How to Prepare for a Laser Hair Removal Treatment
Aesthetics Daily – Are you worried about the amount of unwanted hair on some parts of your body? If yes then you are not alone because many people are bothered by unwanted hair. Often, unwanted hair affects how a person feels and behaves.
Various attempts are made to remove unwanted hair ranging from shaving to using creams and epilation. Those are several examples of traditional hair removal methods that some people commonly use. However, they have short-term effects that risk creating new problems such as the appearance of ingrown hairs.
The method that provides long-term effects is laser hair removal which uses medical grade technology. Not only does it help reduce unwanted hair, laser hair removal also prevents the growth of ingrown hairs that tend to cause hyperpigmentation, especially in deep skin tones.
You need to know that laser does not always result in permanent hair removal. Patients can get treatment on any part of the body but the most common areas are the face, legs, hands, back, underarms, and bikini.
Before you get a laser hair removal treatment, it is important for you to consider its advantages and disadvantages. You can do your research first by looking for comprehensive information about laser hair removal.
Another things to consider are price and time. You will most likely need more than one treatment for optimal results, depending on your doctor’s recommendations. The number of sessions are usually influenced by the individual and the area being treated.
According to American Academy of Dermatology, laser hair removal works best for patients with light skin and dark hair. Generally, laser hair removal requires no noticeable downtime. The patient’s skin will experience redness and swelling immediately after treatment.
How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?
Lasers work by emitting light waves with a specific single color. Next, the energy from the light is transferred to the skin and hair pigment melanin.
The energy is converted into heat to destroy the hair follicles and hair bulb. This process will damage the surrounding tissue. Therefore, the laser needs to be targeted to specific cells to minimize tissue damage. This process is called selective photothermolysis.
The heat from the laser destroys cells that have a lot of pigment (color). Black hair absorbs the most heat because it has a lot of pigment. Then, the heat transferred by the hair to the hair follicle destroy it. Damaged hair follicles can inhibit hair growth later in life.
To help the treatment give good results, the hair follicles must be in its anagen or growth stage. Each person’s hair follicle growth stage is different. Therefore, each patient requires a varying amount of treatment.
Preparing for a Laser Hair Removal Treatment
First of all, you need to meet a dermatologist to ascertain your problem in advance. Your doctor will examine your skin type and condition to make sure that laser hair removal is safe for you. If you are still in doubt, you can make an appointment with a doctor for a consultation session where you can ask anything you want to know more.
- For three days before treatment, in the treatment area, do not use topical products that can cause photosensitivity. They include retinol, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and hydroxy acids.
- In addition, you need to wear a broad-spectrum mineral sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more every day.
- Make sure you apply gentle lotions and cleansers to the treatment area.
- For two weeks before treatment, do not use UV tanning beds at all.
- At least 14 days before treatment, do not use Botox injections, dermal filler injections, microdermabrasion, or chemical peels on the area to be treated.
- Prior to treatment, any area where laser hair removal will be performed should be completely shaved.
- For 2 weeks prior to treatment, do not epilate, wax, and tweeze or use depilatory creams.
- The only recommended hair removal method before treatment is shaving.
Usually, doctors will advise you to avoid sunbathing and sun exposure as much as possible before and after treatment. You really need to pay attention to this preparation, especially if you want to get laser hair removal treatment so that you can get maximum results.
Summary
After a laser hair removal consultation, you will receive treatment if you are the right candidate. The laser technician will ask about your recent medical history to ensure there are no contraindications to treatment.
You can tell the esthetician the areas where unwanted hair would be removed. Once everything is certainly ready, you will start undergoing treatment to get the desired results.
