Can I Use Sunless Tanner on Face Before Laser Hair Removal Treatment?
Doctors advise against using self-tanner before laser hair removal. As tempting as it may be to keep that sun-kissed glow, self-tanners can actually interfere with the laser hair-removal process, causing less than desirable results. Does this Spark an idea?
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How Can Self Tanner Interfere with Lasers?
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Most lasers used in hair removal work on the principal that hair is darker than skin. In very basic terms, darker pigments absorb more of the laser's energy, and the hair follicles absorbing this energy is what causes the hair to stop growing. Dark (tanned) skin may absorb too much laser energy, which could make the procedure less successful.
Tanned Skin May Mean Less Hair Removal
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As the laser light is guided over the area being treated, the laser's energy is absorbed by both skin and hair. Skin that is tanned, whether artificially or by UV rays, may absorb so much of the energy that there is not enough left to successfully treat the hair follicles.
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Tanned Skin May Burn or Become Discolored
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Remember, the darker the skin, the more laser energy it absorbs. Dark skin can sometimes absorb too much laser energy, so much so that it becomes burned, blistered or discolored. For this reason, some doctors recommend that patients avoid tanning for at least a month before, and then throughout, the laser treatment process.
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References
- Photo Credit woman portrait image by chinatiger from Fotolia.com
