What should I do before my treatment?
Pre-treatment Instructions
- Avoid sun exposure, tanning salons, and tanning creams for 4 to 6 weeks prior to your treatment. In general, sun exposure and tanning is terrible for your skin long term so stop tanning in order to minimize the risk of sunspots and early aging in addition to skin cancer. Stop spray tanning and using tanning creams for at least 3 weeks and exfoliate your skin to make sure that your skin is back to its natural color.
- Do not bleach, pluck, wax or tweeze the hair for 4 weeks before your treatment. You can either shave or use a trimmer to cut the hair in between the treatment. Shave or trim the area to be treated 48 to 72 hours before your treatment.
- Discuss any medications that might make you sensitive to light with your physician and our staff. Here is a list of some of the most common medications that can make your skin sensitive to light.
- If you have your numbing cream, then apply it 30 minutes to an hour before your treatment. If you are planning on purchasing the cream from our office, arrive early and allow enough time for the cream to work. Bring your favorite book, kindle, ipad, or iwhatever!!! We’ll supply you with coffee, tea or water while you wait.
OK, I got the laser treatment, now what should I do?
Post-treatment Care
- Your skin in the treated area may be red and puffy after your treatment. This response is normal and the skin should return to normal within a few hours or up to 3 to 4 days. If the burning sensation, redness, or swelling persists after one to two days, call us immediately.
- Hydrocortisone 1% cream and an ice pack may be used over the treated area as often as needed. Over the counter Benadryl tablets can also be used if the itching is severe.
- Treat the skin gently for the first 24 hours after the treatment and avoid applying any irritating products to the skin. Avoid sun exposure to reduce the chance of pigmentary changes and use sun block (SPF 30+). Avoid picking or scratching the treated skin. Do not use any other hair removal treatment products or treatments (waxing, electrolysis or tweezing) that will disturb the hair follicle in the treatment area for 4-6 weeks after the laser treatment is performed. Shaving or trimming is the preferred method.
- Anywhere from 10-21 days after the treatment, shedding of the treated hair may occur and this appears as new hair growth. This is NOT new hair growth. You can clean and remove the hair by washing or wiping the area with a wet cloth or loofa sponge.
- After the axillae (underarms) are treated, you may wish to use a powder instead of a deodorant for 24 hours after the treatment to reduce skin irritation.
- Some hairs or small patches of hair will remain on the treated areas after each treatment. They appear as “missed spots” but they are not. After 6 to 8 treatment sessions, all of those patches will be treated.
- Return to the office or call for an appointment when the hair starts growing. This may be within 4-6 weeks for the upper body and possibly as long as 8 to 10 weeks for the lower body. Hair re-growth occurs at different rates on different areas of the body in different people. New hair growth will not occur for AT LEAST three weeks after treatment.
- Call us with any questions or concerns you may have. Call us if you have any unusual symptom such as burning, blistering, or pain.
Contraindications to Laser:
Laser cannot be done if you are pregnant or are currently using Acutane. You need to be off Acutane for at least 6 months before starting laser treatments. If you are breast-feeding, we recommend not doing laser treatment over the breast and underarm areas.
If you have any other medical condition including but not limited to epilepsy, seizures, advanced diabetes, on chemotherapy or radiation therapy, have a pacemaker or internal defibrillator, multiple sclerosis, lupus, scleroderma, sarcoidosis, tattoos, permanent makeup, or any other internal medical devices, please inform our office and obtain a letter of clearance from your physician for the laser procedure.
CANCELATION POLICY
As a courtesy to other clients and our nursing staff, we ask that you notify us a minimum of 24 hours in advance if you must reschedule or cancel your appointment. No-Shows will be charged a $50.00 administrative fee. If you have purchased a package with series of treatment, the equivalent of $50.00 will be deducted from your package.
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