Do you ever look at your body and feel you’re turning into a bear or werewolf? Sometimes, we’ll have more body hair than we want, but removing them is a major hassle.
An alternative to waxing and shaving is laser hair removal. But you might be wondering, “Does laser hair removal hurt?” The short answer is: it depends. There might be times when you’ll be able to handle laser hair removal and other times when you’ll have to prepare in advance.
Here’s what you need to know:
How Laser Hair Removal Works
Laser hair removal uses laser beams to target hair follicles. Hair follicles are where your hair grows from.
Laser hair removal won’t permanently remove your hair. They’ll disable the follicles to prevent hair removal for several weeks. As a result, you’ll have to make multiple trips to the salon.
However, laser hair removal is often more effective than other methods. If you decide to go with laser hair removal, you want to check out Hollywood Body Laser.
Now let’s look at whether you’ll feel pain with laser hair removal services.
Pain and Precautions
The laser beams emit high heat, and the level of pain all depends on your body. You’ll also want to speak to your doctor to find out if you have sensitive skin.
You might also want to buy creams to apply to your skin after the procedure. Your skin might feel mild pain or irritation following laser hair removal services.
However, don’t use any creams or anti-irritants until your doctor approves. In some cases, such creams can cause further issues and even serious side effects.
If you have a high pain threshold, you won’t feel much pain in your body. However, various body parts react differently from laser hair removal. Let’s look a bit further into these areas.
Bikini Line
Let’s just get this one out of the way. You probably handle your bikini line by shaving or waxing.
In most cases, it’ll be more painful to get laser hair removal for your bikini line. The process is often more time-consuming. However, your bikini line might be smoother, and your hair might not grow for several weeks.
Ask the technician how long you can expect to maintain your bikini line following laser hair removal services.
If it’s longer than waxing or shaving, you might prefer this option despite the added pain.
Make sure you also speak to both your technician and doctor about what precautions to take following the procedure.
For instance, you might have to be careful about what material you wear over your bikini line to not cause further issues.
Butt
If you have excessive hair on your butt, laser hair removal might be the best choice. However, you want to know what you’re getting into first!
Depending on the amount of hair, you’ll likely have to undergo several sessions to remove all of it. You may have to wait another month following each session.
Some doctors recommend taking acetaminophen to lessen the pain. Placing ice or cream after the procedure is also recommended for recovery. Make sure you speak to your doctor to see if this is appropriate.
It’s often not painful during the procedure. But following the procedure, you might feel mild pain.
It’s often only recommended if you have excessive hair and aren’t comfortable with the appearance.
Back and Stomach
Laser hair removal on your back is often more painful. Generally, you’ll have excessive hair, so the procedure will take time.
However, your stomach won’t be as painful in most cases. Your stomach has thicker skin than many other body parts. Thicker skin can handle the laser beam heat much better.
On Your Face
In most cases, you’re better off shaving your face. However, laser hair removal is ideal if you have excessive growth.
You’ll feel more pain above your upper lip but not much on your cheeks and forehead.
Arms and Underarms
Laser hair removal on your forearms is generally less painful. If you have excessive and thick hair, the process will take much longer. However, irritation following the procedure is rare.
Your underarms will be in pain during and after the procedure in most cases. The skin here is much thinner, so you might not be able to tolerate it. Only consider it if you have excessive underarm hair.
Legs
Most of the legs have thick skin, so you won’t feel intense pain. Nevertheless, laser hair treatment on your inner thighs might hurt more.
You’ll also feel pain on your shins, but not as much as your inner thighs. The level of pain varies, but if you have a high pain threshold, it’ll mostly be manageable.
Best Practices
Let’s end with a few best practices to prepare for laser hair removal. As mentioned earlier, always speak to your doctor before laser hair removal treatment.
They’ll assess whether it’s a great option for you. Make sure you mention all the body parts you’d like to remove hair from.
Your doctor will tell you which body parts are safe and which will cause more pain based on your pain threshold. They’ll also advise what treatments to use to recover from the pain.
Laser hair removal is a great procedure, but for some body parts, you may want to stick to waxing or shaving. Make sure you also set aside an entire day for the procedure.
Often, it’ll take longer than expected. You might also need the rest of the day to recover and rest.
“Does Laser Hair Removal Hurt?” Now You Know
Now you know the answers to “Does laser hair removal hurt?” and can decide if it’s for you.
The pain varies based on the body part and your pain threshold. While in some cases you’re better off with alternative methods, laser hair removal services are still very effective.
Always speak to your doctor before undergoing any procedure. Make sure you also prepare for recovery following the procedure.
Once you finish the process, you’ll feel your best. But if you need even more beauty advice, check out our other blog posts!
