How to Care for Your Skin Before and After Laser Hair Removal

Ready to stop the endless cycle of plucking, tweezing, waxing, and shaving away unwanted body and facial hair? Dr. Rawan Abu-Zeitoon and the team at Chrysolite Aesthetics in Houston, Texas, can help with the best technology and therapy available when it comes to laser hair removal. 

Dr. Abu-Zeitoon selected the GentleMax Pro® nd:YAG and alexandrite lasers to help you achieve the best results possible. Properly caring for your skin before and after your treatment session helps optimize your laser hair removal results. Here’s how it works and what to do to get the smoothest, silkiest skin you can!

Understanding laser hair removal

Laser hair removal works by using advanced laser technology to safely target the protein cells in hair follicles. The laser blasts these cells with intense light. Because these cells provide the nourishment your hair needs to grow, your hair stops growing when they’re destroyed. 

You don’t have to worry about your skin or surrounding tissues being harmed because these treatments are highly targeted. In fact, because the laser hair removal system at Chrysolite Aesthetics is safe and effective, you can treat most areas of your body, including your: 

• Face
• Underarms
• Arms and legs
• Back
• Bikini area
• Chest and shoulders

Most treatment sessions take minutes, and even bigger areas, like the chest or back, can usually fit into a lunch hour. Since laser hair removal stops new hair from growing, most results last. However, if you experience regrowth, your new hair will be lighter and thinner, making it easy to erase with a quick touch-up treatment. 

Caring for your skin before laser hair removal

To get the longest-lasting results you can with the healthiest skin possible, it’s important to care for your skin before laser hair removal treatment. Here are some of our top suggestions:

• Stop waxing and plucking 4-6 weeks before your appointment: Laser hair removal targets the root, so you want to ensure it’s in place, which means shaving is OK since it stops at the surface of your skin, but waxing and plucking are out since they remove the root
• Shave 1-2 days before treatment: Long hairs may be burned by the laser energy, and shaving reduces the chances this
• Stay away from the sun: As much as possible, stay out of the sun or keep your skin covered starting two weeks before your treatment; If you’re sunburned, you can’t have laser hair removal
• Stop using bleach and some medications: Don’t bleach your hair for at least six weeks before laser hair removal, and talk about your medications with Dr. Abu-Zeitoon since some may affect your skin
• Come for treatment with clean skin and no makeup or lotion: Some ingredients in certain beauty products can impact your results from laser hair removal 

Following these guidelines works to minimize your risk of side effects on your skin, which include mild irritations, burns, and discoloration. As a bonus, these steps help ensure you get better hair removal results, too. 

Caring for your skin after laser hair removal

After your laser hair removal treatment, be sure you pay special attention to your skin. In the hours following treatment, you may experience some minor side effects. These include your skin feeling more sensitive to the touch than usual, slightly warm, or mildly irritated. 

These side effects are usually very short lived and resolve quickly, but you can help them along by taking care of your skin after your treatment. Here are our top recommendations to follow for 1-2 days after your laser treatment: 

• Avoid direct exposure to the sun 
• Apply ice to your skin if it’s red or slightly swollen 
• Don’t rub or itch the treatment areas
• Wear an unscented moisturizer with SPF 
• Don’t wear makeup after treatment on your face
• Avoid hot showers (use lukewarm water)
• Don’t go to hot, humid places, like steam rooms or hot tubs
• Skip intense exercise that causes your skin to overheat

You’ll also benefit from wearing loose, soft clothes that don’t rub against your skin. After 1-2 days, any sensitivity or irritation you’re experiencing should go away. 

For continued good results, keep taking care of your skin by minimizing sun exposure for a week. When you do go outside, be sure to wear sunscreen every time. 

Say goodbye to unwanted hair for good with laser hair removal! Contact the Houston office of Chrysolite Aesthetics by calling 832-698-1157 to schedule or book an appointment online.