate unwanted body hair. Unlike shaving or waxing, which only remove the top layers of hair but don’t eradicate its roots, laser light destroys them permanently and prevents further growth. While multiple sessions will likely be required for permanent results to become evident, depilation may become unnecessary – saving time shaving and waxing simultaneously! Plus it could also help with issues associated with hair growth such as folliculitis and discoloration!
After laser hair removal treatments, treated areas may appear bumpy or uneven, which is completely normal and can be soothed using cooling aloe vera gel or lotion. It is important that plucking or tweezing be avoided as this can cause skin irritation which will interfere with results of laser treatments.
After receiving laser hair removal treatment, it is also advisable to not wax the area, unless you are certain it won’t need further treatments in that location. Waxing and other hair removal methods may clog pores of hair follicles which prevent the laser from targeting and eliminating them; furthermore scrubbing or picking may block its path and cause unintended burns to your skin from its light beams.
Hair targeted by laser will tend to fall out naturally over time; you can speed this process along by gently scrubbing with loofahs or scrubbers on the treated area, though please keep in mind that only anagen phase hairs can be pulled out at one time and any attempts at hastening this process through scrubbing can result in the premature pulling out of healthy ones as well.
Hair bulbs will begin shedding from their follicles seven to 30 days post laser treatment, leading to redness, bumps and ingrown hairs under the surface of your skin. Pulling out individual hairs could restart their growth cycle and prevent further destruction by laser therapy.
It’s Not Effective
Plucking, waxing or threading any hair in an area treated for laser hair removal should be avoided to maintain optimal results. Doing so disrupts the growth cycle and could render future treatments less effective as the laser only targets anagen hairs with enough melanin content that can absorb its light; by plucking these hairs prematurely you are disrupting this process and sending them back into their resting telogen phase phase of growth.
After laser treatment, it’s also important to be gentle with your skin in the days and weeks following it. Scrubbing or using a loofah are acceptable after 24 hours have passed; however, avoid touching treated hairs with tweezers or any squeezing tools as this could irritate and redden them further.
As your laser treatment progresses, the hairs treated begin to shed naturally due to damage done to their follicles by laser treatment. While this process can take up to one month, its benefits will make a noticeable difference over time; hair that grows back will be finer and lighter.
Keep in mind when considering laser hair removal that multiple sessions are often necessary depending on factors like location, hair type and hormone levels of an individual. In general, sessions should occur every four to eight weeks for best results.
Laser hair removal should only be performed by trained and experienced practitioners who have registered with a professional body to demonstrate they meet set standards of training, skill, and insurance coverage. Failure to do this could result in misguided treatments not reaching your desired results, leading to further complications or aggravating sensitivity issues on your skin.
It’s Not Fast
Laser hair removal works by targeting pigmentation of dark hair and allowing its heat to penetrate the skin beneath, killing off hair follicles. Results typically take 4-6 sessions for optimal treatment results to become apparent; during that time it is important not to wax, tweeze or pick out any remaining unwanted hairs as this will disrupt their growth cycle and allow the laser to avoid damaging new roots in their place.
Once hairs that were killed by laser shed, they will come out naturally over seven to 30 days. You may notice bumps or scabs on your skin’s surface during this period; these bumps and scabs are your body’s way of pushing the dead hairs toward the surface so they can be removed by you.
If you’re anxious about how long it will take for your hair to shed, there are steps you can take to speed up this process. One effective strategy is regular exfoliation to rid pores of dead skin that could prevent new hairs from emerging on their own.
An effective way to accelerate the shedding process is to moisturize the area regularly, as this will keep the skin soft and healthy while encouraging any remaining hairs to move through their growth cycles faster.
Avoid missing any of your treatment sessions to maximize results from laser hair removal. Missing too many can result in hair follicles entering the telogen phase and not being destroyed by laser light treatment.
When you’re ready to take the leap with laser hair removal, reach out to Elume Medspa to arrange a free consultation! Our licensed estheticians and certified laser specialists will be more than happy to answer any of your queries about getting started with us.