After laser hair removal, many people experience redness, swelling and bumps that typically fade quickly. You may need to use aloe vera gel or take Tylenol for discomfort and/or pain relief.
Exfoliate the area on a regular basis; though you should avoid doing it within 24 hours after treatment. A scrub or shower loofa may help exfoliate skin several times each week.
Exfoliate
After receiving laser hair removal treatments, it is recommended to exfoliate the area a few times weekly in order to expedite the shedding process and clear away any dead follicles that remain. Exfoliation also stimulates skin renewal and encourages new hair growth.
Exfoliation should take place in the shower using loofahs or gentle scrubbers, and should occur no sooner than 24 hours post treatment in order to avoid irritation. Shaving must also wait several days post laser therapy as this gives treated hairs the opportunity to fall out naturally, without having to be removed by shaving them off prematurely. Plucking or waxing hairs after laser treatments is discouraged since this disrupts their growth cycle and may result in ingrown hairs.
Once you are ready to exfoliate the area, make sure that you use a gentle scrub or sugar wash in a circular motion on your skin. Hot showers, baths and hot tubs should also be avoided after laser treatment as these can irritate the skin further; if necessary, limit yourself to using lukewarm water instead of hot as this will be more gentle on your body.
If you notice black dots on your skin after shedding, this is perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned about. Black dots could indicate new hair growth; therefore, it is wise to monitor this area to determine whether or not this holds true.
Though results may be visible after just one session, for optimal long-term effects it is often better to attend multiple appointments and treat all hair follicles during their growth cycles to ensure most are destroyed.
Keep in mind that hair grows in cycles, meaning some of its strands may not be targetable by laser due to being at an inactive phase in their cycle. Therefore, regular treatments must be conducted consistently as any missed sessions could take some time for hairs to come back into their active phases and be targeted by laser again.
Wash the Area
After receiving laser therapy, anagen phase hairs begin to shed and are no longer available to grow hair. Depending on the area being treated, this may take anywhere between five and thirty days; what appears as new growth could actually be dead follicles being shed as part of this essential part of treatment process.
Hairs in their telogen phase can become exposed as your body pushes them upward, often leading to redness and bumps similar to ingrown hairs. While this can be annoying, it is essential that tweezing is avoided as this will only pull out more hairs than needed and destroy their follicle.
At this stage, it is highly advised to exfoliate the area regularly using either a scrub wash or gentle loofah and gentle soap, in order to increase hair shedding rates and return active anagen phase follicles back into their anagen phase in preparation for laser sessions.
Avoid applying any products directly to the treated area, such as lotions, oils, deodorant products and numbing cream – such as lotions, oils or deodorants – since doing so could damage hair follicles and reduce effectiveness of treatment.
Once your treatment has taken effect, the next step should be shaven hair that has fallen out to prevent it from becoming too thick and long. Be careful when shaving close, however; otherwise this could irritate the skin and prevent new growth from returning. Additionally, do not wax or pluck as doing this will damage follicles which lead to hairs being pulled out altogether and killed permanently.
Good news! Most hairs in the anagen phase will be permanently killed by laser treatments. Unfortunately, not all the follicles can be killed at once; therefore a small percentage may grow back thinner and lighter colored – so many opt for maintenance treatments every six months to catch any newly grown-in strands not targeted by the laser.
Shave
Attaining healthy skin requires routine exfoliation. Doing this will remove dead hair follicles that become trapped in pores, making laser treatments less effective. Exfoliate once or more per week if your skin is particularly oily; using an exfoliating scrub with natural ingredients would be preferable since this won’t irritate it further; for those with sensitive skin it might be wiser to opt for using loofah rather than brush or sponge for exfoliating purposes.
Avoid activities that result in excessive sweating following your laser session, as this could clog your pores and lead to breakouts that are detrimental for your skin. Furthermore, tanning should be avoided at least a few days beforehand since it could alter the contrast between your skin tone and hair color.
After receiving laser hair removal treatments, it’s not unusual for your body to start shedding dead follicles – although this may seem alarming at first. Instead, this indicates that the laser destroyed hair follicles so they won’t regrow hair again.
Shedding typically occurs over a seven to thirty day period and may appear as new hair growth; this is actually your body pushing out dying follicles. To ensure smooth shedding, be careful not to pluck out or wax these hairs; doing so could result in redness or bumps appearing and also prevent future shedding cycles from starting up again.
Laser hair removal works best when hair is in its anagen phase of its cycle – visible above the surface of your skin – however it may still work on catagen and even telogen stages, though the results from them may take longer to emerge.
Laser hair removal requires multiple sessions in order to achieve maximum effectiveness, so if you’d like more information about this innovative method of removing unwanted hair, reach out to Metro Dermatology in Elmhurst, New York now – we look forward to showing what laser hair removal can do for your skin!
Massage
After laser hair removal treatment, your body will begin shedding dead follicles that were destroyed during treatment, leading to what looks like stubble. Exfoliating several times each week may speed this shedding process up significantly; however, during the initial 24 hours following treatment it should be avoided for maximum effectiveness.
After your session, it is normal to experience redness and irritation at the treatment site, similar to mild sunburn symptoms, which should subside within 24 hours. Furthermore, small bumps may appear as part of the natural healing process – these bumps represent hair bulbs pushing up through your skin surface which may be uncomfortable at first but indicate that laser therapy is working effectively.
After receiving laser hair removal treatments, it’s essential not to use traditional hair removal methods such as tweezing, waxing or plucking in order to preserve the follicles that were destroyed and encourage new hair growth to resume later. Instead, it would be beneficial to gently scrub the treatment area using loofahs or washcloths in a circular motion to speed up hair shedding and speed up the shedding process.
Your treatment area’s skin may also appear flaky, which is completely normal. You can reduce its appearance by using a light moisturizer on it at least several times each day and limiting sun exposure while using sunscreen to protect it.
After receiving laser hair removal treatment, it is wise to wear loose clothing which fits comfortably against your skin. Tight clothing could irritate and further inflame it further. Also important: avoid any products which darken the skin beforehand such as fake tanners.
At first, it’s best to wait six weeks after receiving laser treatments before shaving the treated area; that will enable all dead hair follicles to have fallen out and been shed by their natural cycles. Scrubbing or otherwise disrupting this area may damage its delicate skin surface further.
