Laser and the Importance of Shaving

You decided you are ready from smooth, happy skin and are making the switch to laser hair removal. You’ve completed your consultation at Bodé, your patch test showed no reaction and now your appointment is coming up in a few days. As you go through the list of things to do to prepare, you notice that you need to shave the treated area 24-48 before your appointment. You remember it was mentioned during the consultation but can’t quite remember all the details. Luckily, we have put together the reasons to shave 24 hours before your appointment to make it easier to remember.

Safety and Side Effects

The biggest reason to shave 24 hours before your laser hair removal appointment is keeping your skin safe. The laser works by heating up the hair in order to harm the root of the hair causing it to fall out and disappear. If the hairs are resting on the skin because they are too long, the heat collects and it can burn and scar the skin underneath. Shaving prior to the appointment allows the hairs to be short, preventing the skin from overheating. Long hair also reduces the amount of heat that reaches the root from the laser. When the hair is too long, the heat is dispersed throughout the length of hair. The shorter hairs will keep the heat closer to the root providing a more effective treatment.

Health and Comfort

The next biggest reason for shaving 24 hours prior is to keep your skin healthy. Even when being careful, accidents happen and people shaving at home can nick themselves. Shaving right before the appointment means that a small cut can prevent you from getting treatment in that area. Just like how the technician doesn’t treat areas with moles or tattoos, the technician can’t treat the hairs around an open wound, which can make the area look patchy when the untreated hair regrows. Shaving right before your appointment also means that you are coming in with irritated skin. Shaving can cause micro tears in the skin that will cause redness and irritation even if you are being gentle. That irritation causes increased discomfort in the treated area during your appointment and which means it takes the body longer to repair the skin after the laser hair removal appointment is complete.

Effectiveness and Results

The last reason to shave 24 hours prior is it helps the technician effectively treat the hairs. Like mentioned previously, short hairs help keep the heat closer to the root but there are a few more reasons shorter hairs are more effective. During the 24 hours after you shave, a tiny bit of hair will poke through the skin. When the hairs poke through, it acts like a lightening rod for the heat by directing the heat into the root. The more heat that finds hairs, the less heat hits and stays in the skin. The tiny hairs also help track your progress. In the few weeks after the treatment, the treated hairs will fall out. The hairs that remain and continue to grow are the hairs that will be treated next. The short hairs will show off results faster and can help make it easier to know how to better treat the area.

At Bodé, we know shaving can be tricky and we offer shaving services for almost all the treatable areas for laser hair removal. Our team provides smooth skin as a base for laser using proper skin prep and post care while leaving the skin with no irritation. We also can help give tips and advice to make shaving easier at home. Because investing in laser hair removal means investing in yourself and Bodé wants to help ensure the best experience and best results possible. If you haven’t made the switch to laser yet, book your consultation today and take the first step towards smoother and long lasting results!

Laser and the Importance of Shaving

You decided you are ready from smooth, happy skin and are making the switch to laser hair removal. You’ve completed your consultation at Bodé, your patch test showed no reaction and now your appointment is coming up in a few days. As you go through the list of things to do to prepare, you notice that you need to shave the treated area 24-48 before your appointment. You remember it was mentioned during the consultation but can’t quite remember all the details. Luckily, we have put together the reasons to shave 24 hours before your appointment to make it easier to remember.

Safety and Side Effects

The biggest reason to shave 24 hours before your laser hair removal appointment is keeping your skin safe. The laser works by heating up the hair in order to harm the root of the hair causing it to fall out and disappear. If the hairs are resting on the skin because they are too long, the heat collects and it can burn and scar the skin underneath. Shaving prior to the appointment allows the hairs to be short, preventing the skin from overheating. Long hair also reduces the amount of heat that reaches the root from the laser. When the hair is too long, the heat is dispersed throughout the length of hair. The shorter hairs will keep the heat closer to the root providing a more effective treatment.

Health and Comfort

The next biggest reason for shaving 24 hours prior is to keep your skin healthy. Even when being careful, accidents happen and people shaving at home can nick themselves. Shaving right before the appointment means that a small cut can prevent you from getting treatment in that area. Just like how the technician doesn’t treat areas with moles or tattoos, the technician can’t treat the hairs around an open wound, which can make the area look patchy when the untreated hair regrows. Shaving right before your appointment also means that you are coming in with irritated skin. Shaving can cause micro tears in the skin that will cause redness and irritation even if you are being gentle. That irritation causes increased discomfort in the treated area during your appointment and which means it takes the body longer to repair the skin after the laser hair removal appointment is complete.

Effectiveness and Results

The last reason to shave 24 hours prior is it helps the technician effectively treat the hairs. Like mentioned previously, short hairs help keep the heat closer to the root but there are a few more reasons shorter hairs are more effective. During the 24 hours after you shave, a tiny bit of hair will poke through the skin. When the hairs poke through, it acts like a lightening rod for the heat by directing the heat into the root. The more heat that finds hairs, the less heat hits and stays in the skin. The tiny hairs also help track your progress. In the few weeks after the treatment, the treated hairs will fall out. The hairs that remain and continue to grow are the hairs that will be treated next. The short hairs will show off results faster and can help make it easier to know how to better treat the area.

At Bodé, we know shaving can be tricky and we offer shaving services for almost all the treatable areas for laser hair removal. Our team provides smooth skin as a base for laser using proper skin prep and post care while leaving the skin with no irritation. We also can help give tips and advice to make shaving easier at home. Because investing in laser hair removal means investing in yourself and Bodé wants to help ensure the best experience and best results possible. If you haven’t made the switch to laser yet, book your consultation today and take the first step towards smoother and long lasting results!