Do you need to shave before laser hair removal?

Going for laser hair removal to get rid of unwanted hair has become extremely common. There is much more to this type of hair removal procedure then just attending your treatment session and letting your skin specialist do everything for you. There are certain precautions you need to take yourself before treatment such as shaving.

1. Shaving leads to a more effective treatment outcome

Unshaved hair would attract lower laser energy on your skin and less concentrated energy means fewer hair follicles will be treated. In fact, it has been found that lowered laser energy tends to actually stimulate hair growth rather than weaken the hair follicle.

2. Shaving before a treatment session can keep your skin protected

Unshaved hair attracts laser energy above the skin as well as targeting the hair follicle beneath the skin surface. 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.

3. Shaving ensures the melanin is still there

Skin experts, advise clients to shave before a treatment session to make sure we don’t completely get rid of the melanin from the skin, which the laser works on during treatment.

Treatments like waxing removes hair from the roots and gets rid of all the melanin the laser would work on, for this reason it’s best to stick to shaving before a treatment session.

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