Quick answer: Yes, you should shave 24 hours before your appointment.
When you come in for your consultation, we’ll give you all the information you need to prepare yourself for your laser hair removal treatment. It’s really just a list of dos and don’ts, so that we can be sure that your treatment is as safe and effective as it could be. And don’t forget – you’ll need several sessions of laser treatment to make sure we get rid of as much hair as you’d like, so these tips apply to each session.
Shave at least 24 hours before your treatment …
Before we go into the other details, let’s get straight to the main point of the article – shaving before your appointment. The laser we use works by heating up the melanin (the pigment) in your hair follicles. It is set to act on a specific wavelength, so only the melanin heats up and not the surrounding skin.
The problem is that hair itself contains melanin – lots of it. It’s what gives your hair its colour. If you had long hairs growing in the area we’re treating, the laser wouldn’t know that they were not its target, and would “treat” them to a flash of high-temperature energy. That could cause some localised irritation or mild burning, and nobody wants that.
So if you shave when your appointment is about 24 hours away, you’ll be left with a very light “stubble” by the time of your treatment, which is perfect. The laser will then be able to act on the melanin and destroy the roots, while leaving your skin unharmed. If you have an appointment in the morning, try to shave the morning before if possible, not the evening.
… But don’t shave immediately before the appointment
We say you should shave 24 hours before coming in, but that’s a minimum, not a maximum. Shaving can be quite harsh on the skin, especially if you’re not used to it. For a start, it can be abrasive, removing some layers of skin, which can lead to irritation. And as anyone who has ever shaved knows, there’s a chance you can nick yourself. It’s usually only a tiny cut, but it will bleed and cause a small scab. All of this needs time to heal before we can get to work with our lasers. 24 hours is a good amount of time for the minor damage and injuries to heal.
When you shave, take care to do it properly, with a blade (disposable multi-blade heads are fine) and don’t rush. Here are some tips:
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Having a warm shower or bath will open up your pores and make the process easier, so do it if you have time
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If your hair is quite long in the relevant spot, cut it short with scissors before shaving, to stop the blade from clogging up.
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Apply plenty of shaving cream or gel to the area, and wait a few minutes to let it moisturise your hairs and your skin, which should make both easier to shave.
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Use a brand new blade if possible, as it will be sharper and cleaner, so you should get a good, smooth shave.
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After you’ve finished, splash the area with cold water to close up the pores. Avoid skincare products for the time being.
We don’t usually recommend using an electric razor, however. Although they do a decent enough job of chopping the exposed hair away, there is always going to be a bit of a gap where the grille is. No matter what the advertisers say, no electric razor cuts as close as a blade that’s actually touching your skin. And remember, you’re going to be waiting 24 hours, so it will be even longer.
If your treatment is in a hard-to-reach part, such as your back, or if you have limited mobility, you might need to ask a friend or family member to help you out.
Choose shaving in the weeks before, too
If you have a regular hair removal regime that involves waxing, plucking or chemical treatments, we would also advise you to stop that for a few weeks before your laser session. Don’t worry, though – you don’t have to have your hair sprouting wildly for a few weeks. You are fine to shave the area. For any body parts that you are not having laser treatment, you can carry on with your regular method.
The reason shaving is best for the run-up period is because it only removes the parts of the hair that have emerged out of the follicle and past your skin. Other products might remove the whole hair including the root, which interferes with the hairs’ natural cycle of growth, transition, resting and shedding. You want as many of the hairs as possible to be at the growth stage when you have laser treatment, so keep them shorn from the top using a blade rather than removing the root.
You can find out more about the stages of hair growth in the “How hair grows” section of “Is laser hair removal permanent?”
Avoid skincare products in general before a session
There’s just one final piece of advice for the last 24 hours – and that’s to avoid skincare products in general. We prefer it if your skin is as close to its natural state as possible when we’re doing our laser treatment, as any extra products can affect the performance of the equipment. If you can give those anti-wrinkle creams, foundations, toners, exfoliants, tanning lotions and moisturisers a day off, you’ll notice better results.
Prepare for smoother skin
Now you understand why a perfectly-timed shave is the perfect way to prepare for your laser treatment sessions. Too soon, and the hair will be too long; too late, and your skin might not have recovered from the blade. But shaving is an essential part of the laser treatment process, so please don’t forget to do it, even if you’re used to other methods of hair removal. Soon, you won’t have to worry about hair removal at all, so it’s worth the odd nick!