Laser hair removal is a mainly painless, harmless process. There is basically no risk involved, and the process is usually finished quite quickly. Having said that, you never want to go into any sort of procedure "blind". It pays to know what's going to happen and it is without a doubt recommended that you adequately prepare for the process ahead of time. However, what sort of preparation should you be committed to for the process of preparing for laser hair removal? This brief article will serve to answer that very question and abate any fears you might have about the procedure in general.

Avoid Hair Removal During This Time

Avoid removing hair from the areas that will be affected by the laser. Shaving is the one form of hair removal that is considered acceptable before the laser hair removal procedure. However, six weeks before the procedure, you should avoid all other forms of hair removal; this includes everything from waxing to removing the hair with a pair of tweezers. The reason for this request is that the laser operator needs to be able to identify the hair follicle. When waxing and removing hair with a pair of tweezers, the hair follicles shrink and close up, making it harder to identify the offending follicle.

Avoid The Sun

This might seem like an unreasonable request. Avoid the sun? How the heck are you supposed to be able to get on with life if you are unable to go outside? Although seemingly unreasonable, this is in fact true. Any sun coloring, such as redness or tanning can deeply affect the way that the laser affects your skin. If there are deep forms of skin coloring, particularly tanning, then the laser can actually permanently affect your pigment, causing scarring or slight discoloration on the offending area. It is recommended that during times when you will be out in the sun to wear high concentration sun screen on, at the very least, the areas of your skin the laser will affect.

Shave Before Your Treatment

It is imperative that you shave the areas of your skin the laser will affect the day before going in for your procedure. You must also shave with a new, clean razor. You need to shave for several reasons. By shaving, you will open up the hair follicles a bit more than usual, which will allow the laser operator to easily and accurately target the follicles that need to be affected. By using a clean, new razor, you will insure that no bacteria is present in these open follicles. If a sizable amount of bacteria is present during the laser procedure, this can actually serve to cause contact dermatitis, which is an allergic reaction to the presence of both the laser and the bacteria present in your skin.

Avoid Any Stimulants Before The Procedure

This is particularly good advice if you are an individual prone to nervousness or shaky ticks of some sort. Stimulants, and this includes coffee, are generally recommended against because they tend to make the client shaky and somewhat irritable. It is important to enter the procedure with a calm demeanor and with all of the nervousness that you can possibly shake out of your system. Although generally safe, laser procedures are delicate operations and require that the client be as calm and motionless as possible, lest you wish for the laser to affect an area of the body that you did not expect!

Laser hair removal procedures are not a scary experience at all! Having said that, it pays to know what you're getting into and it is definitely important to know how to adequately prepare for these procedures.