Why is it important to shave before laser hair removal?

To get maximum benefit with the least adverse reactions to your laser hair removal session it is best to make sure you have close shaved all the hair in the areas we are treating 24 hours before your appointment.  

There are several reasons why this is so important. 

Firstly it’s important to shave 24 hours before your appointment and not on the same day or just before your appointment because the process of shaving actually removes a thin layer of your skin which makes it more sensitive and uncomfortable to the laser treatment. That is why 24 hours is the perfect time to allow the skin to heal overnight ready for your treatment.  

Another important reason is that the process of laser hair removal actually works by using the hair as a channel for the heat energy from the laser to travel through to the hair bulb to destroy it. If the hair is long the energy emitted from the laser is reduced and absorbed along the way not reaching the bulb, meaning it will be a less efficient treatment. The laser works best trying to target the hair from under the skin and not wasted on the hair not shaven.  

Unshaven hair also causes the hair to burn on your skin which can cause skin damage. Plus the burning of the hair creates what is called Laser ‘plume’ which is the vapours, smoke and small particles of debris which contains approximately 377 chemical compounds. Of which 13 are suspected of being castrogenic and the remaining to be toxins, bacteria and viruses which are dangerous to the health of the patient and therapist. Even for breathing the plume as short as 30 seconds can cause damage to your health. That is why it is very important for both the success of your treatment and the general health and hygiene of the clinic environment to make sure that this is adhered to.  

Best and most effective way to shave your hair:

Use light pressure with a good quality shaving foam and razor blades. You can purchase these from any good supermarket or health and beauty retail store. We find Gillette to have the best easy glide razors. 
Avoid passing the razor blade too many times over the same area to prevent the skin being sensitive and irritated. After you have finished shaving we best advise that you dry the razor and put away in a dry area or room. Do not leave your razor in the shower or a humid room as the blades can get damaged and rusty which is hard to see to the naked eye. Thus the damaged or rusty blades can cause further damage to the skin and build up of bacteria in the follicles when re-using the razor again. So we best advice to keep the razor blades clean, dry and changed often.

If you would like further information on our pre and post treatment advice for laser hair removal and shaving then please do not hesitate to contact us via email info@klynik.co.uk 

To book a consultation and patch test for laser hair removal with our laser experts please click the button below.  

*Information regarding hair plume is taken from a study that has been published in JAMA Dermatology in July/2016 by Dr. Gary Chuang and his colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston University and the University of California which studies the gaseous and particulate content of laser hair removal plume.