If you’ve never had a laser hair removal treatment before, then it’s perfectly natural to be uneasy about what it’s going to involve. Especially considering you’ll already be aware that the laser is going to be pulsing into your skin, and the concept of having anything ‘pulsing’ into your skin and ‘disabling’ hair follicles leads most people to have fears of pain, discomfort, adverse reactions, and so on.
Here at our Victoria laser skin clinic, we always make every effort to dispel these fears when we meet clients for their initial appointment and discuss preparing for laser hair removal with them. We feel we do an admirable job of it, and it’s true that most people leave feeling much more at ease regarding their upcoming laser hair removal treatment.
So given our expertise on the subject, this is going to be the subject of our blog post here today. We’ll put you in the know for preparing for laser hair removal. Let’s divide our tips for how to prepare for laser hair removal into DOs and DON’Ts.
Here is what you should NOT do when preparing for laser hair removal:
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Do NOT wax, tweeze, or sugar the area that’s going to be treated with the laser
This is a biggie when preparing for laser hair removal, and that’s because these hair removal methods pull the entirety of the hair out by the root. If that happens then laser hair removal will not work, because they laser needs to have some portion of the hair still in the root under the skin in order for the laser to find and ‘zap’ it.
Shaving is the only acceptable hair removal method to be used when you are preparing for laser hair removal, and in fact you will actually need to be shaven in the region before your treatment begins.
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Do NOT use any type of depilatory (hair removal) cream on the area
Cream hair removers are also a no-no when you’re preparing for laser hair removal. While it is true that these products WILL leave the hair root intact under the skin, they contain ingredients that may irritate the skin and make it more prone to an adverse reaction once the laser is introduced to it.
Again, shaving is the only option you have here when preparing for laser hair removal. It’s important to understand this.
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Do NOT make any plans to tan before OR after your laser hair removal treatment
The reason for this one is quite simply because UV light – naturally from the sun or artificially with a tanning bed – will make the skin hypersensitive to the laser. Long story short, what this means is more pain if you choose to tan before your treatment.
As far as for AFTER your treatment, the laser will make your skin much more sensitive to the affects of Ultra-Violet rays. You’ll be more likely to get a sunburn instead of a tan, and there’s also the risk of tanning unevenly or – in worst case scenarios – having permanent hyperpigmentation areas on the skin as a result of tanning after laser hair removal.
These are very important points to understand regarding preparing for laser hair removal. We actually feel they’re even slightly more important than the DOs, but let’s get to those now.
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DO shave before your appointment
And shave the same day as your appointment. This is important, any type of ingrowth (stubble as it’s commonly referred to) coming out of the skin will make the laser less effective. Some patients will leave a patch of their region unshaved, but only when coming in a for a follow-up treatment so that the laser technician can see the reduction rate after the first treatment.
Always make sure you shave the ENTIRETY of the region the day of your treatment when you receive your first one. It’s likely fair to say that this is most front and centre when it comes to how to prepare for laser hair removal.
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DO inform your aesthetician regarding any and all prescription medications you are currently taking
There are very few medications that would be considered risky to take in advance of having a laser hair removal treatment, but there are some. We won’t list them here, and say instead that you should take the initiative and list them out to your aesthetician when you meet with her for your initial consultation.
These include topical medicated products as well, and these are the ones that are most risky because some of them can make your skin much more sensitive to the laser light.
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DO take any type of OTC (over-the-counter) pain reliever before your treatment
If you still have concerns about being pain you CAN take a pain reliever before your laser hair removal treatment. In addition, if you wish to be experiencing less discomfort from the pulses of the laser then another popular choice when preparing for laser hair removal is to use a lidocaine / prilocaine based product like EMLA that effectively numbs the outer layer (epidermal) skin for a few hours.
EMLA is popular with people who enjoy getting tattoos, but don’t like the pain that comes from the needle. The same way they get relief from the needle, these types of products may be helpful for you when you’re preparing for laser hair removal. The staff at our Victoria laser skin clinic will be able to provide more information on this, and the good news is you don’t need a prescription for it.
That’s the bulk of what you need to know when it comes to how to prepare for laser hair removal. If you have ANY other concerns or specific inquiries, please share them with us during your initial consultation and we’ll be able to answer them and assure you further about the safety of laser hair removal procedures.