Why is shaving important prior to your treatment?
Shaving prior to your appointment is paramount as it reduces any discomfort but most importantly gives you a more effective treatment. The laser is attracted to the pigment in your hair and travels down the hair shaft to the blood supply feeding it. When the hair is too long the laser travels the wrong direction to exposed hair outside the skin vs going to the blood supply. Long hairs require more pulses to get the hair to react properly, lengthening your appointment, causing more discomfort and is more likely to burn the skin because of excessive pulses. No more than 1/16 of an inch should be visible outside the hair follicle. Even if the hair is very fine it should always be shaved at least a couple of days prior to treatment, but the morning of your treatment is ideal.
Sun exposure
Avoiding sun before and after your laser is one of the most important things to consider before any laser treatment. Even if you didn’t get a tan or red skin, having any direct sun exposure within a week of your treatment dramaticlly increases the chance of burns, irritation, and/or hypo/hyperpigmentation. Having fresh tan lines is a big alert to your technician that you have not avoided direct sun and you can be liable for the appointment cost if they have to cancel your service based upon the clients lack of preparation for their laser service. This includes any laser anywhere on the body. Also, applying sunless tanning products can have the same undesired outcome that actual sun exposure can have. The laser cannot tell the difference between faux and real pigment. Avoid any delays in you treatments by avoiding direct sunlight prior or post laser treatments and ALWAYS WEAR SPF EVERYDAY!!
