Why you should not pluck before laser hair removal

What actually removes the hair

Laser hair removal is often pictured as burning the hair away. The principle is different. It uses selective photothermolysis: melanin inside the hair absorbs the laser energy and that heat is carried down to the follicle.

The hair acts as the path. It has to be there for the energy to reach the follicle through the melanin.

Why waxing before reduces the effect

Waxing pulls the hair out of the follicle entirely. In principle, waxing just before the session leaves the path the energy should follow missing. The laser sets off to find the follicle along the hair and arrives to an empty channel.

Energy then struggles to reach the follicle sufficiently, and the result is affected. Plucking with tweezers is not recommended for the same reason.

Shaving is fine

Shaving cuts only the hair above the skin, leaving the hair inside the follicle in place. The laser can still follow the melanin down. Shaving one or two days before the session is best.

• Shaving → fine, and recommended
• Tweezers → not recommended
• Waxing → not recommended

After the session

Some days after the session you will see hair still in place and be tempted to pull it out. Do not. The reason is not the result; it is the skin.

Right after treatment the follicle is highly sensitised: thermally injured, in a state resembling mild inflammation. Plucking then adds physical trauma to an already irritated follicle.

Folliculitis can follow, starting like a mild rash and settling into red papules. Pigmentation is the other risk: melanin gathering at the irritated site can darken the tone in that area. Thin-skinned areas such as the underarm and bikini line show this more readily. Both are reported in the literature.

Frequently asked questions