Laser aftercare: the four rules that actually matter

Most aftercare cards list a dozen instructions with no explanation, so people follow the easy ones and quietly skip the rest. In practice, four rules account for nearly every avoidable problem we see.

1. No heat for 48 hours

No saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, hot baths, swimming pools, or hard exercise for two days.

Immediately after treatment the follicles are inflamed and the pores around them are open. Heat increases blood flow to skin that is already flushed, sweat introduces salt and bacteria into open follicles, and chlorinated water irritates a compromised surface. The result is folliculitis — small pus-topped bumps that look like acne and take a week to settle.

This is the rule people break most often, usually via the gym. Two days.

2. SPF 50 for two weeks, without exception

Freshly treated skin has a temporarily disordered melanin response. Sun exposure in that window is the single most common cause of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation — flat brown patches where the treated hair used to be, which can take months to fade.

Cover the area or use SPF 50 daily for two weeks after every session. No sunbeds at any point during a course, and no self-tanner within two weeks either side of a session — the laser cannot distinguish applied pigment from real pigment.

3. Shave. Never pluck, wax, thread or epilate

Between sessions, shaving is the only acceptable method.

Shaving cuts the hair at the surface and leaves the follicle and root intact — precisely what the laser needs to find next time. Waxing, plucking, threading, epilating and depilatory creams all remove or damage the root, which removes the target. Wax four weeks before a session and you have paid for a session that has very little to work on.

This applies to the whole course, not just the days around an appointment.

4. The stubble at day seven is not regrowth

Around one to three weeks after a session, treated hairs push out of the skin as the follicle expels them. It looks and feels exactly like hair growing back. It is the opposite — it is the proof the treatment worked.

Do not pluck it. Gentle exfoliation from day seven helps it clear and reduces ingrown hairs. Genuine density loss is visible only after the shed completes, which is why people who judge results at day ten always underestimate them.

The shorter list of everything else

• Unscented products only for 48 hours. Fragrance on inflamed skin is the second most common irritant after sweat.
• Loose cotton clothing for the first day, particularly after bikini, Brazilian or back treatments.
• No retinoids, AHAs, BHAs or scrubs for five days on facial treatments.
• Aloe or a plain moisturiser if the area feels warm. A cool compress is fine; ice directly on the skin is not.

When to call us

Redness and small raised bumps around the follicles for a few hours — sometimes into the next day on the face — are the expected reaction. Call if you see:

• Blistering, or broken skin
• Redness that is worsening rather than settling after 48 hours
• Any sign of infection: spreading warmth, pus, fever
• New flat brown or pale patches in the treated area

None of these are common, and all of them are more manageable early. We would rather hear from you unnecessarily.

Read the full FAQ or see aftercare for your specific treatment.