Can You Wax Before Laser Hair Removal? 

Considering the name laser hair removal, you assume that the laser will help you get rid of unwanted hair. Yes, it will, but you cannot just go for your hair removal sessions with the unwanted hair on your face and body in full bloom. 

One of the most effective pre-care instructions before laser hair removal is removing the hair from the treatment area above the surface of the skin. While shaving is the method of choice for laser hair removal, some women wax their hair.

However, do you wonder “Can you wax before laser hair removal?” and what is the impact of waxing body hair on laser hair removal treatment? If yes, we have all you need to know about waxing and laser hair removal in this article. 

Table of Contents:

• Part 1: Why Do You Need to Remove Your Hair Before Laser Hair Removal?
• Part 2: Can You Wax Before Laser Hair Removal?
• Part 3: What is the Best Hair Removal Method Before Laser Hair Removal?
• Part 4: After Laser Hair Removal Can You Wax?

Part 1: Why Do You Need to Remove Your Hair Before Laser Hair Removal?

There are two main reasons why it is recommended to remove unwanted hair before laser hair removal: the first is to make it effective, and the second is to reduce the risk of side effects. 

Furthermore, below are the details of these reasons. 

Surface Hair Interference

In laser hair removal, light rays in the wavelength of 700 to 1200nm range target the hair strands to reach the hair follicles. Although light at this intensity is strong, it becomes ineffective if it has to travel a long way.

Note that laser hair removal kills the hair follicles by traveling through the hair strands. If long hair strands are present, most of the rays are absorbed by the strand above the surface of the skin instead of under the skin. 

As These fully grown hair strands do not allow this light to reach the hair follicles, the effectiveness of laser hair removal is greatly reduced. Therefore, it is essential to remove hair from the desired treatment area before laser hair removal. 

Risk of Burning the Skin

Light from laser hair removal is absorbed into the pigment of the hair. Soon after the light is absorbed into the hair, it converts into heat energy. If hair is present above the surface of the skin, the light will convert into heat and burn the hair strands.

As the hair strands are in a close approximation of the skin, there is a risk of burning the skin along with the singing of hair. Moreover, the pain and discomfort level of laser hair removal also increases.

Removing the hair before your laser hair removal session reduces the pain level ensuring that your treatment is more comfortable and safe.

Part 2:  Can You Wax Before Laser Hair Removal?

The straightforward answer to whether you can use waxing to remove unwanted hair before laser hair removal is NO. No matter what, waxing before laser hair removal is not recommended. 

Why Should You Not Wax Before Your Laser Hair Removal Treatment?

Let us talk about the basics of laser hair removal once again to understand why waxing before your hair removal. Where does the laser hair removal work to stop unwanted hair from growing? On the hair follicles, right? 

And what do you need for the light rays from the laser to reach the hair follicles? The hair strands, right? While these hair strands must not be too long, they must exist for laser hair removal to be effective.

Waxing removes the unwanted hair from the roots. Consequently, there is no pigment left for the laser to get absorbed into and reduce hair regrowth. Thus, always choose a depilatory hair removal method to prepare your skin for laser and avoid waxing. 

What Happens if You Wax In-Between Your Laser Hair Removal Sessions?

Here is what happens if you remove the hair with wax before your laser hair removal treatment, 

• The effectiveness of laser hair removal is greatly reduced as the laser has no medium through which it can reach its target (that is hair follicles).
• Hair grows after waxing within a period of 2 to 4 weeks. If your laser hair removal is scheduled during this time, the unwanted hair may be reduced. However, it will take a longer time and more sessions to achieve your desired results. 
• Waxing in between laser hair removal sessions causes the hair to grow in patches. Thus, there is a possibility that you will experience no hair growth in some sections of your skin while usual hair on others. 

Part 3: What is the Best Hair Removal Method Before Laser Hair Removal?

The recommended hair removal method before your laser hair removal sessions is a method that removes the hair above the surface of the skin and does not do anything to hair strands lying underneath. 

Shaving

While you can use an electric razor or scissors to trim the unwanted hair from the required treatment area 24 to 48 hours before going for your laser hair removal session, the best hair removal method before laser hair removal is shaving. 

The reasons for this are, 

• Shaving is relatively gentle on the skin and it also exfoliates the skin before your laser treatment.
• It is super fast and you can prepare your skin within a few minutes. 
• It only removes the hair from the surface of the skin without pulling or damaging the skin. Because shaving leaves the hair roots intact, it ensures that lasers help you get the results you want with a few sessions. 

Which Hair Removal Methods Should You Avoid After Laser Hair Removal?

Any hair removal method that plucks the hair from the roots is prohibited when you prepare your skin for laser hair removal. You should also avoid such methods in between your laser hair removal sessions because they can delay the effects of the laser on your unwanted hair and result in inconsistent results. 

The list of hair removal methods that you should avoid includes, 

• Waxing
• Plucking 
• Threading 
• Epilation 

Lastly, it is good to avoid depilatory creams as well. This is because these creams might not pull the hair from the roots. However, they irritate the skin due to the presence of chemicals in them and increase the risk of side effects like,

• Chemical or laser burns
• Inflammation and redness
• Pain 

Part 4: After Laser Hair Removal Can You Wax?

Let us learn if you have to say goodbye to waxing forever or if can you wax again after laser hair removal below. 

Post Laser Hair Removal Treatment Hair Removal

After your initial laser hair removal sessions, the hair follicles become weak but still produce fine hair and enter a phase of shedding. In this phase, you will see a few strands of hair coming out of your skin 7 to 21 days after your sessions and you get an urge to wax them out. 

However, these strands shed on their own without waxing in a few days. Rather, waxing these strands will remove the hair from the roots and the subsequent session of laser hair removal will become ineffective. Resultantly, the weakened hair follicle will regain its strength. 

When Can You Wax Again After Laser Hair Removal Treatment? 

You must know that laser hair removal reduces the growth of unwanted hair by up to 99%. But it does not stop the hair from growing entirely. Also, some new hair follicles develop over time and you experience unwanted hair. 

You cannot get a laser for every section of hair regrowth, right? This leads us to the question of whether you can wax after laser hair removal and if yes, when?

Well, yes, you can wax after laser hair removal. However, you can only start waxing the unwanted hair from your skin after the completion of your full laser hair removal treatment. 

In general, it takes 6 months to accomplish laser hair removal treatment. During that time, avoid waxing. After that time, if you do not plan on getting a follow-up session any soon and you see the hair growing in patches, you can wax it. 

Also, wait for at least 4 to 8 weeks after the completion of your laser hair removal treatment if you want to wax. 

Conclusion 

In laser hair removal, hair must be present under the surface of the skin in the hair follicles so that light rays can target the pigment. This is why experts suggest avoiding waxing or plucking the hair before or in between your laser hair removal sessions. 

To get the optimal results from the laser, you can simply shave the desired treatment area. Also, always discuss your pre- and post-care tips with the doctor in your laser hair removal clinic when you book your sessions.