Shaving between laser sessions is fine - waxing and plucking are not

Most people booking laser hair reduction expect to be told to stop shaving. The opposite is true, and the reason explains how the whole course works.

The follicle has to still be there

Our diode laser directs gentle pulses of light at the hair, where the energy is absorbed by the follicle and converted to heat. That means the hair itself is the pathway. Shaving takes the hair off at the surface and leaves the hair in the follicle below, so the laser still has something to work with at your next session. Waxing and plucking pull the hair out from the root - and with nothing left in the follicle, that follicle is effectively invisible to the laser on the day.

So the routine you might assume is "tidier" between visits is the one that quietly costs you sessions.

Why the timing matters more than usual

Hair grows in cycles, and only a portion of your follicles are active at any one time. A planned series targets follicles at the right stage, which is why one visit is never the whole story and why sessions are usually spaced several weeks apart. If you wax three weeks before an appointment, you have not just removed hair - you have emptied the follicles that were due to be treated that day, so there is nothing for the laser to target. The rest of the course carries on, but that particular window has passed.

What this looks like in practice

• Shaving between sessions is usually fine - keep going as normal
• Leave waxing and plucking alone for the duration of the course
• Shave the area before your appointment, and do not wax it
• Avoid sun exposure on the area, and follow the simple aftercare we explain
• Tell us if you have waxed recently, so the plan can be adjusted rather than wasted

This is also why laser hair reduction starts with a skin and hair assessment and a patch test with Jade, our founder and senior laser and skin clinician, at our Woollahra rooms. Your hair colour, thickness, the area and your history all shape the settings and the spacing.

If unwanted facial or body hair has you stuck in a cycle of waxing and regrowth, the useful first step is a proper look in person.