Laser hair removal can be an excellent way to permanently eliminate unwanted hair growth, but before scheduling an appointment for laser hair removal it’s important to prepare yourself to ensure optimal results. Here are a few important tasks you should complete beforehand in order to guarantee optimal outcomes from this treatment.
Before beginning laser treatment, it’s essential that you refrain from plucking or waxing the area as this could reduce its effectiveness. Furthermore, long hairs could interfere with laser light sessions so shave this area prior to attending sessions.
Avoid Sun Exposure
Laser treatment can be an ideal way to remove unwanted hair. But before scheduling an appointment, there are a few key considerations you need to keep in mind prior to booking your session – these steps can ensure the process runs more smoothly, protect skin health, and ensure optimal results from your treatment session.
One of the most crucial steps is minimizing sun exposure in the weeks leading up to your appointment. Your skin should be its natural hue at this point in your treatment; therefore, avoid tanning beds for a minimum of three to four weeks prior to beginning any sessions and any sun-filled vacations until all sessions have concluded. Furthermore, any fake tanning products may compromise its efficacy as well.
Avoid activities that raise your body temperature, such as exercise or hot showers, which could increase heat exposure. Doing this could result in reddening and swelling of hair follicles that is more noticeable during laser treatment.
Before your appointment, it is advisable to refrain from shaving or waxing the treatment area as laser treatment requires being able to see each hair in order to treat them effectively. Plucking or waxing removes pigment from hair roots which would prevent laser from targeting them successfully; while shaving only removes surface hairs.
Avoid taking medications that could interfere with the effectiveness of laser treatment, including blood thinners, anti-inflammatory drugs and photosensitizing medicines. Make sure your laser professional knows of all medications you are taking prior to beginning their laser session.
Before your laser hair removal treatment appointment, it’s recommended that you stop plucking or waxing in the area six weeks in advance. Lasers work by targeting hair at their roots; therefore removing melanin will lessen its effectiveness and make this laser less effective.
Stop Shaving or Waxing
Before your laser hair removal appointment, it is crucial that you refrain from shaving, waxing and plucking hair as these methods strip away the top layer of skin required for laser treatment to be successful. Since bare skin will not allow laser pulses to reach their targets effectively enough, sufficient hair should remain for each pulse to damage root follicles with each pulse; since shaving encourages further hair growth it would be wiser to wait two weeks before scheduling an appointment.
Before your laser session, it is advisable to avoid other methods of body hair removal such as electrolysis, chemical epilation or waxing as they remove more skin than necessary and could potentially result in irritation or inflammation – making laser therapy much more suitable.
On the day of your appointment, it’s advisable to remove all cream or makeup products – such as deodorant, lotions and ointments – that may contaminate the area being treated, including deodorant. Although soap can be used, be sure that all products have been thoroughly removed from your skin; any remaining bacteria should also be eliminated from this space.
At least two weeks before your appointment, discontinue use of any sunless tanning sprays or lotions as this could compromise the laser and interfere with treatment. Furthermore, sunburnt skin could create pain during treatment sessions.
Those with delicate skin should exfoliate three or four days before their session in order to ensure no clumps of hair remain beneath the surface of their skin. When choosing an exfoliating product without granules as this could potentially scratch and irritate skin further.
Be sure to discuss any medications, particularly antibiotics like tetracycline and doxycycline that increase photosensitivity with your dermatologist as these could make your skin sensitive to light from laser treatment.
Stop Using Moisturizers
Before laser hair removal, your skin should be as natural as possible, which means avoiding lotion or cream products that create barriers between it and the laser beam, potentially diminishing its efficacy. These can still be used up until the day of your appointment but be mindful not to apply them on that particular day.
Avoid products containing ingredients that increase photosensitivity of the skin, such as benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid and retinol; these substances increase your chances of burning during laser procedures and could increase the chances of burning the skin during treatment sessions. To lower this risk during laser treatments, take an acetaminophen or Tylenol dose one hour prior to scheduling your appointment.
Before your laser session, it is also recommended to refrain from waxing, tweezing or chemically depilating your hair as these methods can disturb hair follicles and diminish their ability to produce new hairs. Instead, shave the area where you wish to receive treatment either the night before or morning of your appointment in order for the laser beams to target only root-level hair without accidentally targeting surface-level strands which could burn your skin.
Before undergoing laser treatment, it’s also a wise idea to exfoliate the area that will be treated. This will remove dead skin cells and stimulate hair follicles to shed faster. Be sure to use a gentle scrub instead of an abrasive exfoliator; harsh exfoliators may irritate your skin further. Likewise, any products such as makeup, perfumes and deodorants that come into contact with skin being treated should also be avoided as this will allow the laser to easily locate hair follicles; improving results of procedure.
Stop Taking Medication
At your laser hair removal appointment, the last thing you want is for any medication to cause an adverse reaction. While it doesn’t necessarily mean stopping taking said drugs altogether, it is essential that you inform your aesthetician of all current treatments, including over-the-counter options like anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, heart medications or any over-the-counter supplements you are currently taking (anti-inflammatory pills can increase photosensitivity while some heart medications increase it even further!). Being safe rather than sorry!
Before your laser hair removal treatment appointment, it is wise to shave the area that needs treatment a day beforehand. This way, long hairs won’t stick up above your skin that could get burned by lasers and prevent them from targeting actual hair follicles directly. Be wary not to shave too closely to your skin’s surface as doing so could result in cuts and nicks.
Avoid plucking or waxing the area to be treated, as well. These treatments could suffocate hair follicles and prevent them from receiving energy from the laser and being destroyed.
Tanning will prevent laser hair removal from working effectively; therefore, use a broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30+ instead.
Last but not least, it’s essential that you arrive at your appointment with clean and dry skin. Moisturizers, lotions, oils, and deodorant may obstruct laser light from reaching hair follicles; to make sure that laser hair removal can go as smoothly as possible for you, remove these products prior to beginning treatment. That way you won’t worry whether your underarms smell pleasant during your session! To further ensure maximum enjoyment during treatment wear loose, comfortable clothing that doesn’t chafe against skin such as tight pants or bra; wearing looser clothing will help ensure laser doesn’t penetrate into sensitive areas such as underarms, chest or legs – making laser treatment much more pleasant overall for you personally!
