Before and after
your first session
Everything to do in the two weeks either side, in one place
Most disappointing results are not caused by the treatment. They are caused by what happened in the week before or the week after. Here is the whole list, so you can stop guessing.
This article is written in two parts. Part one is the plain-English version. Part two goes into the detail, for anyone who wants it.
Start here
Two weeks before
Stay out of the sun, off sunbeds and away from self-tanner. This is the instruction people most often ignore and the one that most often gets an appointment rescheduled. A tan changes how your skin responds, and we cannot treat safely over one.
One week before
Stop retinol, acids, exfoliating scrubs and any prescription actives on the area. No waxing, threading, plucking or hair-removal creams for four weeks before laser work, and none at all between sessions.
The day before
Shave the area if you are having laser. Leave the follicle in place and take the hair off at the surface.
The day itself
Arrive with clean skin. No lotion, oil, deodorant, makeup or perfume on the area. Eat something beforehand. Wear something comfortable that gives easy access to the area being treated.
The first 24 hours after
Expect pink, warm skin that feels like mild sunburn. Cool compresses and aloe help. No hot showers, saunas, steam rooms, swimming or hard exercise. Leave the skin alone.
The first week after
No retinol, acids or scrubs for five to seven days. SPF 30 or higher every morning, reapplied. Treated hairs will shed over one to two weeks; let them. Do not pick, scratch or exfoliate the area, which is what turns a normal response into a mark that lasts.
The technical detail
Why sun exposure is the hard rule
Recent UV exposure raises the melanin content of the epidermis, which increases competing absorption at the skin surface and narrows the safety margin at any given fluence. It also primes the skin toward a pigmentary response to inflammation. Self-tanner is a separate problem: it deposits pigment in the stratum corneum that absorbs energy at the surface, with no clinical benefit and a real risk of a superficial burn.
Medications worth telling us about
Isotretinoin within the last six months, oral or topical retinoids, photosensitising antibiotics such as doxycycline and tetracycline, St John's wort, some diuretics and some antifungals. None of these are automatic barriers, but all of them change what we do. Bring the list, not your best recollection of it.
Cold sores and antiviral cover
Any treatment around the mouth can reactivate herpes simplex in someone who carries it. If you get cold sores, even rarely, say so. Prophylactic antiviral cover started before treatment is straightforward and avoids an unpleasant fortnight.
What a normal response looks like, and what is not
Expected: erythema and perifollicular edema, a raised pink bump around each follicle, within minutes of treatment and settling over hours to a couple of days. That is a sign the energy reached the target. Not expected: blistering, weeping, spreading redness, increasing pain after day two, or any sign of infection. Call us on 571-447-9747 if you see any of those. Do not wait for your next appointment.
Why SPF matters for months, not days
Treated skin is more reactive to UV for several weeks, and the pigment-producing cells are more easily provoked during that window. Daily broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher is what keeps the result you paid for, and it is the single cheapest thing on this list.
Good to know
Can I wear makeup afterwards?
After facial treatment, give it the rest of the day if you can. Mineral makeup the next day is fine.
Can I exercise after a session?
Leave it 24 to 48 hours. Heat and sweat on freshly treated skin is the main cause of avoidable irritation.
What if I forgot and got some sun?
Tell us when you arrive rather than hoping. We would far rather reschedule you than treat over a tan.
I'm on medication. Does that rule me out?
Usually not, but it may change the settings or the timing. Bring the full list to your consultation.
Thirty minutes, no pressure
We look at your skin properly
Your history, your concerns, what you have already tried and what your routine looks like now.
We tell you the truth
What will help, what will not, and what you may not need at all. If something else suits you better, we will say so.
You leave with a plan
Written, with clear pricing and no pressure. Whether you book is entirely up to you.
More from the journal
Laser hair removal on deeper skin tones
What actually matters, and why nobody gets turned away here
How laser hair removal actually works
Why it takes six sessions, and what is really happening under the skin
Six things people believe about laser that are not true
Including the one that costs people the most money