The A-B-C of Home Laser Hair Removal: Five Things You Need To Know Before Zapping Those Follicles Away
You must consult!
I know. It is so much easier to buy the laser hair removal machine and go ahead to zap yourself hairless in the comfort and privacy of your home. Believe me, I know. However, you need to consult with the experts first on whether laser treatment is a good option for you and which kind of device you should buy. Read up on articles like ‘Diana Bradley compares the Tria 4X with Remington & Silk’n products’, or ‘Laser treatments and skin color’.
Moreover, there is lesson number one – Not all laser devices are useable by everyone. Why? It is a literal case of different strokes…of color, that is. Different skin tones are suited to different kinds of laser treatments. Darker skin tones tend to be more sensitive to laser treatment and so it is important to find the right device for you or risk serious and permanent skin damage e.g. hyper-pigmentation or hypo-pigmentation.
Further, if you have light-colored hair, you may need to make a few adjustments for effective use of the laser. The laser targets melanin, which gray and light blonde hairs do not have enough of. In this case, you may need to dye your hair before zapping them away.
And speaking of pre-laser preparation, here’s lesson number two: Shave before the treatment. Laser treatment targets the hair follicle so by shaving you allow the beams to have better access. Don’t show up all caveman hairy chic and expect this to work. However, be sure not to wax too close to the laser treatment. Waxing removes the root of the hair and the laser needs to find that so give yourself at least a month from your previous wax to the laser treatment.
A common question that people ask about laser treatment is, ‘Will it hurt?’ Lesson number three: Yes, laser treatment hurts. It will not hurt as much as waxing (that’s a whole other level of pain…) but there will be some pain involved. Some body parts will hurt more than others because of skin sensitivity in those areas, but overall it should not be excessively painful. If it hurts too much, check your intensity levels to make sure they are as recommended. Otherwise, you may have the wrong device for your skin type.
Home laser hair removal is great but experts advise that it should be limited to certain areas of the body, so lesson number four: Sensitive areas should be left to the professionals. You should not under any circumstance use your laser on your ‘lady parts’. Leave that to the professionals, please. Stick with the arms, legs and bikini lines, okay? And for goodness’ sake, don’t zap your facial hair either. Wax or tweeze or shave but do not zap.
With all this talk of zapping, you may be led to believe that this is a quick process. Well, not quite. Lesson number five: Laser treatment takes a while. You will need several successive sessions to remove your hair effectively, so patience will be required in the process. Since you are doing this at home, remember also to stay disciplined with the treatment schedule in order to see great results.