1. The process sounds painful, but isn’t too bad

Laser hair removal works by sending the light of a laser through the pigment in the hair. This (light) converts to heat, which damages the hair follicle and hair bulb. Experience finds it can be a quick, sharp pain, which can be more painful in more sensitive areas. Thankfully, my laser machine has a cooling tip, which will really help, trust me!

2. Patience pays off

It takes two or three weeks after your first treatment to see a difference and approximately 8 -12 treatments to get the full result. You need to be really regular with your appointments because your hair follicles are all at different stages of their growth, so you want to make sure each one has a chance to get zapped. Basically if you stop, your hair will grow back.

Laser hair removal gets to the root of the problem, literally. The laser will target the hair that is in its active growth stage. You may find hair to appear finer and less noticeable after one treatment but a course of treatments is essential to see optimal results.

3. You’ve got to use a hair trimmer/shave the area before you laser (same goes for makeup)

The laser can react with hair on the skin’s surface which will cause some irritation and sometimes that dreaded burnt hair smell, but as much as the smell can be unkind on your nostrils, the hair burn smell means the hair has heated up to the correct temperature, which is between 65-70 degrees, so don’t panic if that smell does graces us!

Remember, you have to make sure you’ve prepped properly before each visit for the optimum results.

Things to remember:

1. The area must be cleanly shaved within 24 hours prior to the treatment. Electric razors are not recommended as the hair is typically left too long. If you struggle shaving in the particular area I can assist with tidying up on the day.
2. Do not tweeze, wax or pluck the area being treated between or prior to sessions. Only shave the area.
3. The treatment area needs to be free from makeup, lotion, deodorant and sun cream.
4. The area cannot be treated if it has been exposed to sun within 4 weeks prior to treatment.
5. Fake tanning products should be thoroughly removed before the area is treated to remove all residues.

4. It’s actually a pretty fast process

A full face appointment can take as little as 20 minutes and that’s including a quick chat and makeup removal at the start.

5. You can’t go to the gym afterwards

It’s important to remember that the heat from the laser stays in your skin for 24 hours. That means no gym, saunas or hot showers, get it? If you do, you run the risk of creating a lovely warm environment for bacteria to multiply, resulting in spots and irritation.

6.Use Medications with Caution

Photosensitising drugs that are CONTRAINDICATIONS to laser therapy.

Drugs causing marked whole body sensitivity – wait 6 months

Drugs administered for systemic Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), e.g. Photofrin, Foscan.

Drugs causing marked localised light sensitivity – wait 6 weeks

Drugs administered for localised PDT, e.g. ALA, Metvix.

Other drugs that may cause Photosensitivity

Amiodarone – risk of hyperpigmentation and photosensitivity. Minocycline (Minocin) – risk of hyperpigmentation. Recommend stopping 4 weeks prior to treatment or consider change to alternative.

St John’s Wort – risk of photosensitivity. Recommend stopping 4 weeks prior to treatment.

If taking other medications or herbal remedies of any sort then careful initial test patch, wait 4-7 days in the case of hair removal and 4-6 weeks in the case of vascular/pigmented treatments

*Taken from the BMLA website

7. Get ready to think seriously about the sun

You need to avoid sunbathing and sun exposure as much as possible before and after treatment. If you have a tan you’ll need to wait till it fades before you can start your treatment. I will go through any sun breaks you may have booked and we can make a plan for treatment around that.

8. You might need to switch up your beauty regime and products

Scrubs, glycolic acid and retinol creams should be avoided two days before and after treatment.

It’s recommended that for a two week period before and after laser, you avoid chemical peels and similarly you should wait 1-2 weeks before using fake tan.

9. Laser hair removal has more than one benefit

Aside from clearer, smoother skin and permanent hair reduction, laser hair removal also boasts benefits to reduce ingrowing hairs and less irritation of the skin. This is because the treatment encourages hair to grow straight.

10. It works on all skin tones

The hair just needs to be dark enough to be drawn to the laser, so unfortunately anyone with blonde or white hairs is not suitable for treatment. My laser machine – The Evolve from Lynton Lasers is NHS approved and can treat ALL skin types.

Older laser hair removal technology was previously not recommended for people of darker skin tones, in particular those with Black or Asian skin. The energy from the laser targets the pigment in the hair, with the pigment of the skin being shallower, this could lead the laser to be attracted to the skin rather than the pigment in the hair. Putting darker skin tones at risk of burning. Now, it is inclusive for everyone – yay!

11. You might need to go back for top up treatments

Most people report 90 percent permanent reduction in hair growth, but fluctuating hormones can make hair grow back. Depending on your hair growth and each individuals case, at the end of the treatments I may recommend some top up treatments, which could take place with larger periods in between quarterly, or twice a year.