The Ultimate Guide: Preparing for Laser Hair Removal and What to Expect During and After Treatment

Laser Hair Removal

It’s essential to get ready for laser hair removal (إزالة الشعر بالليزر في الرياض) to ensure a safe and effective procedure. In addition to maximizing outcomes, careful planning also helps to reduce dangers and difficulties. In this thorough guest post, we will guide you through the necessary preparations for laser hair removal and offer helpful insights into the entire procedure. By following our professional guidance, you’ll be equipped to get the most out of your laser hair removal procedure, achieve smooth, hair-free skin, and say goodbye permanently to time-consuming hair removal techniques. So let’s get started and learn everything you need to about getting ready for laser hair removal and the thrilling trip that lies ahead.

Avoid before treatment (At Least 6 weeks before treatment)

Avoid waxing, hair removal creams, tweezing, and electrolysis. The reason you want to avoid these is because they remove the hair follicle which is needed in order to perform the effective treatment you also want. You should also avoid using bleach as it removes the color of the hair, melanin is needed in the hair follicle in order for it to absorb the light from the laser.

Shave Area

Shave all the areas that are going to be treated prior to your appointment. For most patients, this is a day before to ensure that the hair is not too long and not too smooth the laser removal process works best on just a little bit of stubble. Patients are also given the option of using a topical anesthetic this is important in some sensitive areas like the bikini line or underarms.

No tanning (At least 2 weeks before treatment)

Avoid all types of tanning at least 2 weeks prior to the treatment, this includes incidental or direct sun exposure, tanning beds, spray tans, and sunless tanners. The reason you want to avoid this is because they all darken your skin and with increased melanin, increase your risk of an adverse side effect so if you’re going to be out just make sure you wear an SPF 50 higher and reapply every two hours if you’re going to be sweating. If you do show up at an appointment with a little tan or spray tan you will be rescheduled for 2 weeks just to be safe.

Clean Area

Ensure the area to be treated is completely clean of all products, this includes removing deodorant, lotion, makeup, and sunscreen. This is important as all these products can react to the laser. So, it’s best to just not put them on at all on the day of the treatment but if you do show up with them. Your dermatologist can always use wipes or alcohol swabs to help you remove them.

Inform of Medications

Inform your dermatologist ahead of time if there are any changes in your medical history or if you’re taking any new medications. The reason for this is to ensure safe treatment and there are things that can react to the laser light differently for example if you’re taking antibiotics or acne medications it can make you more photosensitive which can make your reaction to the laser stronger so its best to tell your dermatologist in case they need to reschedule your appointment.

During Laser Hair Removal

The first treatment that you have, you’re going to feel the most from the laser it’s going to feel like a light rubber band snapping against your skin. What the dermatologist is looking to do is to destroy the hair follicle and the bulge which is where new hair begins. Hair removal sessions are pretty quick with minimal discomfort, areas such as the underarms, face, and bikini can take 5 to 15 minutes while areas such as the legs and half body can take up to an hour.

After Laser Hair Removal

Two weeks after the treatment you will notice that the hair will start to fall out. The number of treatments done will depend on the type of hair present. With each successive treatment, you will notice the hair reducing to about 90-95%. Immediately following the procedure you should expect to have redness and some swelling around the hair follicles. Your dermatologists may give you some icepacks and they give you a corticosteroid cream to put on to calm down that swelling and give you some post-treatment instructions such as:

 

• Use sunscreen: Your dermatologist may advise you to avoid going out for at least 2 weeks or if you need to go out use sunscreen with SPF 50 or above. 

 

• Avoid hot showers and baths: Hot baths and showers are to be avoided for at least 2 days after treatment as they may irritate the skin.

 

• Avoid exercise: It is advised to avoid exercise or any strenuous activity for at least 24 hours where you may face extreme heat which leads to skin irritation. This may last longer in some patients in this case they should avoid heat until all irritation goes away.

 

• Avoid picking or scratching: Even if there is some small short-term redness or scabbing, it is important to fight the impulse to pick or scratch the treated areas. To avoid any potential issues or scarring, let the skin recover normally.

 

• Avoid waxing, plucking, or bleaching: Only shave your hair and avoid any other forms of hair removal methods such as waxing, plucking, or bleaching your hair.