7 Tips for Effective Laser Hair Removal

If you want to achieve smooth skin ASAP, here’s how to make sure your laser hair removal treatment is as effective as possible. Most of your results are in the hands of your provider, but there’s still a lot you can do before and after treatment. So if you’re ready for a safe, comfortable, and highly effective laser experience, follow every one of the 6 tips below.

1. The Right Machines

Before you even book your first treatment, make sure your provider can treat you with the right laser for your skin. There’s a lot you can research about the different types of laser machines and how they work, but to summarize:

• Alexandrite laser works best for light to medium skin tones, delivering the greatest level of hair reduction in studies.
• Nd:YAG laser is the safest choice for medium-dark to deep skin tones, delivering a high level of hair reduction with minimal risk.
• Diode is the laser world’s jack of all trades but a master of none — for those with lighter skin, it’s not as effective as an Alexandrite laser, while for those with darker skin, it’s not as gentle.

We use dual-wavelength devices with both Alexandrite and Nd:YAG lasers at all SEV locations.

2. Say No to Tanning

Tanning is a no-no both before and after laser hair removal. The closer your skin is to its base color, the better your laser hair removal results will be.

Whether it’s from the sun or from a bottle, a tan makes it harder for the laser to identify your hair. This puts you at a greater risk of getting burned. To account for that, your laser provider will have to lower your treatment settings — resulting in slower results. If your sun exposure was recent, you may even have to reschedule your appointment.

It’s also worth mentioning that sun exposure leads to health risks like sunburn, premature aging, and skin cancer. If you ask us, that’s a good enough reason to avoid the sun in general.

3. Shave

Shaving is fundamental for effective laser hair removal, as it allows the laser to reach the hair follicle. If your hair is too long, the laser will just burn the top without reaching your hair follicle.

Make sure to shave 24 to 48 hours before your appointment. While some sources suggest shaving right before your appointment, we don’t recommend it — the last thing you want is to laser over sensitive, freshly shaved skin.

4. Avoid Tweezing and Waxing

Stop all methods of hair removal that pull the hair out of the follicle in the treatment area. That includes waxing, tweezing, sugaring, threading, and epilating.

Laser hair removal works by identifying the pigment in the root of your hair. That pigment acts like a conductor, delivering heat to the follicle and damaging its ability to grow hair.

5. Be Consistent

Consistency is another key part of laser hair removal’s efficacy, and you can’t wait too long between treatments. We recommend getting your laser appointments once every 4 weeks, especially at the beginning.

This gives your skin the ideal amount of time to recover while still ensuring thorough, comprehensive results within the shortest amount of time. If you only remember to come in every few months, it’s much harder for the laser to target every follicle when it’s at its growth stage (i.e., when it’s receptive to the effects of the laser).

6. Keep It Gentle

Better recovery means better results, so be extra gentle with the areas you’re getting lasered. That means keeping the skin moisturized, avoiding the sun (which always bears repeating!), and skipping any exfoliating skincare for around a week post-treatment.

Check out our laser hair removal pre and post-care guide for the full rundown, but rest assured that your nurse or laser technician will explain the instructions again at your appointment.

7. Choose the Right Provider

We’ve covered nearly everything you can do for an effective laser hair removal experience. There’s just one tip left: Choose a laser hair removal medspa or clinic that has the specialists and equipment to deliver your best results.

At SEV, our nurses and laser technicians are trained and specialized to deliver exceptional results. They’ll create a treatment plan tailored to your skin, so you can achieve dramatic hair reduction in safety and comfort.

The sooner you start your laser hair removal journey, the sooner you’ll see the results you want. If you’d like to take that step, visit us at SEV and get your first treatment for free.