How to prepare for laser hair removal

We ask that you are freshly showered or bathed with completely clean skin, without lotions, oils, creams or fragrances of any kind before coming in. The treatment area should be shaved completely prior to treatment. Legs should be shaved no sooner than 24 hours prior to your appointment to avoid irritation.

Shaving Before Laser Hair Removal Treatment

It is important to shave the night before or in the morning a few hours before the treatment. If your hair is too long, the laser energy might be too widely dispersed to be effective. It is best not to shave immediately before your treatment as this can disturb the skin.

As we mentioned a little earlier, if you don’t shave before your appointment, the laser will singe the hair resulting in a burn to your skin. In addition, if the hair hasn’t been shaved properly, treatment will not be as effective, and it may result in small temporary grazes on the top layer of your skin.

It is important to shave before your laser hair removal appointment, 24 hours before is recommended. Shaving on the day of your session can be dangerous and should be avoided completely. This is because when you shave the razor may lift a layer of skin off as it passes over your skin.

Stubble. It’s critical to shave within 24 hours prior to undergoing laser hair removal. Even a small amount of stubble can damage the laser and cause unnecessary pain, hyperpigmentation, and burns.

In many patients the skin is slightly pink for 1-2 days; in others (generally, fairer patients) there is no pinkness after laser hair removal. Hairs begin to fall out in 5-14 days and may continue to do so for weeks.

If you shave too quickly you may irritate the skin even more, so waiting at least three or four days after your treatment is usually ideal. A few days following your laser hair removal treatment, you may notice your hair shedding. This is completely normal and is a sign the treatment worked.

Why Your Hair Isn’t Falling Out After Laser Hair Treatments

After one session of laser, the hair bulb will come out over a 7 – 30 day period. During this time, redness and bumps may appear as your body is pushing deceased hair out of the follicle, although ingrown hairs may get trapped under the skin as well.

Tips for Shaving After Laser Hair Removal

Wait several days before shaving the treated area, until it’s no longer sensitive to the touch. Don’t exfoliate the skin for four to five days after each laser treatment. Even if the skin doesn’t feel irritated or sensitive, it’s still healing. Allow the hair to shed.

Pulling out loose hair after a laser hair removal session is not recommended. If you tweeze out hairs, you are disrupting its growth phase, canceling out the treatment you just received to remove it. It can also cause future treatments to be less effective. It is recommended to leave the treated area alone.

Exfoliating frequently (scrub or continued shaving) will help speed up the shedding process. Hair growth will be less after each treatment. Laser targets the pigment in the hair. The darker the hair the better the result.