Skin Incredibly Itchy After Laser Hair Removal

Question

My skin has been incredibly itchy for the past 3 days after Laser hair removal. What happened? What can I do? Please help.

Monika Soni, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. It is common to experience some itching and redness after laser hair removal and this is usually due to irritation of the hair follicles. You can take an antihistamine and apply hydrocortisone to help relieve this. I recommend following up with your treating physician. Best of Luck!

Michael H. Gold, MD · Answer

After a laser hair removal, for the most part, there will be some redness and small bumps around the hair that has been treated. This is fairly common and in fact the end point for treatment for some of the lasers being used today – others do not have this. Your provider should be able to tell you what you should expect following your laser procedure – and itchy skin is not very common but surely can happen. The most common cause of this is dry skin, and recently we reported on a new program-skin care routine using the new Skinceuticals Body Line that showed that post-laser hair removal we were able to have a significant reduction in skin dryness and a better-looking skin as a result of using the new topical therapy. Be careful to use things on your skin that are very occlusive – so make sure a dermatologist or someone very knowledgeable in what to apply to the skin helps you here.

Philip Young, MD · Answer

You may need some antibiotics or anti inflammatories like topical steroids to help the condition. After laser resurfacing, your skin's defenses are down and you are more likely to have infections and develop contact dermatitis from anything that you use.  
For the first 2 weeks after your procedure you should be using a gentle cleanser and do vinegar washes 3-5 times a day. Vaseline or aquaphor should be applied at all times.  After your skin heals over, you can start using a gentle moisturizer and sunscreen. But you should always test you skin first to see if you get any reactions. If you do you should wait a couple of days to restart the moisturizer and sunscreen. After 3-4 weeks you should then be started on Retin A and hydroquinone.

Skin Incredibly Itchy After Laser Hair Removal

Answers (3)

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