SalonCompass

Aftercare

After Laser Hair Removal: Sun Rules and the "Shedding" Phase

What is normal

  • Redness and swelling around follicles (perifollicular oedema — looks like goosebumps or nettle rash) for a few hours up to 48 hours. This is actually the expected endpoint of a good treatment.
  • Treated hairs remaining in place and then "shedding" over 1–3 weeks — they look like regrowth but fall out; you can help gently with a washcloth. This surprises almost everyone: laser does not make hair vanish on the day.
  • Mild sunburn-like warmth on the day.
  • Slight itching as hairs shed.

What happens, and when

Day 0
redness/bumps; cool feeling products help.
Day 1–2
bumps settle.
Week 1–3
shedding phase — hairs push out and fall. Not regrowth failure.
Week 3–6
smoother phase.
Week 4–8
genuine regrowth of the follicles that survived (they were in the wrong growth phase) — this is why a course of 6–8 sessions is needed, spaced by area.

Do

  • Cool compresses and aloe/panthenol gel on the day.
  • SPF 50 on any exposed treated area every day between ALL sessions — sun on lasered skin is the main cause of pigmentation marks.
  • Gentle exfoliation from day 3–4 to help shedding and prevent ingrowns.
  • Shaving between sessions is fine (it's the only hair removal allowed between sessions).

Don't

  • No sun exposure or tanning beds for 1–2 weeks after (and no active tan before the next session — tell your practitioner about any sun, holidays, or self-tan).
  • No plucking, waxing, threading, or epilating between sessions — the laser needs the root in place; removing it resets that follicle.
  • No hot baths, saunas, gym for 24–48 hours.
  • No perfumed products, deodorant (if underarms treated), or self-tan for 24–48 hours.
  • No scratching the shedding bumps.

When to get help

  • Blistering, crusting, or skin that looks burned in a pattern matching the device head — photograph immediately, contact the clinic, treat as a burn (cool water, no picking); GP if more than a small area. This should not happen with correct settings for your skin type.
  • Dark or light patches developing over the following weeks (post-inflammatory hyper/hypopigmentation) — stop sun exposure completely and get a clinic review before any further sessions.
  • Signs of infection on any blistered area.
  • Hives or spreading rash beyond treated areas — pharmacist/GP.

Medical review pending

A doctor has not signed this section off yet. It is drafted from Anna's practice and is waiting on medical review, so treat it as a prompt to get advice rather than the last word.

General guidance, not personal medical advice. When in doubt, contact your practitioner or a doctor.

Draft — Anna's voice pass to come

This guide is written but has not had its final pass, so it is not listed in search results yet. Everything on it is readable and unchanged in the meantime.

Written by · London-trained cosmetologist

Last updated