Laser hair removal varies in terms of pain intensity depending on a variety of factors, including your target area and pain threshold. Certain areas, like your face or armpits, will likely be more sensitive than others.
Individuals may find that having their sessions done between their periods reduces any discomfort they might feel from laser hair removal. As such, some may choose to have them done between cycles instead.
The Area
Laser hair removal can be more painful in certain areas of the body. Legs, armpits and bikini areas often experience greater discomfort due to thin skin and coarser or darker hair that provide more targets for laser pulses.
If you’re concerned about the pain involved with laser hair removal, we advise speaking to your dermatologist before scheduling an appointment. They may suggest an anesthetic cream or suggest scheduling it during menstruation when your body may not be as sensitive.
Drinking lots of water before your laser hair removal session can help lessen its discomfort. Water helps skin cells absorb light energy that destroys hair follicles more efficiently, leading to less discomfort overall. Furthermore, cutting back on caffeine and stimulants is another great way to make laser hair removal sessions less painful.
Many clients notice that any discomfort they felt upon starting laser hair removal lessens each time they receive treatment – possibly because their bodies get used to it or perhaps as their hair becomes lighter and thinner over time, which decreases targets for laser treatment.
After laser hair removal, it’s common for the treated area to appear reddened and slightly swollen; this should subside quickly. If discomfort or swelling persists, applying a cold compress could speed up this process.
Laser hair removal offers a permanent solution to unwanted hair growth, although multiple sessions may be required to permanently destroy hair follicles. While some regrowth is common, its characteristics typically make it much finer and lighter than the original hair growth. If you want to end your struggle with shaving, waxing, and plucking once and for all contact Spa 361 at Dermatology and Skin Cancer Institute today for laser hair removal treatments! Our experienced providers will strive to make it as comfortable an experience as possible; depending on the terms of your insurance plan or flexible spending account you may even get these incredible treatments at no additional out-of-pocket costs!
The Time of Year
Laser hair removal offers a more permanent solution than shaving, plucking or waxing for hair removal, but it may be more painful. There are steps you can take in preparation of an appointment and to ease pain caused by laser treatment.
An experienced technician will always take your comfort level into account when using laser to remove hair. They may use numbing cream and adjust the intensity of the laser so as to make you as relaxed as possible during treatment – this helps alleviate sensation of laser pulses that feel similar to pinches; some even compare this experience to snapping rubber bands against skin.
Your skin type also plays a crucial role in your comfort during laser treatments; those with lighter complexions can expect an intense sensation than those with dark complexions. Furthermore, the color of your hair plays an integral part in how painful a treatment will be; darker hues absorb more laser light energy which could lead to skin irritation or cause further discomfort during laser sessions.
Before receiving laser treatments, it is recommended to stop shaving 24 to 48 hours beforehand and to refrain from tanning; both activities can make your skin more susceptible to the light of the laser treatment. If shaving must occur prior to your laser appointment, use a razor that is very sharp to minimize frictional loss.
As part of your laser treatment sessions, it is also important to consider the season when scheduling laser sessions. Since skin tends to sweat more during summer months and thus increase discomfort during procedures as well as lead to side effects like burns more readily than during other seasons, scheduling your sessions during autumn or winter could be better as sweat production decreases significantly.
Other factors to keep in mind include how many laser treatments will be necessary to reach a desired goal. Most individuals require multiple sessions spread over several months in order to achieve permanent hair reduction; occasionally your doctor may suggest additional maintenance sessions as a preventative measure.
The Hair’s Density
Thick or darker body hair will hurt more during laser hair removal sessions than thinner, lighter hair because the laser beam attracts pigment, or melanin, in your locks and converts that energy to heat that destroys hair follicles – with more melanin present, the more efficient this energy absorption becomes and consequently the lower its impact.
However, just because something feels more painful doesn’t mean it is ineffective; clients frequently report that the pain they experience from laser hair removal treatments decreases with each successive visit.
As laser beams target and destroy hair follicles, it’s essential that no breaks occur between treatments; otherwise this will slow down and lessen results. You may benefit from applying numbing cream in areas that are particularly sensitive, to ease pain levels during each procedure.
Other variables can also have an effect on how much laser hair removal hurts, including your skin tone and your pain tolerance. Some individuals have reported experiencing more irritation after receiving laser treatments compared to others – however this likely comes down to personal preferences regarding pain tolerance.
Some women report experiencing greater discomfort during laser hair removal when having their period, possibly because their face and bikini area hair tends to thicken at this time of month.
As it relates to pregnancy, laser hair removal should not be recommended due to no human studies proving its safety during gestation. If you are expecting and have excess body hair such as belly or breast hair during gestation, however, don’t fret as most of this usually falls out shortly after giving birth; alternatively you could try hot wax or razoring instead to eliminate them.
The Skin’s Texture
Laser hair removal differs from shaving, waxing or plucking in that it targets and destroys the follicles instead of simply plucking the hairs out, so the procedure may be painful for those with sensitive skin.
Due to your skin having its own natural protective layer that reacts with laser wavelengths by producing heat, treatments may cause it to feel irritated and swollen afterward – similar to having sunburn. To alleviate any potential discomfort, your practitioner may apply numbing cream prior to beginning laser therapy; however, this isn’t always necessary depending on your pain threshold.
Your skin’s texture can also play a significant role in how much laser treatments hurt. People with thicker skin often report less pain during treatments on legs and arms; however, facial, bikini line, and stomach laser procedures tend to cause greater discomfort due to thinner skin in these areas.
Laser treatments will typically feel more intense for those with dark hair as the laser wavelengths can absorb more melanin pigment in the follicles. To get optimal results from treatment, it is wise to lighten your locks prior to commencing laser sessions.
Many clients will discover that any initial discomfort they felt from beginning their course of laser sessions gradually decreases as time progresses, perhaps because their bodies adjust to it, or as hair begins to shed from follicles they will notice that sensation lessens over time.
Laser hair removal causes far less pain than traditional methods like shaving, waxing, or electrolysis. People with more sensitive skin types might experience more irritation following laser treatment; sun protection should be observed following any laser session to avoid burning and irritation relief can be achieved with ice packs or cool baths afterward. Although rare, some may also experience blisters or skin crusting which are easy to treat and shouldn’t last too long after laser hair removal.
