Pre-Treatment Care
In order to reach the highest level of efficacy, it’s important to take a moment to review these pre and post treatment considerations. By reading this list, you’ll have a comprehensive check-list for remembering these essential guidelines to make the most of your laser hair removal appointment. In addition, we’ll review these at the time of making your appointment and answer any questions you may have. By doing so, we’re able to provide the highest level of care while guaranteeing the best results.
Give a close, thorough shave to the areas receiving treatment 24 hours before your appointment. You can shave the morning of your appointment, however It’s best to shave beforehand to reduce any irritation caused from razor rash. For harder to reach places, such as the backside, our technicians can provide shaving assistance in one of our private treatment rooms. It is important to note that you’ve had ample hair growth prior to your scheduled appointment.
The area to be treated should be freshly cleaned and left free from any make-up, perfumes, lotions, creams, and/or antiperspirants/deodorant. For your convenience, we have complimentary antiperspirant available to reapply following your treatment.
Do not wax, tweeze, pluck, Nair or otherwise remove the roots of the hair follicles 4 weeks prior to your appointment. Lasers will not be able to “see” your hair if the roots are removed; therefore your treatment will be less effective. Remember, we can only treat hair that is present!
Avoid sun bathing, indoor/outdoor tanning, spray tanning, or use of self-tanners 2-3 weeks prior to treatment. And while we can safely treat darker skin by scaling down the level of energy, doing so makes the applications less effective. Please inform us if you are currently tanning or have had recent and prolonged sun exposure to the areas being treated. The presence of spray tan almost guarantees a first degree injury to the skin.
Do not bleach or use topical lightening creams such as retinoids (Retin-A) or Hydroquinone to any hair area that will be treated, within 4 weeks prior to your treatment. Hair dye will not make the
treatment of unpigmented hair any more effective.
You must advise us of any medications you’re currently taking or have taken in the past 5 months. Do not take any oral antibiotics or anti-fungal medications within the last 7-10 days prior to your treatment. Examples include Isotretinoin and Accutane. These medications increases light sensitivity to your skin.
We do not treat women who are pregnant, nursing, or trying to get pregnant. Due to sanitation purposes, we also do not perform treatments while on menstrual cycle. Guests have reported that they are more prone to heightened sensitivity if they are near or around their menstrual cycle. Please contact us to reschedule.
Hair must be darker than the surrounding skin in order to be safely and effectively treated. If you have lighter hair, such as blond, white, grey, or red, please know that it is untreatable. Hair that lacks melanin will be resistant to the laser.
Vellus hair (peach fuzz) or very thin hair (such as upper lip or sideburns) will not respond successfully. Furthermore, hair may be stimulated into unwanted terminal (course) hair.
If you are unsure wether or not your hair will respond to laser hair removal, call us for a free consultation so we can properly determine hair characteristics!
Post Treatment Care
Laser Hair Removal, while non-invasive, can create social downtime when treating areas that are not usually covered. For that reason, it is best that you do not have any important social engagements that same day after your appointment. In order to obtain optimum results, the instructions below must be followed.
It is normal that you may experience erythema (mild redness), edema (slight swelling), or snap-like sensation on the treated area. It will resolve nicely within a short period of time and generally goes away within a few minutes to a couple hours. The treated area may feel like a mild sunburn, hot, warm or tingly for a few hours after treatment. You can apply ice over the area to help reduce the discomfort and swelling. We will also apply aloe and hydrocortisone lotion post treatment to help soothe, calm and protect the skin. It is important to note, this is generally considered a desirable side effect because it is evidence there is effective damage to the follicles.
Immediately after your treatment, avoid heavy exercise, hot baths/jacuzzis, hot showers, hot wraps/ pedicures, swimming pools, saunas, or environments where heat may increase the skin’s temperature for at least 72 hours.
Treat skin lightly for 2 weeks following your treatment. Avoid the use of Retin-A products, salicylic acid, or other AHA’s such as glycolic or lactic acid for 3 days following your treatment.
Do not use and hair removal products such as waxing or creams for 14 days following your treatment.
If you are going to apply makeup shortly post treatment, we recommend that you apply NEW makeup to reduce the possibility of infection. We recommend pure mineral makeup to avoid bacteria and reduce concern for contamination.
Avoid prolonged sun exposure, indoor/outdoor tanning, or work under halogen lights to the treated areas for at least 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after your treatment.
If you are exposed to the sun, prevent post-procedure side effects by applying Elta MD Sunscreen, SkinBetter Science Sunscreen Stick, or your preferred sunscreen of at least SPF30 or higher for the next 48 hours, every 2 hours.
Results
Immediate Results
After your laser hair removal treatment, you will start to see results immediately! The treated hair follicles have been destroyed and will no longer return, leaving them to fall out naturally between 10-14 days after treatment. Do not pick or scratch the treated area.
Average Number of Treatments
Your hair growth cycle will determine the efficiency and number of treatments required. On average, 6-9 session spaced roughly 10 weeks apart are needed to reach maximum results. To fully take advantage of laser hair removal benefits, allow more than 3 treatments to see more results. Laser hair reduction is most effective with hair in the Anagen (active) growth phase. More treatments are required for individuals who have hormonal conditions such as PCOS and hyper/hypo thyroidism.
Consistency is Key
It is best that you adhere to the appropriate treatment intervals recommended by your professional technician. Inconsistent appointments will prolong the process of treatments necessary to achieve results and would be a waste of your investment. Remember to schedule and reminder on your calendar! During your consultation, we will cover expectations and happily recommend treatment plans available and costs suitable to your unwanted hair goals.
Shave
We recommend that you shave the hairs as they begin to surface in-between your appointments. However, please refrain from waxing, plucking or tweezing treated areas. Remember, to discontinue waxing, plucking, tweezing or otherwise removing the hair from its follicle between appointments.
Maintenance
Laser hair removal does not guarantee permanent hair removal as results vary significantly from person to person. When hair regrows, it’s usually finer and lighter in color. You may need maintenance laser treatments for long-term hair reduction. 80-90% of hair will be dramatically reduced. Only 2% of the population does not respond to LHR.
Complimentary Touch-Up
Clearstone provides complimentary touch-up treatments at 2-3 weeks post your treatment session. Please note this only applies within the time frame offered and will be not be extended due for any reasons, such as guests not being able to
Contraindications
Laser hair removal cannot safely and effectively be treated on everyone at all times. The following are contraindications (or preclusions) from having laser hair removal performed. Please let us know if you have any of the following conditions:
- Skin conditions such cold sores, fever blisters, active lesions, or vascular deformity in the area
- Prone to Keloid scarring
- Auto-immune disease, such as Lupus
- Epilepsy or light-based seizure disorders
- History of skin cancers within the treatment area
- The presence of a tattoo, permanent cosmetics or other deformity of the skin
- Botox or facial fillers within the treatment area
- Pregnant, trying to get pregnant or nursing
If you experience frequent cold sores or fever blister, or have been diagnosed with Herpes Simplex 1 or 2, you may wish to begin a course of Valtrex 3 days in advance of your appointment to mitigate the chances of a precipitation of an outbreak following your laser hair removal treatment. Please consult your PCP for continued care and management as we are not able to prescribe this medication for you.
