In the run up to your hair laser removal appointment, in particular your first one, the strain and excitement can make you forget something. Here is a checklist:

A month or more in advance

You should stop waxing, epilating, sugaring, tweezing and using depilation creams at the latest 2 weeks before treatment, and ideally a month or more in advance. These methods of removal interfere with the follicle that the hair laser removal treatment is designed to attack.

Broach the subject of pain management with your laser hair removal clinic and choose a plan.

There are topical anesthetics such as EMLA, which you apply to the skin. These products are very valuable if you are concerned about pain during the treatment, however do be careful if you are spreading it on large areas of skin as the chemicals are absorbed into the bloodstream. Follow the instructions carefully.

Stay out of the sun! The lighter your skin is when you get your hair laser removal treatment, the more successful and enduring the results from hair laser removal are likely to be.

Consider if you want to take photographs of the parts of the body you are having treated to keep track of how well the treatment works. The clinic may do this but even so you may want to take your own.

About a week in advance

Consider taking time off work if you are getting facial hair removal by laser and think you might be self-conscious about the redness that you'll probably have present right after the laser hair removal treatment. For other parts of the body, you can probably go right back to your regular activities after the appointment for laser hair removal.

24 Hours to go!

Now is a perfect time to shave the parts of the body you are going to have laser hair removal done on. If you shave within 24 hours of the treatment you will experience less pain and it can also be more successful because less of the laser energy is wasted on burning the hair above the skin, meaning a greater proportion is directed where it is needed, at the follicle, to kill it off.

On the morning

If you are having the hairs under your arms treated, give the deodorant a miss. Just wash the underarms with soap and rinse thoroughly. If it's summer and you are at risk of getting too sweaty before the appointment, you could use unperfumed baby wipes to ward off any smells.

For any parts of the body, don't put creams or lotions on before hair laser removal.

The last 20 minutes

What is your pain threshold like? If you are concerned, then it is a good idea to take a couple of pain killers right before the laser hair removal appointment.

If you follow our checklist, we hope that your hair laser removal treatment will be stress-free!

Ingrid Preube