Shaving cream should not be used on the day of a laser treatment as this could leave small grazes on your skin, potentially irritating it during treatment and potentially leaving small scars.
Laser treatments rely on intact hair follicles in order to be successful; plucking, waxing and bleaching disrupt this.
Laser treatments must be repeated over a series of sessions in order to produce long-term effects due to how hair grows at various rates.
Shaving
Women and men alike often spend hours shaving and waxing to rid themselves of unwanted hair, with hormonal shifts or medications worsening this process. But laser hair removal treatments offer permanent solutions that could do away with this need for permanent shaving altogether.
Before beginning laser hair removal, it’s essential that you gain a comprehensive understanding of how your skin responds to treatment. Laser technology affects hair follicles in ways that plucking, waxing or bleaching cannot because it targets pigment within each follicle – melanin deposits make targeting harder so shaving the area that needs treating at least 24 hours before your appointment may help ensure an effective session.
On the day of a laser hair removal appointment, it’s essential not to apply too much pressure with your razor blade. Doing so could result in cuts and nicks on the skin from overly-sharp razor blades; furthermore, shaving may irritate and dry out skin leaving it red, itchy or flaky; in this instance it would be wise to moisturise this area prior to scheduling an appointment.
Keep this in mind if you plan on having laser hair removal done on the area where other treatments, like tanning beds or self-tanners, could increase skin discolouration post procedure. Furthermore, keeping that area away from direct sunlight as sunburn can diminish effectiveness of laser.
After having several laser hair removal treatments, you may notice that your hair begins to regrow less frequently and is usually finer and sparser than before your treatments started. This is a clear indicator that they’re working and is considered an indicator of success.
Regardless, it is still wise to refrain from exfoliating for four or five days after laser hair removal treatments, to allow any damaged follicles time to shed from your skin naturally.
Waxing
Shaving removes the outermost layer of skin without risking cuts or wounds when prepping for laser hair removal treatments. However, waxing the area to be treated will remove melanin from skin that interferes with laser’s ability to destroy hair follicles – so before making your appointment with an esthetician it would be wiser not to shave first as they’ll offer advice and specific instructions on how to prepare it properly for laser hair removal treatment.
As part of your laser hair removal treatment, it’s also crucial that you refrain from shaving close to the day of your appointment. Shaving too close could cause the laser beams to singe the skin and lead to burns – this could reduce effectiveness while potentially increasing pain during sessions.
If you haven’t shaved recently and have lots of hair growth, dermaplaning could be an alternative solution to shaving. Dermaplaning uses a special blade that removes hair directly from the roots without harming skin; for best results, use razor with sharp blade as it will more likely cut hair follicles instead of skin.
Once your laser hair removal sessions have concluded, it’s important to wait several days before shaving the treated areas again. This allows damaged follicles time to heal so they won’t grow any longer and shows you exactly how well your treatments worked on your specific body.
After several days, it will likely be necessary to exfoliate the treated area to remove dead skin cells from damaged follicles and maintain healthy skin conditions faster. You should be able to tell when it’s time for exfoliation by monitoring hair growth; if hair grows faster than expected, exfoliation should take place again as quickly as possible to accelerate healing processes and bring relief quicker.
Bleaching
Laser hair removal offers an ideal solution to those fed up with waxing sessions and shaving, but preparation for treatment must be handled correctly in order to achieve optimal results. In order to do so, avoid plucking or waxing for six weeks prior to receiving laser therapy; laser treatments target pigment in your roots of hair which must remain intact in order to work effectively; furthermore bleaching hair could alter pigment levels making laser targeting the root more challenging.
Prior to beginning treatment, it is also recommended to keep the area you plan to treat away from direct sunlight for two weeks as UV rays can lead to discoloration after your procedure. Wear a hat and sunscreen when out in direct sunlight if necessary and avoid tanning beds and self-tanners that could potentially cause irreparable skin damage and burns.
Before scheduling an appointment for laser treatment, it is recommended to cleanse and apply aloe vera ointment several times daily in order to help protect the area being treated. Furthermore, cosmetics or creams that could interfere with laser results should be avoided at all costs; should it become necessary, seeking advice from your esthetician is best in this matter.
Just prior to your laser appointment, shave the area that needs treatment. This will encourage hair follicles to enter their active growth phase and make laser targeting more successful. Just be careful not to overshave as this could result in cuts or scarring.
At each treatment session, your practitioner will guide you through each step. While you may feel some slight discomfort, this should not be unbearable. To ease the sensation before and after sessions, apply ice to the affected area prior to applying deodorant or perfume; also try not putting on deodorant or perfume. After the treatments have concluded you may experience temporary swelling or redness that should subside quickly.
Moisturising
Shaving can leave the skin dry, so it is crucial that the treatment area be moisturised either the day of or night before your appointment to avoid razor bumps, nicks or cuts on its surface. In order to minimize irritation during laser treatments, it is also wise to refrain from using any fragranced creams and gels which could irritate it further.
Make sure to invest in a quality razor as this will increase the likelihood of getting an efficient and close shave. Shaving too often or with a dull blade could result in rough patches and reduce effectiveness of laser hair removal treatments.
Before scheduling a laser session, it is advised to refrain from waxing, plucking or tweezing hair in the weeks prior to treatment as this could hamper its efficacy. Laser works by targeting pigment in hair follicles to destroy it at source; disrupting their natural growth cycle through waxing or plucking can hinder this process and therefore compromise how effective laser is.
Shave at least 24 hours prior to any laser hair removal treatment as the laser needs a full head of hair in order to be effective. Shaving too close may result in the laser hitting an already shaved follicle and singeing the skin, leaving your body vulnerable and vulnerable. Doing this could leave behind bruises on the surface that take time to heal completely.
If you choose not to shave at all, the laser will have to work harder in order to reach and kill hair follicles; leaving behind that telltale burnt-hair smell. As alternatives to shaving include dermaplaning or an electric razor shave with very sharp blades less likely to cut the skin or cause razor burn, or exfoliation of the area beforehand to ensure no hidden hairs remain behind.
