Some medical-cosmetic treatments are carried out seldom or not at all during summer. Such are peelings, laser treatments, various anti-acne therapies and counting.
Why? That’s because the skin surface can become considerably more sensitive to light either through mechanical injuries (peeing, laser) or chemical substances (anti-acne medicaments). As a result the risk to get a sunburn and/or pigmentation spots increases many times over.
Smaller or bigger inflammations of the skin (such as acne), superficial wounds and new scars are likely to tan darker in sunlight than the surrounding skin. It is therefore possible to get irregular pigmented skin when exposing those areas to the sun.
The pulse of light that is transformed from the target tissue into heat is what makes the laser treatment effective. What happens in a laser epilation is that a hair of the skin is heated until its hair root is destroyed. (This only works for hair in the period of growth, which means that the hair needs to be firmly attached to the hair root – generally 20% of the hair at the same time). The tiny burn which results right beneath the skin surface is mostly neither visible nor perceptible already on the next day. However the actual regeneration takes several days longer – which means to make sure to take protective measures against the sun!
Now the good news: Laser epilations can be carried out during summer without any problems, if the treated area is absolutely protected from the sun for a few days (in case the legs/bikini area was treated a pair of trousers e.g. is enough). In addition to that one should use a sunscreen with high sun protection factor (50+) for at least the next 14 days after the treatment when exposing the area to the sun for a short time. However, one shouldn’t really go sunbathing in those two weeks – not in the real sun or at the solarium. Sunbathing is strictly forbidden – but this always counts anyhow. Even though the laser epilation is effective on all skin types with dark or brown hair, the better results will be achieved on one and the same person when the skin is not yet tanned.
Hair removal of armpits with laser has one advantage: a treatment is possible throughout the whole year also without taking further preventive measures as armpits are practically never exposed to the sunlight in everyday life. Even a treatment at short notice just a few days before summer vacation will work out – on the condition of course to be careful with sunbathing.
I will certainly discuss with you the best time for your treatment and which preventive measures you might possibly need to take (sunscreen).
In that respect
I wish you a wonderful summer without sunburn.
yours,
Dr. Brigitte Klein
P.S.: Apropos: The brownish spots that are named above, which can arise from a small inflammation or wound in combination with too much sunlight usually disappear on their own in time – this means within a few month up to one year’s time (in case one uses sunscreen consistently).
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