Ahead of laser hair removal for men in Prague, shave your back, chest, stomach, arms and legs the day before, and leave your face, neck and shoulders as they are. How you prepare decides what power the session can run at and how your skin handles it.
- 3-4 weeks before: no waxing, sugaring, tweezing or epilators, shaving only.
- Two weeks before: no strong sun, tanning beds or self-tanner.
- The day before: shave your back, chest, stomach, underarms, arms and legs, with a razor or a trimmer set to zero.
- On the day: take a shower, and no cream, aftershave or deodorant on the area.
Which areas to shave before a session
The laser works on the hair root. Long hair above the skin soaks up part of the flash's energy, and on hair longer than a grain of rice the treatment doesn't work. So we ask you to shave your body the day before, with a razor or a trimmer set to zero. There's no need to shave your face, neck or shoulders beforehand: the specialist will take a look first and decide whether the hair needs trimming.
| Area | Before the session |
|---|---|
| Back | Shave the day before, easiest with help from someone close |
| Chest, stomach and happy trail | Shave the day before |
| Underarms | Shave the day before, no deodorant on the day of the session |
| Arms and forearms | Shave the day before, down to the wrist |
| Legs, thighs, lower legs | Shave the day before |
| Shoulders | No need to shave beforehand, come as you are |
| Face, front and back of the neck | No need to shave beforehand, come as you are |
Sources: StatPearls (NCBI), Laser Hair Removal, Cleveland Clinic
How to shave your back and chest without cuts
Shave the evening before: if you get any cuts or irritation, your skin has time to calm down before the visit. For your back, it's easiest to ask a partner or friend to help. To avoid cuts, soften the hair with water first, use shaving foam or gel, shave with a sharp razor in the direction the hair grows and rinse the blade after every stroke.
After shaving, keep alcohol-based lotion and fragrance off the area. Fresh cuts or bad irritation are a reason to move the session by a couple of days.
Sources: American Academy of Dermatology
Planning your beard line
If you're having your face or the front of your neck done, decide in advance which beard line you want to keep. Before the session we'll mark it together, and the laser will only work beyond that line. After the course much less hair grows there, so you won't be able to get your old outline back quickly.
Stop waxing, sugaring, tweezing and epilating 3-4 weeks before
All four pull the hair out with the root, leaving the laser nothing to work on. Tweezing on the neck or between the brows counts too. So from 3-4 weeks before your visit until the end of the course, shaving is the only option.
Sources: Cleveland Clinic
Sun, tanning beds and self-tanner
For two weeks before the session, no strong sun, tanning beds or self-tanner. A tan, natural or artificial, can make the treatment less effective and lead to side effects. If your tan is fresh and the skin is still red, we reschedule; a light tan without redness is fine, and we set the power to suit it.
A run or a bike ride with your shirt off counts too: the back and shoulders tan first.
Tattoos in the treatment area
We cover a tattoo with a pad that blocks the beam and work around it, keeping 1-1.5 cm away. Mention it when booking.
On the day
Shower before your visit and keep everything off the area: no cream, oil, aftershave or deodorant. The skin should be clean and free of oil before the treatment, so if you're coming straight from a workout, rinse off the sweat first.
Bring a loose T-shirt. Tight sportswear or compression gear will rub the skin after the session, and it's best not to carry a backpack for the first 1-2 days.
When to reschedule
We reschedule if the area is sunburnt or has fresh shaving cuts, irritation or an active herpes flare-up. Tell us in advance if you've taken isotretinoin for acne, if you're on any other medication and if you tend to get cold sores. We discuss chronic skin conditions at the consultation.
Sources: American Academy of Dermatology
How we handle it
Men's hair removal with us starts with a free consultation. The specialist examines your skin and hair on each area, asks about your health and any medication, and sets the power. We work with a hybrid laser (alexandrite, diode and neodymium) with contact cooling. Prices for men's laser hair removal are in the men's price list.
Reviewed by: MEDULLA team