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Technological advancements have made hair removal less painful, prevented ingrown hair formation, and have slowed down hair growth to make results last longer than before. Brazilian or bikini laser hair removal is a popular procedure for women and men who want to keep their hair down there tidy. But before booking a session, you have to know the possible side effects of Brazilian laser hair removal side effects, as well as a few aftercare tips to help you manage possible post-procedure problems.
So what are the side effects that come with Brazilian laser hair removal? You may experience a little redness, irritation, skin crusting and blistering, skin burns, discoloration and scarring. Note that these are preventable if you practice proper aftercare like moisturizing the treated area of your skin constantly and avoiding things that could damage your fresh-from-laser skin like avoiding extreme sun exposure, heat exposure, and refraining from picking, waxing, scratching and tweezing your skin, among others.
Side Effects of Brazilian Laser Hair Removal
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After every session, Brazilian laser hair removal treatment usually results in side effects like redness and irritation. However, depending on what you do after your procedure, expect to develop these side effects afterwards. But don’t worry, these are only temporary and should subside after a few days.
1. Redness and Irritation
During Brazilian laser hair removal, a laser technician will direct a laser light to penetrate the skin around your pubic area. Your skin absorbs the light, which then turns into heat energy. This heat is enough to damage your hair follicle tubes in your epidermis, which promotes pubic hair removal by weakening its roots. This heat can also cause your skin to develop redness and irritation, similar to the way your skin reacts when you pluck or wax.
To help prevent this, the technician may apply a topical anesthetic or numbing cream to reduce the pain or irritation you’ll feel. Depending on how sensitive your skin is, you might feel a tingling sensation in the treatment area, or you might even feel tender and swollen. The pain usually subsides shortly after treatment.
2. Skin Crusting and Blistering
The heat from the laser can cause your skin to lose all moisture. This can dry out your skin, leading to cracked and flaky skin, which eventually leads to crusting. Crusting is normal, but you should avoid picking at the crusted skin as you could be exposing fresh skin (which can have a stinging feeling) or open up a wound that can result in bleeding, scabbing, and scarring.
Your technician should provide or recommend a moisturizer to apply to the treatment area after treatment. Avoid picking or scratching out the treated area, since this can cause damage to your skin. After five days, you can exfoliate the area to get rid of the treated hairs. Eventually, the skin crusting will peel off on its own and with exfoliation three times per week.
3. Skin Burns
Lasers can reach temperatures ranging from 50°C to 70°C, depending on your skin tone and the amount of hair on your treated area. In the wrong hands, this can cause major burns that can take up to three weeks to fully heal.
That’s why even though there are at-home laser hair removal tools and places that offer to do it cheaper, it’s always best to have it done by a qualified laser practitioner. Prior to your appointment, trimming or shaving your pubic area is highly recommended as shorter pubic hair can reduce the skin damage caused from burnt hairs. Before a procedure, your technician will apply an anesthetic cream and cooling gel that can prevent lasers from burning the treatment area.
4. Skin Discoloration
Laser lights are absorbed by your skin’s melanin, which is responsible for giving your skin its pigment. Because of the heat absorbed by your skin, it can cause discoloration for all patients. Patients with a light skin type will notice slightly darker skin in their pubic area, while patients with a darker skin tone may notice lighter pigmentation.
This is only temporary and, in some cases, barely noticeable. After exfoliating, you may notice over time that this discoloration can fade away and return to your skin’s natural color.
5. Risk of Skin Infection
While lasers are non-invasive, they can easily dry up the skin in your pubic area, causing skin crusting. It’s important to treat this like a wound and avoid scratching or picking at the crusting, or it can result in open skin, which can develop an infection.
On top of this, the damaged hair follicles and treated hairs can also be prone to infection before exfoliation. Avoid plucking or waxing your skin days after treatment. Your pubic hairs will gradually fall on their own.
6. Scarring
Skin in your pubic area can dry out during a laser procedure, which can result in skin crusting. If left alone and moisturized often, these crusts can eventually peel off on their own and expose fresh skin. However, if you develop a habit of picking and scratching, you may expose open skin, which can lead to wounds. If not treated carefully, this can result in permanent scarring that will require more cosmetic procedures to repair.
Scarring is not a direct side effect of laser hair removal treatment, however, so this is easily avoidable. Continue to moisturize the treated area and, five days after the Brazilian, exfoliate your pubic area. It’s recommended that you exfoliate three times a week to remove treated hairs and dead skin cells.
Brazilian Laser Hair Removal Aftercare
During the process, you might feel minimal pain or discomfort. It’s more painful for those with darker skin and dark hair colors because their pigment and hair absorb more light, which translates to higher temperatures. Depending on the amount of hair you have in your pubic areas, this might take up to an hour.
