You’ve got a laser hair removal appointment, but your skin is flaring up or maybe you’ve had an accident. What should you do? Can you get laser hair removal on broken skin?
If your skin is truly broken, the answer is probably no. On the other hand, there are situations where it’s ambiguous, and maybe you can still come in for laser hair removal. In this post, we’ll explain when you can and when you can’t do laser hair removal with broken skin.
Types of Broken Skin
When our customers ask us about broken skin, these are usually the main types of concerns they’re dealing with.
Eczema & Psoriasis
Eczema is a common skin concern that often comes up in the conversation around laser hair removal and broken skin. Often referred to as atopic dermatitis, it’s a condition where the skin is prone to developing itchy, rough rashes. Flare-ups can happen for a wide range of causes, and occasionally for no discernible reason.
You can definitely get laser hair removal if you suffer from eczema frequently, as well as from other inflammatory conditions like psoriasis. Shaving can contribute to flare-ups, but laser allows you to shave less often and eventually, stop shaving altogether. Many of our customers find that by reducing hair growth, laser hair removal actually helps with their eczema!
If you have an eczema flare-up in the area where you’re being treated, you may want to delay your laser appointment until after it clears. In cases of minor flare-ups, we might still be able to do laser on most of the surrounding area, so feel free to contact your local SEV Laser medspa to find out.
Cuts and Abrasions
There is no room for debate here – if you have a cut, abrasion, or any other kind of open wound, we cannot laser the injured area. If it’s just a small cut or scrape in a larger area, we can simply use the laser around the cut. For smaller treatment areas or larger injuries to the skin, it’s important to wait until you’ve had a chance to heal before attempting to remove the hair.
Scars
Yes, we can do laser hair removal over scars! As long as your skin has finished healing, we can definitely address hair regrowth. This applies to post-surgery scarring as well as acne scars, hyperpigmentation, and scars from injuries.
In some cases, scarring may also lead to color changes, which is why we will always choose a laser technology that’s appropriate for your skin tone.
In the vast majority of cases, hair doesn’t actually regrow where you have a scar, so we may not need to treat the scarred skin at all.
Post Laser Hair Removal Tips for Broken Skin
No respectable salon will do laser hair removal on broken skin. If you went to someone inexperienced or your skin wasn’t necessarily broken but just irritated, we have some tips to help your skin heal more quickly after your laser appointment.
- First of all, make sure to follow all laser hair removal aftercare recommendations, like avoiding heat, sun exposure, and anything else that might irritate your treated skin.
- If your skin is genuinely broken, make sure to treat it as you would any other wound. Keep the area clean, covered in an occlusive ointment, and bandaged if necessary.
- If your skin is especially irritated but not broken, speak to a pharmacist or your doctor about applying a topical anti-inflammatory ointment like hydrocortisone cream.
- Avoid wearing tight clothing that may chafe against your skin.
- Avoid applying any exfoliating or skin-resurfacing products to the treated area.
- If you experience any unusual side effects beyond what your provider tells you to expect, please seek medical guidance.
If you’re interested in laser hair removal and you want to know that you’re in safe hands, feel free to book an appointment with us at SEV Laser. All of our providers are registered nurses or specialized laser technicians who will never put you in harm’s way. If you’d like to find out if you’re a good candidate for laser hair removal, you can contact us, as well.
