Do you also have enough of trimming, plucking or growing unwanted body hair every week and planning to undergo laser hair removal? Wait! Much depends on the effectiveness of laser hair removal as properly as you prepare for the treatment. Your doctor’s experience, no doubt, plays an important role in determining the effectiveness of the treatment, but before and after the procedure is equally important.
Here is a list of pre-procedure instructions that will help you to prepare well for laser hair removal and get the most out of every session.
1. Finish tanning at least one month before the treatment:
Lasers work best on fair skin. An ideal candidate for laser hair removal is the one with light skin tone and dark hair. So, if you suntan or sunless tanner in the sun to this attractive brown skin tone, so stop at least 4 to 6 weeks before laser hair removal. If going out during the daytime, apply sunscreen with SPF 30 or on top of the hair you want to treat.
2. Refrain from waxing, threading, and tweezers at least 4 to 6 weeks before treatment:
The laser works by targeting the root of the hair that is to be removed. But plucking, waxing and threading all remove the hair from their roots and it will take you 2 to 4 weeks at least to regroup from the hair follicle. This reduces the effectiveness of laser hair removal. Shave your hair to maintain your personal hygiene but remove hair from the root at least 4 to 6 weeks before stopping treatment. Also, do not bleach your hair, as the laser does not work on bleached or gray hair.
3. Shave area 24 hours before the appointment:
Shave the areas that need to be treated 24 to 48 hours before the appointment or as an instruction by your doctor during the consultation prior to the procedure. Trimmed hairs are also good for the treatment but longer hairs make the treatment more painful as they burn on the surface of the skin by absorbing heat energy from the laser beams and some of the heat energy is also transmitted to the skin.
4. Keep your skin free of cosmetics, lotions or creams:
Your skin must be free of any cosmetics, or moisturizing creams and lotions at the time of treatment. You can clean the area at the treatment location. If you have used antiperspirant, remove before treatment.
5. Wear loose-fitting clothes on the day of treatment:
On the day of treatment, you will be brought to the clinic in loose clothing, exposed to the treatment area, or it may be easily removed to make the area of treatment available. Remember, the same goes for pretreatment advice; otherwise, your doctor will not be able to properly assess your hair and treatment area.
6. Share your pain threshold with the doctor before the procedure:
Laser hair removal is usually done without anesthesia. A generous amount of chilled gel is applied in the area of treatment and handpiece is moved across the skin to pass laser beams. But if you are overly sensitive, discuss pain with your doctor and he may prefer to apply an anesthetic cream to the area to be treated. A numbing cream needs at least 30 to 40 minutes to work so your doctor should know how to plan your pain threshold accordingly.
