What Happens If You Don't Shave Before Laser Hair Removal? | Sparkle Lifestyle & MediSpa (2024)

FAQs

What Happens If You Don't Shave Before Laser Hair Removal? | Sparkle Lifestyle & MediSpa? ›

If you forget to shave, the effectiveness of your treatment may diminish. The laser, instead of focusing on the follicles, might target surface hair. This can lead to heightened discomfort, potential stinging, and a risk of burns. Surface impurities like dirt and oil can also reduce efficacy.

If the hair is long, this can lead to the laser burning the skin because it traveled the length of the hair and attacks the closest source of melanin. In this case, the skin. However, if the hair is short enough, it will only target the hair until it reaches the root of the follicle.

Left it a little late and your appointments in 1 hour – well there's no reason why you can't shave just before. However, I recommend you do your shaving one day prior, because shaving can often leave the skin red and irritated. Applying a heat treatment such as laser on the area may be very uncomfortable.

Shave within 24 hours of your laser appointment. Your Laser Technician will not be able to go over areas with hair that's above the skin.

We need to essentially avoid the laser reaching the area of skin above the follicle, as this can lead to painful and uncomfortable skin irritation and skin burns. Shaving helps to ensure this does not happen, so make sure you shave before your treatment session.

As we mentioned a little earlier, if you don't shave before your appointment, the laser will singe the hair resulting in a burn to your skin. In addition, if the hair hasn't been shaved properly, treatment will not be as effective, and it may result in small temporary grazes on the top layer of your skin.

However, it's crucial to avoid shaving too closely immediately prior to the session. Shaving too closely right before your appointment can increase the sensitivity of your skin, making the treatment more uncomfortable. It can also increase the risk of skin irritation or redness.

A shave 24 to 48 hours before the appointed date is important. While the hair root is invisible, the laser can seek it out within the pigment. By shaving, you reduce the chances of burns with the hair being below the skin's surface.

If you don't shave before your laser hair removal treatment, the laser will target the surface hair, which can lead to a less effective session. This means you might require more sessions than initially planned, delaying your journey towards that attractive, hair-free body.

Make sure you don't shave immediately before your Palo Alto laser hair removal treatment, as this increases the odds for inflammation and swelling.

What happens if you laser over unshaved hair? ›

If you forget to shave, the effectiveness of your treatment may diminish. The laser, instead of focusing on the follicles, might target surface hair. This can lead to heightened discomfort, potential stinging, and a risk of burns. Surface impurities like dirt and oil can also reduce efficacy.

With hairs at different stages at any given time, a single laser session can only target hairs in the active growth phase. This discrepancy means that hairs not in the active phase during treatment will continue to grow, leading to the perception of stubble.

By shaving the treatment area beforehand, you provide the laser technician with a clean canvas for precise targeting. This is particularly crucial for areas with varying hair lengths, ensuring that the laser can effectively reach the hair follicles without interference from longer hairs.

If the hair on your treatment area is too long, you could risk getting burned. However, you do want there to be hair in the follicle, just not above the skin, which is why shaving rather than waxing before the treatment is preferred.

Dry skin during laser hair treatment can lead to itchy, irritated skin. This is another reason why you should leave 24 hours between shaving and your appointment, and you should also take care to use shaving cream or shaving gel to keep the skin on the treatment area moisturised.

The best thing you can do is shave a day before your appointment. If you forget, your laser tech will shave the area for you. It's not a disappearing act. But 6-8 treatments and you will see the results, that will last forever!

If you're not shaving before IPL/SHR hair removal, the light energy may not reach all hair follicles, resulting in an uneven hair reduction. If you're not shaving before IPL/SHR hair removal, you may experience razor burn and ingrown hairs.

To prepare for your laser hair removal, shave the area 12-14 hours before your appointment with a clean, sharp razor. Be sure to remove all hairs especially longer hairs sitting above the skin as this can cause burns.