What is the best time to
start laser hair removal?

The urge to remove unwanted hair usually increases towards summer, as the summer vacations arrive and the bikinis are taken out of the attic. Still, there are advantages to starting this treatment in the winter. This is because the hair follicles must remain intact for six weeks prior to treatment. So this means: no tweezing, waxing or waxing. Darker, sun-tanned skin absorbs more energy, so there is a risk of pigmentation or other complications.

During laser hair removal treatments, you must be extra careful when it comes to self-tanning or tanning (whether sun exposure or tanning beds). The laser light is absorbed by the dark pigmentation of the hair. Because tanning darkens the skin, this makes it harder for the laser to distinguish between the pigment in the skin and the pigment in the hair.

Nowadays it is possible to start laser hair removal treatments in the summer and also to continue laser treatments in the summer. The prerequisite however is that the color contrast between skin and hair is still large enough. The lighter the skin and the darker the hair, the better, but if the skin is only slightly darker than normal due to the sun, treatments can still be done.

If you cannot resist that tempting summer vacation, however, here are some simple rules:

• Wait 2 weeks after the treatment before exposing the treated area to the sun
• Wait 4-6 weeks after sun exposure until the next treatment
• Apply a high factor (at least 30) frequently to avoid burning the lasered area