Getting ready for your first laser hair removal session: shaving, sun, products

A first laser session does take some preparation, but less than people imagine. Most clients arrive with a long list found online and two real questions: do I shave, and can I come in after a weekend at the cottage. Let's take what actually matters, in order.

One clarification first, and it matters: the only list that binds you is the one you're handed at your first appointment. The precise instructions are written down, and they take your area and your skin into account. What follows explains the logic behind them — so you understand why they exist, not to replace them.

Shaving: yes, and that's rather the point

You can shave any time, before sessions and between them. A razor cuts the hair flush with the skin and leaves the root in place — and the root is what the laser is interested in. So shaving doesn't “ruin” anything: it's the maintenance method that's compatible with the whole course.

It's exactly the opposite for wax, tweezers and epilators. All three pull the hair out at the root, and an absent root is an absent target. They go away for the whole course, not just the day before. It's the simplest instruction to remember, and the one people most often forget while travelling.

The sun: the instruction that moves a date

Sun exposure is to be avoided before and after the session. That isn't a formality: if you arrive with recently tanned skin, the session gets pushed back rather than done. That's better than an appointment kept at all costs under the wrong conditions.

The practical consequence is easy to plan around: if you're heading somewhere sunny, mention it when you book rather than when you arrive. The calendar sorts itself out in a minute when we know in advance, and costs a session when we find out on the spot. Same for anything that colours the skin, a self-tanner for instance: mention it — that's the kind of detail that changes an instruction.

Products: what to say, not what to guess

This is where online lists contradict each other most, and where we'll be deliberately careful: we're not going to publish a list of products to stop before a laser session. That kind of instruction depends on the area, the product and your skin — and you're given it in writing at your first appointment, once we've looked at all three.

What you can do is arrive knowing what you put on that area. The product's name, how often, since when. It takes thirty seconds to say and it saves a session run on missing information. If you're unsure about a product, bring it or photograph the label: that beats memory every time.

On the day: what the appointment looks like

The first appointment isn't only a session. We look at your hair, your skin type and the area you have in mind, and tell you honestly whether laser suits you. A patch test then confirms the setting suits your skin, before the first real session.

The session itself runs from a few minutes for a small area to about an hour for a large one. The handpiece has built-in cooling; the sensation stays brief and is generally well tolerated, with a clear difference by location: the bikini line and underarms are felt more than the legs. You leave with your aftercare instructions, sun protection included.

Preparing really comes down to three things: shave, stay out of the sun, and say what you put on your skin. The rest belongs to the consultation, where we look at your skin rather than an average, where the patch test confirms the setting and where the number of sessions is estimated with you. The treatment page details the device and the steps, and prices are listed area by area on the Prices page. If you still have a specific question before booking, bring it to the consultation at the clinic in Ahuntsic: that's what it's there for.