laser Hair Removal women

Yes, you can get laser hair removal even if you have acne. If your breakouts are particularly inflamed, the process will probably hurt a little more than when your skin is calm. That said, acne won’t get in the way of the effectiveness of the treatment, and you may even see positive effects.

In the long term, laser hair removal is perfectly fine and even beneficial for acne-prone skin. In the short term, you might notice a slight increase in breakouts. It can happen a few days or up to a week after your appointment. The breakouts will usually clear up as your skin calms down and as some hair growth normalizes. We’ve noticed that this is usually only an issue when you first start laser treatments, and tends to happen less frequently after repeated sessions as more and more of the hair is reduced.
If your skin is acne-prone, here are a few important things to keep in mind before and after, in addition to our standard customer care suggestions. First of all, let your provider know if you’re taking any acne medications. We cannot do laser hair removal if you’re taking oral medications like isotretinoin or antibiotics. With topical medications, you may just need to take a short break before and after your laser appointment. If you’re using tretinoin or adapalene, make sure to stop using them for two weeks before your appointment. Wait at least a week if you’re using benzoyl peroxide, glycolic acid, or retinol. Finally, if you’re using salicylic acid, take a 3-day break. If you experience breakouts after your laser hair removal session, you can gently exfoliate the skin with a salicylic acid-based product after three days. It’ll help unclog the pores and calm the skin. Now that you have a better understanding of how laser hair removal affects acne, are you ready to give it a try? If so, go ahead and book an appointment at your nearest ILY Laser medspa!