Immediately after the procedure, you might notice redness and swelling. This is normal and will last for a few hours. You can apply ice to the treated area. After this has subsided, you may notice the mentioned side effects develop within the next few days. Here are some aftercare tips that can help mitigate the pain and discomfort.
- Avoid picking, scratching, waxing, and tweezing. Picking and scratching at the hairs and skin crusting can expose new and tender skin or open wounds, which can result in bleeding, scarring, and infections. Treated hairs in your pubic area will not fall out immediately, but you will notice shedding in the upcoming weeks. Don’t try to pick, wax, or tweeze them out, as this can be painful and leave your hair follicles prone to infection. These will all eventually fall out, especially after you exfoliate.
- Avoid excessive heat (hot showers, saunas, heat packs, etc.). After your laser procedure, your skin will be sensitive to heat and light. Avoid taking hot showers, going into saunas or hot tubs, or applying heated objects onto the treated area. If your pubic area feels sensitive, apply a cold compress.
- Avoid swimming pools and baths. Even in warm and cold water, avoid submerging your treated area in standing water like swimming pools and baths. Your treated area is vulnerable to infection, so stay away for at least 48 hours or until your pubic area has fully healed and is no longer irritated.
- Wear loose clothing made with breathable fabric. Ideally, wear cotton underwear and breathable bottoms. Women can wear loose dresses and skirts to prevent restricting the skin in the treated area and its surrounding parts. Wearing tight clothing and non-breathable fabrics not only feel uncomfortable on non-treated skin, but it can also create heat and friction between your thighs, which can make discoloration worse.
- Avoid exercising for at least 2 days after your session. Physical exercise could result in movement that causes friction within the upper-inner thighs, which can heat up the area and further affect the skin discoloration.
- Use cold compress, over-the-counter painkillers, or aloe vera gel for sensitivity. In case of pain or discomfort during your recovery period, you can use any of the three for discomfort. Make sure your Aloe Vera is one hundred percent organic to avoid skin irritation.
- Moisturize your treated area regularly. Your pubic area’s skin will be dry from the effects of the laser, which can result in skin crusting. Aside from exfoliation, you will need to apply moisturizer to help rehydrate your skin and prevent blistering your skin while it heals.
- Avoid sun exposure for one week after the session. Sun exposure can affect your skin’s discoloration and can even make the discoloration permanent. After one week, apply sunscreen with at least 30 SPF.
- Exfoliate after five days to help shed treated hairs. After five days, your skin should have fully healed from the effects of the laser. By then, it should be safe to use a gentle exfoliator on the treated area to help get rid of the treated hair (a lot of your pubic hair will fall out during exfoliation – this is normal) along with skin crusting and other dead skin cells. Following your first exfoliation, you should exfoliate at least three times per week. You will notice more hairs fall out within the next few months.
Scheduling Multiple Treatments
It takes multiple Brazilian laser hair removal treatments to remove all unwanted hair and treat hair follicles enough to prevent hair growth for longer periods of time. Your laser technician will recommend that you schedule multiple laser hair removal treatments four to six weeks apart, depending on the thickness of your hair, skin color, and hair color.
Following multiple treatments, more and more hair will start to fall out and hair follicles will no longer produce hair. This means you won’t have to pluck, wax, or shave for longer periods of time, and you won’t have to worry about ingrown hairs during these hair removal procedures.
However, Brazilian laser hair removal – like all types of laser hair removal procedures – is not synonymous with permanent hair removal. Aesthetic clinics recommend around 6 to 12 Brazilian laser hair removal sessions spaced between four to six weeks for a full treatment to see long-lasting results.
After this, we recommend maintenance laser treatment at least once a year. These maintenance sessions can help prevent your follicles from growing back. In fact, it’s possible to go years without seeing any regrowth in your pubic area if you continue to get laser treatment.
If you decide to skip maintenance laser treatment altogether, your body will slowly repair your hair follicles, which will start to regrow hair in your pubic area and anus. Your hair will look less dense and lighter than it was before you began Brazilian laser hair removal treatments. This won’t happen for some time, depending on the quality of your laser hair treatment and how long you’ve had maintenance treatment done. After your hair grows back, you have the option of getting another laser session to resume treatment.
Get Smooth, Hairless Skin at Ethos Spa
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For a flawless laser hair removal procedure on your bikini area (or any part of your body with unwanted body hair), choose Ethos Spa. Being the premier laser hair removal center in New Jersey, our team ensures to use the best tools and perform the best-suiting procedures for your hair removal needs. We take pride in helping you bring out your confidence. We’re here to help you feel more at ease in your own skin, and achieve your desired look.
Learn more about our procedures and services and contact us to book an appointment today.
Dr. Hardik Soni
MDLead Physician
About Dr. Hardik Soni
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