Wax Before Laser Hair Removal Treatments?

Waxing should not be done prior to laser hair removal period. You should not wax for at least 4 weeks prior to your treatment.

I generally advise that patients don’t wax, pluck or sugar before their treatment. Your hair follicle should be healthy, and these hair removal alternatives can cause damage which will make your unwanted hair less responsive to treatment.

No, you should not wax for several weeks before laser hair removal.  The reason is that the laser is attracted to the dark pigment in the hair.  So, if the hair has already been removed through waxing, the laser will not have a "target" and will not be effective.  

 

Good Luck.

I have never heard of waxing being recommended prior to laser hair removal.  As others here have pointed out, it may removed the pigmented target of the laser.  Also, it can burn and irritate the skin, which the laser treatment can worsen.  I suggest doing what the majority recommends and shaving, not waxing, prior to treatment.

Thank you for your question.

In short, waxing immediately prior to laser hair removal will likely decrease the effectiveness of the laser providing short term, rather than long term, reduction in hair.

More specifically, lasers target the pigment of hairs at the base of the follicle (in the growth phase), which allows the follicle to be destroyed and inhibits new hair growth. Waxing removes hair from the follicle (including hairs at the base)

Without the hair, and thus pigment, at the base of the follicle the laser does not have it target and is therefore not as effective at destroying the follicle and decreasing future hair growth.

I hope this helps.