I have been undergoing treatments with the Candela GentleLase laser. Here is my question. Am I supposed to shave the areas before they are treated? Or can the laser perform on non-shaved areas?
The area needs to be as short as possible, that’s why usually you need to shave a day before.
Not a good idea to shave the face if you’re a woman, but can still trim the area.
The reason why you need to shave is because the laser creates heat and it will burn the hair and that may touch the skin and burn the skin as well.
Yikes, I hate when people ask this question because it shows that they’re going to a clinic that doesn’t actually tell them to shave before. You risk burning your skin if you don’t shave. Keep in mind, the laser works by targeting the dark pigment in the hair and basically burning it. If you have hair visible on the surface, the laser will focus all its energy in the hair and not even make it to the root where it needs to be. It’s okay to not shave before treatment, but only if your tech shaves for you. Sometimes I don’t shave before, as my tech likes to see exactly where we need to remove the hair, but she always then uses clippers to make it really short, then uses a razor to remove all the hair before treatment.
Yes, you need to shave 1-2 days prior. I’m appalled that the clinic didn’t tell you that.