Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal post operative care is an important aspect of the laser hair removal procedure which should not be overlooked at any cost. Let aside the matter of laser hair removal preoperative care, the question of postoperative care haunts loads of people. They normally think about the side effects, skin implications and pain associated with laser hair removal procedure. For those of us who are really haunted by these nightmares about laser hair removal following passage will help to answer some
of there basic fears.

Redness

Just after the treatment patient may experience redness and perifollicular edema in the area of treatment. There is no need to panic about small erythema or redness. The intensity and duration of these changes depends on the hair color and density. The fluence should be reduced if signs of epidermal damage develop during treatment .It is normal and subsides within a day but if it fails to subsides, although it happens very rarely, you should consult your doctor.

Fate of treated Hairs

The hair treated gradually shed off in a period of three to four weeks. After some time you may come across new growth. Don’t worry; this hair growth is due to the dormant hairs which are activated by the laser treatment. This growth of hair as you will notice will be much less in density as compared to the previous one. Just for that reason you need multiple visits to rid yourself of all these residual hairs.

Care of Skin

Immediately after the laser hair removal treatment don’t wash your skin with hot water and leave it as such but if required use tepid water. It’s suggested that you should use an effective sun block against UVA and UVB if the treated area is exposed area like face, neck and forearms.

Pain and Swelling

Pain is the first thought that pop up in ones mind and it can be reduced by using ice packs post operatively, ice packs also help to reduce the swelling after the procedure. If larger areas are treated then analgesics can be used for laser hair removal pain management but are seldom used for small areas.

History Of previous ailments

If there is any previous history of bacterial, viral or fungal infection then proper pre operative care should be taken. The course of prescribed medicine should be completed before the treatment.

Care of Injury

If epidermal injury occurs during the procedure then application of topical antibiotic creams and ointments twice daily is recommended. Mild topical steroid creams may also be prescribed to fight swelling and erythema. The steroids additionally reduce scarring of skin in case of injury.

General Care

In nutshell, take proper care of your skin after the procedure and avoid scratching the treated area, use sun screens to fight the hazardous effect of sun light over your now fragile skin for few days, use broad spectrum sun screen with a sun protection factor of 30.

Makeup after treatment

You can apply makeup immediately after the procedure is complete, it will help to hide some ill looking redness and you can leave the laser hair removal center immediately after the laser hair removal procedure and join the party. Incase if blistering or crusting develops then its better to avoid using makeup as makeup may cause some allergic reaction to the broken skin.

Blistering and crusting

Blistering and crusting may appear depending upon the skin type under laser hair removal treatment and measures should be taken to avoid harm. Make up is not recommended. Shedding of hair cast is a normal process after laser hair removal treatment and it should not be mistaken for hair growth.