How to Care For Skin After Laser Hair Removal

During laser hair removal, the lasers emit high energy light that causes hair to become dormant, so it stops growing. The heat produced by the laser causes the hair follicle to go into its resting phase. Normally a patient goes through three to five treatments over a month or two. You can recover very quickly if you take the time to care for your skin after laser hair removal.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Cold compress
• Loofah
• Sun block with SPF 25 or greater

1. Talk to your practitioner about post-treatment care. He may have noticed something special about how your skin reacted to the lasers and have an individual plan for you to follow.
2. Soothe the bumps or redness with a cold compress. Your skin will look like you have a slight sunburn. Use a cool wash cloth or gel ice pack wrapped in a wash cloth or dish towel.
3. Use makeup sparingly after laser hair removal. Lather up on the moisturizer instead.
4. Apply sunblock for the first few weeks. Make sure it's at least SPF 25.
5. Wait a few days before shaving the treated area. Don't pluck or use any hair removal creams with chemicals.
6. Exfoliate your skin with a gentle cleanser and wash cloth or loofah. Hair will continue to fall out for up to three weeks following treatment.
7. Follow any other post-treatment instructions from your doctor.

Tips & Warnings

• Maintenance may need to be done annually.
• You should be able to return to normal activities immediately following laser hair removal.
• Tell your practitioner immediately if you notice blisters or crusting on the treatment area.