Laser Hair Removal FAQ’s

We want you to get the best results from your laser hair removal sessions at Romeo & Juliette Laser Hair Removal in New York City. To achieve them, we advise that you prepare for each session accordingly. Suggestions to follow throughout your treatment program include:

• Avoid sun exposure. This can help prevent unnecessary irritation. To prepare for laser treatment, get diligent about your use of broad-spectrum sunscreen. Apply sunscreen to the treatment area every day starting weeks before you begin your program.
• Do not apply self-tanning lotions, creams, or other products. We want as much contrast between your skin tone and hair color as we can get.
• Do not use any antibiotics or medicine that may cause sensitivity towards light or sun. 
• Be mindful about the products you apply to the area of interest. If you want laser hair removal on your arms, for example, do not apply harsh skincare ingredients to that area. We can help you if you have questions about which products you should and shouldn’t use. The general rule is, if it has an acid or creates photosensitivity, don’t use it.
• Twenty-four hours before your sessions, shave the treatment area. Having shorter hair can minimize the thermal effect of laser light. Essentially, it will make you more comfortable during your treatment. Keep in mind, though, that you cannot wax or pluck hair in the treatment area!
• Dress comfortably for your appointment and come to the office with clean skin. Do not apply products to the skin on the treatment area.

There is no downtime associated with laser hair removal, as there might be with other laser treatments. After your appointment, the goal is to maintain comfort and avoid exaggerated inflammation in the skin. You can expect some itchiness and redness in the treatment area. You may feel slightly sunburned. If the heat within your skin becomes uncomfortable, you can apply cool compresses to the area for a few minutes, several times a day. If you have any questions, please contact us. After the first 24 hours, you should notice a significant improvement in comfort. After your very first treatment, you may notice some shedding. The strands of hair that were in the follicles at the time of treatment will slough over a few days, revealing smoother skin right away. Sometimes, small particles of hair may look like blackheads. Just continue to shower and gently dry your skin as usual, the sloughing process will eventually eliminate tiny spots.

Recovery and aftercare tips for laser hair removal include:

• Exfoliate the skin in the treatment area after a week to ten days, but do so gently. You don’t want to exacerbate the natural inflammation that occurs after laser treatment. Again, contact us with questions.
• Shave as needed. Do not pluck or wax. Also, remember to shave the night before subsequent laser hair removal treatments.
• Apply sunscreen diligently. It is important to continually protect your skin from sun damage until you have completed your course of treatment.
• Only use the gentlest skincare products after laser hair removal. Avoid acidic ingredients like salicylic acid, as well as vitamin C, retinol products, and anything that can create photosensitivity.

It is necessary to complete your recommended number of laser treatments to achieve your desired outcome. Laser hair removal works only on the “growing” hairs at the time of treatment. These are hairs that are in the anagen phase of the growth cycle. Hairs that are in the other phases, catagen, telogen, and exogen, will not be affected by laser energy. At any given time, you have multiple hairs in multiple different stages of the growth cycle. This makes it impossible to target all hair in the target area in a single treatment. Your laser hair removal treatments are scheduled at intervals that enable us to affect hair follicles as they are in the anagen stage of the cycle. Undergoing just one or two sessions would have very little long-term effect, if any.

Usually 6-8 sessions are recommended spaced 6-8 weeks apart.