Laser Hair Removal: Prep, Pain, Sessions, and Who It Works For

Considering laser hair reduction? This video addresses a common question about preparation for the procedure, focusing on the essential step of shaving. Learn how proper grooming, including hair removal, impacts the effectiveness of your treatment. Our experts share valuable skin care insights to ensure you're ready for your medical aesthetics appointment.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

I have a question for you, ladies. So, as a man that has hair, hairy man, um, I've considered doing laser hair removal for like my shoulders or my back and things like that. And I just had a few questions about that. So when it comes to that, like, is there a lot of preparation that I would have to do beforehand? Like, do I shave my whole body? Do I not? Like, what are the first steps if I was considering doing this?

SPEAKER_02 0:25

Um, yeah, definitely you want to uh shave the areas that you're gonna be treating. Um, ideally you do it the night before. Um, if you were to have forgotten, you know, it we it happens often with our patients, they're like, oh, I forgot I had my appointment that day, and then suddenly that the day off they remember and they shave. You can still be treated, but just know that your skin might be a little bit more sensitive and you know, just be aware of that. Uh, you definitely do want to shave though, because if the hair is long, then it's not gonna be effective of a treatment.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Yeah, and you might be more in pain as well. Just because lasers attracted to the pigment of the root of the hair, and if you have the entire length of the hair, it's gonna try to grasp everything and not concentrate on the actual root. Gotcha. Or on the hair follicle itself.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

I was wondering what is the pain threshold going to be? Like, is it something that I can do like without any like numbing of any sort, or am I gonna be crying?

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Um, it depends on how mad you get me. No, just joking. If we like you, if we like you, no pain. If we do not, then we'll say no, just joking. It's more of it, it depends on the um the client itself or the patient itself. Everybody has different um pain tolerance. You do build up afterwards. I say the more treatments you get, the more you kind of tolerate the treatment itself. Um, but it varies. There are some areas that you might, as a patient, need numbing cream just because it's more for you. Um, I always say try a treatment first without numbing cream, and then from there we can establish if you need it or not. Why? Because when you do use numbing cream, you need to come in a couple of probably minimum half an hour, 45 minutes earlier to get numbed and then remove the numbing cream and then get them treated as well. So it depends, give or take.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

Getting it done, is it very painful? Like when it comes to the pain, am I going to be crying? Am I gonna be asking for my mommy? Do I do I get like any type of numbing cream or anything like that?

SPEAKER_02 2:36

I mean, it definitely depends on the patient. Some people have higher pain tolerance than others, so and it's gonna vary. Um, for some people, it's pretty comfortable and they are so used to it, especially after they've been doing laser hair removal for a while, that it's just come in and out and there's no no issue. Um, in terms of uh numbing or prep prep preparing your skin before, we don't typically numb the body. We maybe for someone who's like very, very sensitive on the face, we might provide that, but we don't typically do the numbing of the body. There's just like too many potential side effects to that, and it's most of the time it's just tolerable to do without. Um, also time management-wise, it just doesn't make sense because then you have to be there for longer. But again, even if it even if it wasn't that of an issue, it there's just potential for other things to go wrong with the numbing that we just would rather avoid it. And we can always modify the settings, you know, with um sometimes, you know, if someone's like very, very sensitive, maybe we it could be more time. Will it give you more time? Yeah, and it might just maybe mean that they need a few more sessions, or you know, it but it's always adaptable and modifiable based on the person.

SPEAKER_00 3:47

So you mentioned sessions, so with laser hair removal, is there like an intro, like normally people get at least this many, or like after one, you can be done?

SPEAKER_01 3:56

No, no, no, it varies. We usually say you can start off between six to eight sessions. Okay, and then from there we would know how your results is, and maybe you need a little bit more. Then we have things that also work as, you know, factors are going to um not get you to that results. For example, we have hormonal issues, we have ethnicity tends to play a big role, even in regards, even if clients um don't necessarily think about that. So, you know, if you're a person who just naturally grows a lot of hair, it might take you a little bit longer to get to that 60 to 80 percent of permanent hair reduction or anything like that. So it's more of um, I would say your hair growth itself, ethnicity again plays a big role when it has to do with that, even what you're consuming, that a lot of people don't really necessarily think about it. Nutrients, vitamins play a big role into the hair growth as well.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

I think it's also important for people to know that like you'll probably need to after a while do a touch touch and like you know, it's not like it's not permanent removal, you know, it's a reduction of the yeah, because I was gonna ask, like, over time, if you do have to touch it up, is it like more time spaced out in between each session? Yeah, yeah. And like in the beginning, how close of the appointments are there?

