Shaving or waxing your legs can become quite a demanding task. Stubble grows back quickly, so you always have to be on top of it. Razor burn is not pleasant, and the pain of waxing is not great, either. Laser hair removal can be a good alternative, yielding near-permanent freedom from your leg hair. Here are some tips to follow if you decide to go ahead with laser hair removal on your legs.
Stop using self-tanners a few weeks before treatment.
If you apply self-tanner to your legs or if you normally get a spray tan, you will need to stop doing this a few weeks before your laser hair removal appointment. The laser works, in part, by detecting the difference between the color of your hair and the color of your legs. If your legs are really tan when you head into your laser hair removal appointment, then the laser may not "recognize" some of the hairs, and you may have more hair left after your first appointment.
Shave two or three days before your session.
You want some stubble when you go in for your laser hair removal appointment, but you don't want too much. You want just enough for the laser to recognize. As such, shaving two days before your appointment is a good starting point. If you know your leg hair grows extra fast, you may want to share a day before, and if you have really slow-growing leg hair, then you may want to shave three days before your session.
Take ibuprofen before your appointment.
Unless there is a medical reason why you are unable to take ibuprofen, consider taking a dose about a half-hour before your session. This is not so important when you have smaller areas treated, but when the laser is used all over your legs, you'll have a pretty big area that is a little sore. Taking ibuprofen beforehand can minimize your discomfort.
Exfoliate afterwards.
After your laser hair removal session, give your legs two or three days to recover. Then, use an exfoliating scrub or even just a washcloth. This will help free the dead hairs that are still stuck in your skin. Exfoliating two or three times, spaced a few days apart, is sufficient.
With the tips above, you can use laser hair removal to your advantage and enjoy hair-free legs without shaving. Enjoy your smoother, sleeker legs once you get it.
Share22 April 2021
I was blessed with healthy, thick hair and perfect skin as a young girl. I went to college out-of-state, and I soon started to get acne and my hair started thinning. Everyone told me that it was likely due to stress, but to be honest, I loved college and found most of my first-year classes pretty easy. During my first summer home I put two-and-two together: my eating habits changed drastically at college. My mother always fed us very healthy meals, and my eating habits at college were so bad that I even ate cookies for breakfast sometimes! I found out my hair loss was due to lack of healthy vitamins in my diet and my skin problems were also caused by my poor diet. I created this blog to help other learn how their health, skin, and are all connected, and I hope you can learn a lot here!