Laser Hair Removal Treatment and Sun Exposure - Proceed With Caution

Now is the time of year when most of us are showing a lot more skin. You can be slim and toned, with rock hard abs and sculpted arms, but a hairy back or a bumpy, red ingrown bikini area can really kill your look.

If you do your research, you will quickly see that active sun-tanning is generally a "no-no" when doing a course of laser hair removal treatments. This is good advice. Active sun-tanning should be avoided within two weeks of a laser hair removal treatment. This includes using a tanning booth, or active sun worship by the beach or by the pool.

There are a two reasons for this. First, your skin is more sensitive to the sun (and therefore, a sunburn) for two weeks after a laser hair removal treatment. While any sunburn is bad, a sunburn on skin that has recently been treated with a laser can be more damaging to that skin.

Second, the lighter your skin is, the more effective each laser treatment will be. This is because the laser is absorbed by the pigment it fires upon. Laser hair removal harnesses the pigment in the hair to kill the follicle. The more pigment you have in your skin (whether from genetics or from a suntan) the more gently your skin will have to be treated.

The good news is that most of us are taking more precautions than ever in the sun. Dark dark tans are out, and sunscreen and good skin care are in. If the stubble on your legs is driving you crazy, and you can limit your sun exposure, it will most likely be fine for you to begin or continue your laser hair removal treatments. And next year shaving can be a thing of the past.