SPEAKER_01 5:21

I would say every three or four weeks. Yeah, depends on the area. Sometimes it's five weeks. I would say more four to six weeks in a sense, um, depending on, like you said, the area. Um, and from there, uh, once you start getting a couple of sessions in, you'll see that the hair is gonna become much lighter. Some areas might be more patchy, which is normal because some hairs tend to be more stubborn than others, some hair growth itself. And then we can even um increase, not increase, elongate the the time the time frame as to when you're getting your next treatment. Because at that point, it is more of trying to get as much of the hair as possible than anything else.

SPEAKER_00 6:00

And also with the laser hair removal treatment, is how long is a session?

SPEAKER_02 6:06

It depends on what areas you're getting and how many areas. Um, so like the phase might be very quick, but then a whole leg like a hairy back.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

A hairy back. That would be more, that would be more, I would say more like a 20, 30 minute in a lot of the because we tend to prep very well. I I say it takes more time prepping the patient, making sure the room is clean, making sure the settings are proper, than to actually do the treatment itself. But again, it also depends on the patient as well. So the patient has a very low pain tolerance. We have to somewhat make sure they get through the treatment. So that might take a little bit or extra couple of minutes extra towards the treatment itself. Right? Like we won't lower, we like you know, pulses at a time, take a little breather, you baby them a little bit sometimes. So that's why I say it depends if we like you or not.

SPEAKER_02 7:00

If not, just suffer through the whole thing in five minutes, you're out.

SPEAKER_00 7:03

Now, is there um anybody that laser hair removal is not for? That it just wouldn't work for them, it's dangerous or anything like that?

SPEAKER_02 7:11

Not dangerous, but me, for example, I'm not a candidate. My hair is too light. So anyone whose hair is light, so the ideal candidate actually is dark hair to like not so to lighter skin, but the the hair, like, because like Mel said before, the laser is gonna be attracted to the pigment. So the hair has no pigment, so like blonde hair, very light hair.

SPEAKER_01 7:31

Gotcha, even white hair no longer works. But thank god technology has changed a lot that even it's it's not with the proper setting, you can do, you know, African-American, darker um pigmentation or skin tone with a safe setting. Um, unfortunately, like Monica said, if you do have more of a red undertone on your hair or blonde, um white hair, those are colors that the red light it's not gonna take. Um, just because it's basically red on red. So it neutralizes or it just doesn't necessarily pick it up.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

Was there anything else that people should know before getting a laser hair uh removal treatment?

SPEAKER_01 8:14

Um, in a way, in regards to preparation-wise, I would say you should always, as Monica stated before, you shave a day or two days before. Um, shaving will be the only method of hair removal you'll be using. Why? Because when you wax, when you thread, um, you can remove the root itself, which is what the laser is going to be attracted to. If you were to remove it, there's no hair there to treat. So one, you're losing your money, two, you're losing time, and you're just getting tortured at that time.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

Because there's nothing there. So the worst case scenario would be that the laser is going to be attracted to the wrong pigmentation. So you want to make sure that the hair is there, that way you can get treated. Okay. Um, I would say that would be the main thing in regards to um preparation-wise, no antibiotics is antibiotics makes you light sensitive. Um, sun exposure is the main one too. So you want to be careful with how much sun exposure you had in order to get laser. Uh, laser will make you more sensitive towards the sun.

SPEAKER_00 9:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

So plan in advance. Yeah. All the the summer you want to be carefree, start doing it now. Vacation is very important. So we do suggest to let us know in advance. That way we can work with your schedule.

SPEAKER_00 9:36

Very true. Because I'm sure a lot of people do get it done because they are going to be, you know, in a bathing suit or somewhere nice.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

And anything that can cause a sort of pigmentation is also very important to let us know. So, like, for example, spray tanning, anything that has any sort of like glitter particles tends to like don't. Don't do that before getting it. Yeah, because that will be picked up by the laser, and that can cause even more sensitivity or sometimes even a burn if you're not careful.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

Yeah, which I like Mel was saying, but to reiterate, um, while you're in the process of getting laser hair, um don't wax, just either shave, actually, just shave. Don't wax. That's the only way, like the in between sessions, only shade.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

Gotcha.