Should I Wax the Bleached Hair Away Before I Started to Do Laser Hair Removel?

Question

Sanusi Umar, MD · Answer

The laser basically needs a dark colored target to do its job. This is why It is much better to shave the bleached hairs. The remaining hair shafts which are darker in color will actually absorb the laser light. This is how the laser energy is able to enter the follicles which are then attacked by your immune system. The follicles then enter a resting phase.

Elizabeth Slass Lee, MD · Answer

Waxing pulls hair out at the root. This modifies that hair's growth/rest cycle.  Hair follicles are sensitive to the laser when they are actively growing hair and the follicles are all in different phases of growth. This is why multiple treatments are necessary; each treatment catches the next group of active follicles.  If you tweeze or wax, you artificially put the follicles to rest, making it insensitive to the laser.  Let the bleached hair grow out and shave for hair control during the period of your laser treatment.

Michele S. Green, MD · Answer

Laser hair removal targets the pigmentation in the hair follicle. The darker the hair, the better the laser will work. If the root of the hair is I do not recommend waxing before your laser hair removal treatment because waxing will remove the deeper portion of the hair follicle and there will be no pigmentation for the laser to target. I recommend shaving before your laser hair appointment.

Emily Altman, MD · Answer

Bleaching usually affects the surface portion of the hair, so there is usually some pigmentation left in the hair follicle.  This pigmentation should be enough for the laser to affect those hairs.

	However, if you wax, all those hairs would be gone, and there will be no target for the laser to reach.  The only hair removal method allowed before or during the laser hair removal sessions is shaving.  Otherwise the results will be significantly less than what is expected.

Jacqueline Calkin, MD · Answer

The laser can only "see" brown or black hairs and the hair must be present in the follicle for the treatment to be successful.  This is why we ask patients not to pluck or wax for three to four weeks prior to treatment.  Since this is your first appointment, I would not shave the night before.  The doctor needs to see where the hairs grow and how much of an area needs to be treated to give you an accurate price quote.  They wil also want to take a "before" pictures  They will then have you shave in the office prior to the treatment. In the future, they may ask you to shave at home just prior to treatment, but check with them. In order to gauge results of treatment, they will need to see you at least some of the time without being recently shaved.

Shawn Allen, MD · Answer

Waxing before hair removal defeats the laser and so should be avoided for 2-4 weeks prior to laser hair removal. If the hairs are blond then the laser cannot treat them. If the hairs are plucked from the follicle the laser has no target. If your hairs are bleached blond but are truly black then the laser will still target the deeper pigmented hair and achieve its job, assuming you havent waxed in 2 weeks. The only problem then is to convince your dermatologist that the bleached hairs are actually dark so they can be certain that the results will be exceptional. You would know if they are brown , black or blond and this should be communicated to your doctor. Remember, only electrolysis can help with truly blond hair ....no laser exists to treat blond hairs!! Also shaving the day before the procedure helps to avoid burning the hairs on the skin and is most helpful in optimizing results while minimizing risks.

Sheri G. Feldman, MD · Answer

No! Please do not wax prior to laser hair removal. Doing so removes the deeper portion of the follicle which is exactly the target of the laser. You will waste your time and money if you wax first.

Laura E. Skellchock, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

Waxing the hair pulls it out, damaging the hair follicle - but not enough to destroy it. This causes the next hair to grow in to be thinner and lighter which makes it a poorer target for the laser. The best thing to do is shave the hair before and between any laser treatments, to maintain the integrity of the hair, which is the target for the laser light. Shaving has no ability to affect the hair at all since it has no effect on the hair follicle.

Mitchell Schwartz, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Any method of hair removal such as waxing or tweezing will remove the deeper portions of the hair follicle which contain the "target pigmentation" and will render laser hair removal ineffective for at least two weeks. Either shaving or depilatory creams can be used up to the day of the laser treatment as they do not remove the entire hair shaft. Prior to laser treatment, it is important to shave the area. Otherwise hair gets pressed to the surface of your skin. When the hair shaft is destroyed by the laser it can injure the surrounding skin. Shave a day prior to your appointment, so if you nick yourself, the area will not be bleeding during your procedure.

Anifat Balogun, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

The target for the laser in laser hair reduction is the pigment within the hair in the follicle. For laser hair reduction to be effectice, you need hair in the follicle, therefore waxing your hair, bleached or not, defeats the purpose. Hair that is bleached typically retains the darker pigment in the follicle, which the laser is attracted to.

	Best to shave the night before your treatment.

Should I Wax the Bleached Hair Away Before I Started to Do Laser Hair Removel?

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Answers (11)

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