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.

The hair grows in the three different cycles. In order for the laser to be effective the follicle needs to be in the first anagen, or active stage of growing. When you wax, you remove the follicle or the root of the hair and leave no target for the laser to attract. If you wax, it is better to wait 4-6 weeks for the face areas and 8-10 weeks for the body areas for the hair to return in the right stage again. You can simply shave before and in between the treatments or use any depilatory creams that remove the hair on the surface only.

Laser Hair Removal and Waxing prior to treatment
Laser hair removal works by a process of photothermolysis whereby a specific wavelength of light is focused on an area of skin. The light wavelength emitted from the laser is set at a color which is directly absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicle. The theory is that the hair follicle contains a bulb of concentrated pigment which selectively absorbs the energy from the laser and heats up. The heat generated causes the hair follicle cells to die. This leads to a weakening of the hair follicle, which is the germinal area of hair growth.
The more heat generated by the hair follicle, the better the response to laser. If the hair follicle is waxed, then the hair follicle is removed by the waxing and thus does not respond to the laser.
Alternatively, shaving may provide some benefit prior to laser. In this case, the hair above the skin is removed and thus does not heat up with the laser. The laser beam thus focuses its energy onto the follicle rather than heating up the hair shaft.

Waxing is not recommended before a laser hair removal treatment; this procedure can irritate or burn on your skin and also eradicates the hair follicle removing the hair pigment that needs to be reached by the laser to stop the hair from growing. Avoid waxing or tweezing the area at least four weeks before your laser treatment; this way, you will allow your hair to grow back. Shaving is the only hair removal method recommended before your laser treatment. This is the only method that will still conserve part of your hair follicle that needs to be reached by the laser; make sure you do it 24 hours before.

Thank you for your question. It is not advisable to wax or tweeze before laser hair removal treatment. This is because waxing and tweezing removes the hair follicle that the laser targets. I only recommend shaving before, after and in between treatments. Please note that it takes a series of 6-9 treatments to reduce 70-90% of hair. I recommend having a consultation with an expert to determine the best treatment plan for you. Best of Luck!

I would definitely not wax before laser hair removal.  Waxing rips out the root of the hair and you need the root for the laser to be effective.  It is safe to shave directly before laser hair removal. Please consult an expert in laser hair removal for the best cosmetic results. Best, Dr. Green