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Time To Get Tanned? Why You Should Get Laser Hair Removal Done First

27 February 2018

Holly Gardner

For many people, getting one's hair removed and skin tanned is a common part of preparation for the warmer months of the year. However, the order you do it in is very important. If you're interested in laser hair removal, read on to learn why you should hold off on your tanning until closer to the summer.

How Laser Hair Removal Works

Laser hair removal is as effective as it is because it targets the hair and only the hair. The way it does this is that the laser moves down a strand of hair, delivering a strong pulse to the hair follicle at its base. Once this pulse is delivered, the hair follicle dies, the current hair falls out, and no new hair grows back in. This allows you to get the hair removed permanently without irritating or harming your skin the way hair removal procedures like waxing can.

What Melanin Does

Perhaps you've heard that you need to have fairly dark hair for laser hair removal to be done. This is because the laser is designed to travel through darkly-colored surfaces. Light hair doesn't absorb as much of the laser, which makes it less effective at killing the hair follicles.

However, things get complicated if your skin is dark. Dark skin contains melanin, which absorbs the laser very efficiently. Unfortunately, this means that dark skin isn't safe for laser hair removal. If you're planning on getting a tan before heading out to the beach, hold off on doing so until after all of your hair removal treatments are done.

Alternatives

Keep in mind that if you don't want to look extremely pale when you head out in the summer for the first time, you don't have to. Skin-darkening pigments that provide the appearance of a tan without actually causing melanin to form in your body don't affect laser hair removal treatments.

You can choose an artificial tan for now and switch to a real tan once your treatments are complete. Makeup is also a good way of making your skin look tanned without making yourself ineligible for laser hair removal.

Laser hair removal is safe, effective, and fast, but there are certain rules to follow for maximum efficacy. If you haven't started tanning yet, you're on the right track to getting your hair removed permanently. If you've been working on a tan, avoid the sun from now on to start the process of getting paler again so you'll be ready for laser hair removal later on. For more information, contact establishments like Georgia Skin Cancer & Aesthetic Dermatology.

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