Laser hair removal is one of those treatments that promises fantastic results in a very short space of time, but as you’re probably aware, there’s always a lot to consider when it comes to any form of aesthetic treatment. If you’ve been considering booking in for laser hair removal, you’ve probably spent some time searching through your favourite search engine’s results pages looking at the pros and cons of everything (because this is how the majority of us make our decisions).
To help you make your decision on whether or not it’s right for you, we’ve compiled a list of things that you should know before you take the plunge and book yourself in for a course of treatments!
The laser hair removal procedure sounds like it will hurt (but it’s not actually too bad)
Laser hair removal works by passing laser light into a hair follicle. The laser light converts to heat energy, which damages the hair follicle and bulb (which ultimately is the goal to stop hair from growing). While having a laser shot into your hair and causing a thermal reaction beneath your skin does sound painful, it’s really not too bad and is generally just a quick sharp pain, then done (although this does depend on the area of the body to be treated).
You need to shave the area to be treated prior to your session
Laser light will react with the hair that is found on the surface of the skin as well as beneath the skin, which can cause irritation and the smell of burning hair. There are a few key things to remember before you go to your session;
- Shave the area 24 hours prior to your treatment, this will give the aesthetician a good, clean area to work with.
- Don’t use tweezers or wax as this can affect the results that you will get. Shaving leaves a small amount of hair at the surface which allows the laser to safely pass through to the follicle, the other methods tend to leave no visible hair which means the results will not be as good.
- The area to be treated needs to be clean, so no makeup, lotions or sun cream is to be applied. The same rules apply to fake tan as this alters the pigment of the skin.
Laser hair removal is a speedy process
A full laser hair removal appointment can generally be completed within 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the size of the area), so you can pop in and out on a lunch break and be back to your day to day life in no time at all.
You really need to think about the sun
Both before and after your laser hair removal session, you really need to start thinking about the sun and how it will affect your skin. Because of the way that the sun affects the pigment within the skin (resulting in a tan), you’ll need to avoid the sun as much as possible before treatment and if it’s unavoidable you will need to wear plenty of sun cream for protection. After treatment, the skin is much more delicate to UV light and it’s highly advised to make sure that you avoid the sun again (if you can’t, sun cream is your new best friend).
Laser hair removal has multiple different benefits
Other than just removing hair permanently, laser hair removal actually has a number of other benefits associated with it. These include clear and smooth skin, reduction of ingrowing hairs and a lower amount of skin irritation.
It works for all skin tones and hair colours
In the past, laser hair removal was only recommended as a treatment for those with lighter skin tones due to the way in which the laser reacted with the pigment within the skin. Nowadays, there have been a lot of technological advancements in the world of laser hair removal and the devices used nowadays are considered to be safe for all skin tones.
You need to relax after a laser hair removal session
Now this one really is important so that you don’t end up causing problems for yourself, so after a treatment you want to avoid anything strenuous that will raise your body temperature. No going to the gym or taking a hot shower or bath, just put your feet up and relax. The heat from the laser remains in the skin for 24 hours after laser hair removal, so increasing this heat level creates a warm environment for bacteria to multiply which can lead to spots and skin irritation.
You will need more than one laser hair removal session
Because of the way that body hair grows in cycles, it will take multiple sessions to effectively remove the body hair from the targeted area, but the good news is that it is capable of removing up to 90% of the hair in that area. Generally, up to 6 laser hair removal sessions will be performed at different intervals to ensure that the hair is caught at the correct stage of its growth phase to destroy the follicle effectively.