Before your treatment
Before your treatment
Please don't wax or pluck
This is one of the most important things I need you to remember between treatments.
Please don't wax, pluck or tweeze your hair.
When you remove the hair from the root, you have also removed the pathway I need the laser to work through.
I need the hair shaft to remain connected to the follicle so that the laser energy can travel down through the hair towards the bulb and heat the structures responsible for producing the hair.
Shaving is completely different. Shaving removes the hair above the surface but leaves the follicle and the hair pathway intact, exactly what I need.
Please come shaved
Please shave the areas I am treating before every appointment.
Please shave the day of your appointment, or at least the night before, and arrive freshly showered and clean.
The only areas I will shave for you are the backs of the shoulders, upper back and lower back.
That's it.
My time with you is much better utilised on the machine treating your hair than standing there with a razor, so please come prepared and freshly shaved wherever possible.
If you use a self-tanner, please make sure it is completely removed at least five days before your appointment. I want your natural skin colour when I treat you, not residual fake tan sitting on the surface.
Between treatments
As your hair begins to shed, you may notice some roughness or small hairs sitting within the follicle. Do not pick, pull or tweeze them out.
After your treatment
The night of
Tonight, I want you to keep everything very simple.
If you need to cleanse the treated area, use a gentle cream cleanser with lukewarm water. Do not scrub or use anything abrasive.
Apply a thin layer of Dermaviduals DMS Body lotion to keep the skin comfortable and support the skin barrier.
If the area feels warm, you can use a cool, damp towel for a few minutes as needed. Do not apply ice directly to the skin.
Tonight, avoid:
- Hot showers or baths
- Saunas, spas and steam rooms
- Intense exercise or anything that causes excessive sweating
- Scrubs, exfoliators or exfoliating acids
- Retinoids or other strong active products
- Perfume, fragranced products or deodorant directly over freshly treated skin
- Picking, rubbing or scratching the treated area
If you have had your face or another sun-exposed area treated, protect it from sunlight and use your recommended SPF 50+ sunscreen during the day.
Tonight is about calming the skin, not treating it.
First 48 hours
Keep to the instructions above.
I do ask you to be sensible with the treated area for the first day or two, avoid anything that is going to excessively heat, rub or irritate the skin, and keep the area protected from the sun.
Day 3 to 7
I ask that you keep sun exposure to a minimum while undergoing your laser hair removal treatments.
Keep the treated areas out of the sun and avoid tanning.
The lighter I can keep your skin, the more effectively I can treat it. This allows the laser to better differentiate between the pigment in the hair and the colour of your skin.
Week 2 to 4
Once your skin is completely settled and I have given you the go-ahead, you can begin gentle exfoliation from week two.
I recommend a beautiful oil-based exfoliation to help keep the skin smooth, soft and polished. Follow your exfoliation with dermaviduals Body Lotion to replenish moisture and leave the skin feeling silky, supple and beautifully conditioned.
Choose your home-made scrub
Sugar scrub
- 2 tablespoons fine sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
Mix together until you have a smooth, oily scrub. Massage very gently over the skin, then rinse with lukewarm water.
Salt scrub
- 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon jojoba oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
Mix well and gently massage over the skin. Rinse thoroughly and follow with dermaviduals Body Lotion.
Coffee scrub
- 2 tablespoons finely ground coffee
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
Mix together and gently massage over the skin. Rinse with lukewarm water and follow with dermaviduals Body Lotion.
A little goes a long way. Keep the exfoliation gentle. There is no need to scrub aggressively. The goal is beautifully smooth, nourished skin, not irritated skin.
Before your next laser treatment
Please remember to shave the treatment area before your next appointment.
Your next treatment will generally be around week four, although the timing can vary depending on the body area being treated and your individual hair-growth cycle.
I will guide you on the ideal timing for your next treatment.
Long term
Once your skin has completely settled after treatment, the focus is simple: keep your skin hydrated, smooth and beautifully cared for between treatments.
Hydration & body care
I want you using a good moisturiser regularly, particularly if your skin tends to become dry.
Depending on your skin, I may recommend:
- dermaviduals DMS Base Cream Classic
- dermaviduals DMS Base Cream High Classic
- dermaviduals DMS Base Cream High Classic Plus
- dermaviduals D-Panthenol
- dermaviduals Vitamin E
- dermaviduals Body Lotion
- dermaviduals Mask
Apply your moisturiser or body lotion regularly, particularly after showering, to keep your skin soft, comfortable and well conditioned.
Keeping your skin smooth
Keep exfoliation gentle. This is about polishing the skin, not aggressively scrubbing it.
I'm always trying new body oils, scrubs and beautiful exfoliating products, so ask me about my current favourites when you come in. I'm very happy to point you towards what I'm loving at the time.
Sun protection
Please continue to keep sun exposure to a minimum while having laser hair removal.
The goal is simple: smooth skin, healthy skin and consistency with your treatment plan.
The more consistently you follow your treatment schedule and care for your skin between appointments, the easier it is for me to assess your progress and work towards your best possible long-term result.
What is normal, and what is not?
What is normal
It is completely normal for the treated area to look and feel a little different immediately after laser hair removal.
You may notice:
- Mild redness or pinkness around the treated follicles.
- Small raised bumps around individual hairs, similar to tiny goosebumps. This is a common response and usually settles within a few hours.
- Warmth or mild sensitivity for several hours after treatment.
- A little swelling around the follicles, particularly in areas with darker or coarser hair.
- The treated hairs may appear to grow for several days before they begin to shed. They are not necessarily growing back. The treated hair is often being pushed out of the follicle.
- Some areas may take longer than others to shed or respond. Hair grows in different cycles, so not every hair will respond at the same time.
- Your skin may feel slightly dry or sensitive for a few days.
Don't panic about the little bumps
Those little red or raised bumps around the individual follicles can look alarming when you first see them, but this is often exactly the response we want to see after laser hair removal.
They should gradually settle as the skin calms.
Your skin does not need to look perfectly normal immediately after treatment. Give it time to settle, keep it hydrated and leave it alone.
What signs mean I should call you or see a doctor?
What is not normal
Please contact me if you experience:
- Severe or increasing pain
- Significant swelling that continues to worsen
- Blistering
- Open, weeping or broken skin
- Significant crusting or burns
- Severe redness that is spreading rather than settling
- Increasing heat, tenderness or swelling after the first day
- Any reaction that concerns you or feels very different from what we discussed
Anything at all, I'm here
You never need a reason to contact me.
If you have a question, a concern, you're unsure about something, or simply want to talk something through, please call or message me whenever you need to.
I'm just as happy to receive a text message as an email. I'm generally much closer to my phone, so a text is often the quickest way to reach me and allows me to respond personally when I can.
If you cannot reach me and you are worried, see your GP or go to your nearest emergency department. In an emergency, call 000.
Anything else
My part & your part
My job is to use the technology correctly, assess your skin and hair, and adjust your treatment as you progress.
Your job is wonderfully simple:
Don't wax. Don't pluck. Shave. Stay out of the sun. And turn up ready for your treatment.
Do those things consistently, and we give ourselves the best possible opportunity to achieve a significant reduction in your hair growth over time.