Why is it important to shave before your laser hair removal appointment?
It is important to shave before your laser hair removal appointment, 24 hours before is recommended. Shaving on the day of your session can be dangerous and should be avoided completely.
This is because when you shave the razor may lift a layer of skin off as it passes over your skin. This depends on how much pressure you use when you’re gliding the razor over your skin. This freshly shaved skin will be fragile for a period of time after you shave. In the hours that pass a new layer will develop causing your skin to be less sensitive. If we perform a treatment on freshly shaven skin i.e. skin that has been shaved on the day of treatment, we run the risk of causing damage to your skin with our lasers.
Why do you need to shave before every laser hair removal appointment?
As you are progressing through your course of treatments to remove unwanted hairs, your laser settings will be increased. This will pose a greater risk to your skin as more heat/laser energy will be used to target your finer hair growth. It’s important to make sure you are doing this before each and every one of your treatments in our Dublin or Drogheda studios.
Top tips for shaving before your laser hair removal treatment
Use a good quality shaving foam
To help, moisturise your skin while you are shaving. Immediately after shaving your skin may become dry temporarily. It may take some time for the oil glands to replenish the oil content in your skin. If we perform laser treatment when your skin is very dry it may become extremely itchy and irritated directly after your treatment. This reaction will be uncomfortable and may take a few days to heal. Shaving 24hrs before your laser hair removal appointment is probably one of the most important things to do to avoid an adverse reaction from laser.
Please allow yourself adequate time in order to shave properly
If you rush you may have nicks and cuts that we will have to avoid with the laser beam of light during your treatment. If this happens you may find that you are left with some areas that have been left untreated. Because we cannot laser over broken skin and will have to avoid these areas. Some people will develop slight regrowth overnight, this is normal and will not interfere with your treatment. It is not necessary to remove this hair on the morning of your session with any typical hair removal methods.
Don’t apply too much pressure onto the razor
Use light pressure, try to glide the razor lightly over the skin. Shaving too harshly will make your skin sore and sensitive. If you are finding you have to repeatedly shave over your areas it may be time to buy a new razor. If you are using a multi-use razor make sure to look after your razor blade itself. Clean and dry it after each use before replacing the protective cap when storing. This will avoid a build-up of bacteria on the blade itself and will prevent breakouts after shaving. To avoid your treatment being cancelled on the day it’s important that you shave properly before your laser hair removal session.
Before having laser, it is essential that any excess hair above the hair follicle is removed. If the hair has not been shaven correctly treatment will not be effective and it may result in small temporary grazes on the top of your skin. These tend to take a few days to heal and are nothing to worry about but it is best to avoid this happening as they can be a little sensitive.
To avoid any adverse reactions during laser hair treatments it is essential that you follow these guidelines. Please inform your therapist if you have shaved on the day of your session as your appointment will need to be rescheduled for safety reasons.
How to prepare for your laser hair removal appointment?
To prepare for your appointment please follow these steps
- Lightly exfoliate 3-4 days before your session. This will help remove any dead skin cells from around the opening of your hair follicles
- Close shave 24 hours before your laser hair removal appointment, this is extremely important
- Don’t apply moisturizers, oils, or creams to your skin after showering on the day of your session
- Stop applying fake tan 7-10 days before your session and make sure all tan residue has been removed
- Do not take Ibuprofen 48 hours before your laser session
As you can see there are a number of reasons why it is so important to shave before your laser hair removal sessions, especially taking into account how laser hair removal works when interacting with your skin.
If you are unsure about any aspects of shaving throughout your course of treatment for unwanted body hair please contact us for advice, our team of laser hair removal specialists is on hand to answer any of your questions.
Urbana offers laser hair removal in Dublin and Drogheda for your convenience.
