Guide to Preparing for Your Laser Hair Removal Session
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Tired of shaving, waxing and tweezing? If yes, your best solution is laser hair removal. Nothing compares to this state of the art technology – it’s long-lasting, it’s not painful and it’s suitable for every area of your body. For best results, however, you will have to do a little prep work in order to increase the effectiveness of the treatment.
To prepare for your first laser hair removal session, you’ll have to start several weeks before. There are multiple things before going to the hair removal salon. Here is a quick guide to help you decide and prepare yourself for your first transgender hair removal procedure. Let’s start:
Four to five weeks before the session – stop plucking and waxing.
The prep work for your first laser hair removal session will start four to five weeks before the actual session. The first thing to do is simple: you just have to avoid any other hair removal procedure which involves pulling out the hair root. You should avoid plucking, tweezing and waxing, but also threading. Obviously, focus only on the areas that need to be treated by laser. You can pluck other areas if laser removal is only in specific areas.
But why should you avoid pulling out the hair root? The answer is straightforward and simple: the laser works by targeting the pigments in the hair roots. Without them, the procedure will simply not work, and you won’t get any results. While you may think that hair grows faster, the growth process takes much longer – up to several months if you remove the roots. This is why you should avoid plucking for four to five weeks before the session.
Four weeks before the session – stop bleaching.
Just about the time you stop plucking the hair roots, you should also stop any bleaching procedure. If you regularly bleach dark hair regularly, you will have to stop the procedure about four weeks before the laser hair removal session. This is because the laser will target only dark hair, so it will simply ignore the blonde, white, grey or red hairs. Bleaching darker hair will make it very difficult for the laser to locate and burn it. If you continue to bleach your hair, the laser session will simply be ineffective.
Two weeks before – avoid the sun.
Stay out of the sun during the two weeks period before the laser session. This is helpful because the laser might damage your skin if your skin is tanned. Skin discolourations are common issues if your skin is tanned. Try to avoid this issue by avoiding spray tans, tanning beds and any other product that is designed to darken the skin.
Three days before – stop taking certain medications.
During this period, you’ll have to avoid taking these medications, which can affect your skin when in contact with the laser. These include:
- any acne medication
- aspirin, Differin, Tazorac
- retinol and retinoids
- hydroquinone
- alpha and beta hydroxy products
24 hours before the session – shave the area
Just a day before the transgender hair removal session, you should shave the area that will be treated. This should be done because the laser works best on the freshly shaven hair. This is because the follicles absorb the laser energy better. Longer hairs are not good because the laser’s energy is absorbed by the hair, thus leaving little energy for the follicles. Simply put, the laser’s energy will be consumed by the long hairs, making it ineffective. Shaving is also good because it leaves the root visible, so the laser knows what to target.
The day of the session – remove any cosmetic product from your skin.
Just before you go to the salon for your laser treatment, you should remove any product from your skin. The area should be clean and natural. The products must be removed because the chemical compounds can interfere with the laser and damage the skin during the procedure. Here are some common products that you will have to remove from your skin before the laser treatment session:
- deodorant – both solid or spray
- perfume
- lotions
- makeup
- ointments
- acne medication
How to find the right laser treatment salon?
Try to find a salon or clinic that has a good reputation, good reviews, and it’s easy to find online. It would be best if you found a provider that can be contacted easily, is reputable and trustworthy. Check their testimonials, check their social media profiles, what other clients have to say about their service and how they react to comments. If the clinic is located close, ask a few friends if they heard about it and its services. Ask around and see which one is the best. This will help you get a feel about the company and its reputation.
Who will perform the procedure?
Keep in mind that not all clinics have a certification and require special education. You will probably not be able to find who will do the actual treatments if you don’t ask. Make sure the clinic has a team of certified, experienced medical laser technicians. This is very important for people who want the best service and want to feel safe.
How will the procedure take place? Will you get a numbing agent to reduce discomfort?
Transgender hair removal is not painful, but it is somewhat uncomfortable, particularly if your skin is sensitive. This is not an issue for many, but you can and should ask for a numbing agent to offer better protection if it’s your first time. The best and most common numbing agent used in the laser clinic is a cryogenic cooling spray which numbs the skin when used. The laser pulse becomes completely harmless, and you will feel no pain. Ideally, you should trust the laser technician and if anything goes wrong or you feel pain, ask for a numbing agent.
