Laser Hair Removal Treatment and Sun Exposure: Proceed with Caution

Now is the time of year when most of us are showing a lot more skin. You can be slim and toned, with rock hard abs and sculpted arms, but a hairy back or a bumpy, red ingrown bikini area can really kill your look.

If you do your research, you will quickly see that active sun-tanning is generally a “no-no” when doing a course of laser hair removal treatments. This is good advice. Active sun-tanning should be avoided within two weeks of a laser hair removal treatment. This includes using a tanning booth, or active sun worship by the beach or by the pool.

There are a two reasons for this. First, your skin is more sensitive to the sun (and therefore, a sunburn) for two weeks after a laser hair removal treatment. While any sunburn is bad, a sunburn on skin that has recently been treated with a laser can be more damaging to that skin.

Second, the lighter your skin is, the more effective each laser treatment will be. This is because the laser is absorbed by the pigment it fires upon. Laser hair removal harnesses the pigment in the hair to kill the follicle. The more pigment you have in your skin (whether from genetics or from a suntan) the more gently your skin will have to be treated.

The good news is that most of us are taking more precautions than ever in the sun. Dark dark tans are out, and sunscreen and good skin care are in. If the stubble on your legs is driving you crazy, and you can limit your sun exposure, it will most likely be fine for you to begin or continue your laser hair removal treatments. And next year shaving can be a thing of the past.

Laser Hair Removal Side Effects

We field many questions about the side effects of laser hair removal. Because we specialize specifically in laser hair removal, doing many treatments daily, we have the opportunity to encounter issues as they arise. Laser Hair Removal performed by a trained and experienced technician with physician oversight, using an FDA approved laser is extremely safe and has a low risk of side effects.

That said, we do see some reactions that we would like to share with you. And we can also address some concerns about potential side effects that we are aware of but have not yet witnessed.

• Redness and Swelling – Laser hair removal uses the heat of the laser to literally burn the hair follicles. Our technicians identify the best settings possible in order to get the best results while minimizing redness and swelling. We also apply ice to the treated area to cool the skin. Done right, it will probably feel like you got some sun on the treated area. Redness (more likely, pinkness) may last one to three days, but usually dissipates within 20 minutes to one hour.
• Darkening of the skin (hyperpigmentation) – This is a temporary condition which we have seen when clients have actively suntanned within two weeks of laser treatment. Once out of the sun the pigmentation changes dissipate within a few weeks.
• Lightening of the skin (hypopigmentation) – This is of special concern with people who have darker skin. Laser hair treatment is more successful on fair skin, but darker skin also can be treated. Our laser is FDA approved to treat all skin types and, in the thousands of treatments we have performed, we have not seen this side effect.
• Burns or Blistering – Because the laser generates enough heat in the follicles to permanently disable them, there is the risk of a burn, as that heat energy can be transferred to the surrounding tissue. Because the technology is quite effective this risk is minimal, as long as it is performed by a trained technician. Less than one percent of our clients have had issues with burns, and these have resolved completely.
• Changes in the skin texture – These rarely occur and, again, we have not had any clients with this side effect.
• Crusting or scabbing – Can occur (especially when the area that is treated is inflamed with chronic ingrown hairs) but is quite temporary and actually a good sign of an effective treatment. This skin condition can be minimized and shortened with the application of hydrocortisone cream and/or antibiotic ointment.

We always take the time to discuss these issues with clients before treatment. It’s important to understand that laser hair removal is defined as a medical treatment. Laser hair removal side effects should be understood by clients before treatment occurs.

Brazilian Wax vs Laser Hair Removal Brazilian

YouTube Bikini Wax Video Ouch!

I ran across this video on you tube when I searched bikini wax. I couldn’t help but think about how a brazilian wax differs from a laser hair removal brazilian.

With the increasing popularity of smooth, hair free pubic area many woman (and men) are seeking brazilian bikini waxing and laser hair removal. And when it comes to the brazilian, waxing is more painful than laser hair removal. Not to mention that laser hair removal is permanent and achieves smoother results.

Some of the comments for the video lament about what women will do to please our men. But I can attest that the brazilian also improves sensation for the woman as well. Not only does it look cleaner and sexier but it feels cleaner and sexier.

With a laser hair removal brazilian or bikini you may endure some pain but at least each time you receive a treatment you move one step closer to never having to do it again. And the waxing still doesn’t leave your skin as smooth as laser hair removal does, nor does it get rid of ingrown hairs. (For many, it makes them so much worse!) So the results for a brazilian wax are not as good nor permanent. That’s why so many people are choosing the laser hair removal brazilian over the brazilian wax.