Are You Getting Laser Hair Removal Before Your Wedding?

Are you thinking about getting laser hair removal before your wedding? Not sure if it’s for you? Or if it will impact your wedding? You’re in the right place for the answers!

Before I get into it, I’ll remind everyone that I’m not an expert or a medical professional on this subject. I’ve experienced laser hair removal, enough to write a blog post about it. If you have specific questions, it’s best to reach out to a laser hair removal facility and ask a licensed professional. I’m just here to share general knowledge that you can use to look into this further.

If you’ve never heard of it, laser hair removal is a when small lasers are used to remove unwanted facial and body hair, safely and effectively. While there are ways to treat yourself at home, the most efficient way is to have a trained professional at a facility provide the service for you. A professional costs more than doing it yourself at home. For best results, though, it is definitely the way to go.

Laser hair removal works because the laser vaporizes hair. Each treatment provides about 10% permanent hair loss in the treated area. The best results are for those who have darker hair against lighter skin. Although, technology is getting better and better to treat various types of skin and hair colors. For most people, multiple treatments are needed to see noticeable reduction in hair. However, the treatment itself is fairly straightforward.

Are You Getting Laser Hair Removal Before Your Wedding?

So, what does this all mean if you’re getting laser hair removal before your wedding? Is it okay to get laser hair removal before your wedding? Will your wedding be impacted? Is there anything you need to look out for, or be aware of? Well, yes, there are some considerations. In this post, I’ll go over the answers to all of these questions and then some.

Let’s get into it.

WHY WOULD I WANT TO GET LASER HAIR REMOVAL BEFORE MY WEDDING?

Weddings are a great reason to make some changes in our lives, for the better. And while, yes, we are super busy, and may be spending a lot of money ahead of our weddings, there are some valid reasons why you may want to get laser hair removal before your wedding.

Laser hair removal is all about the convenience, after it’s over. Once the hair is mostly gone, it’s gone forever. It makes it so you don’t want to worry about shaving or waxing ahead of wedding events like your bachelorette party, or your honeymoon, or even your actual wedding day. Laser hair removal will allow you the freedom to not even think about it.

It’s a pretty cool thing to just I*not* have hairy legs, if you shave yours all the time. Also, you don’t have to plan your waxing appointments around wedding events. Waxing is a no-no when you’re going through laser hair removal treatments and it’s unnecessary after you’ve completed them.

IS IT OKAY TO GET LASER HAIR REMOVAL BEFORE YOUR WEDDING?

The short answer is, yes, it should be okay to get laser hair removal before your wedding, if you are a good candidate for it. However, there are some caveats this answer.

Laser hair removal isn’t for everyone. Certain medications do not work well with it. And, it’s not recommended for pregnant people. It also doesn’t do well with tattooed skin. Laser hair removal can impact what you’re allowed to do for a couple days following the treatment. And, it can be costly. Plus, with multiple sessions, it’s one more thing to add to your list of to-do’s, if you’re getting laser hair removal before your wedding. If all of this is okay with you, there is no reason why you shouldn’t look into it, even if you’re engaged.

HOW MUCH DOES LASER HAIR REMOVAL COST?

The costs for laser hair removal vary, but it can add up.

A quick online search says that the average cost of laser hair removal is $389. I think this may be the average cost per session. Remember, for laser hair removal to be effective, most people need 3-8 sessions. And, the area that is being treated matters. The more area, the more the costs could be. For example, legs may cost more than underarms because of the effort and time needed to treat them.

While there are variables to consider, you may want to budget a few thousand dollars for laser hair removal, depending on where the hair is that you want removed, where you are located, and how many sessions you’ll need.

DOES LASER HAIR REMOVAL HURT?

As someone who has experience with laser hair removal (TMI? I’m not sure), I will tell you that it does not really hurt.

Now, I’ve had a baby. I’ve gotten a tattoo. I’ve broken bones and stubbed my toe. All of those things hurt way more than laser hair removal. Of course, sensitive areas may hurt a little more than more “sturdy” spots. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being excruciating pain, and 1 being a slight bother, I would rank laser hair removal as a 0 to 3. Meaning, that sometimes you can’t feel it at all. And sometimes it’s a little annoying. But nothing that most people can’t handle.

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR LASER HAIR REMOVAL?

The main thing that you need to do ahead of laser hair removal is shave the area that is being treated.

Now, if you’re getting laser hair removal before your wedding, this may be something that you need to consider. If you’re normally into waxing or sugaring for hair removal, you’ll have to stop that at least six weeks before your first laser hair removal session. This may be a deal breaker for you, if you’re not into shaving.

Other than shaving, you’ll want to avoid products in the area being treated, though that’s not a deal breaker as most products can just be wiped off. You’ll also have to avoid any sun exposure for two weeks ahead of your treatment. This may impact pre-wedding event planning if you’re headed to a sunny place for your bachelorette and your laser treatment is scheduled for your return. Just something to be aware of.

ARE THERE AFTER-EFFECTS FROM LASER HAIR REMOVAL?

I imagine that the after-effects from laser hair removal range from nothing to irritation, but I’ll share my personal experience.

For the first few minutes to about an hour after I’ve received treatments my skin has shown a clear reaction to the laser in the form of red bumps. These bumps aren’t itchy, but they are sensitive. At my facility, I’m usually given some cream and aloe vera to help them go away. It’s really not a big deal, but I did avoid showing that area of skin after the treatment, in public.

Other than that, the facility says to watch out for pigment changes in the skin, extreme irritation, burns, and things that could be concerning. Extreme reactions are likely rare, but can be serious, so it’s important to see how your skin reacts before you make major plans after your sessions.

ARE THERE RESTRICTIONS AFTER LASER HAIR REMOVAL?

There are a few restrictions after laser hair removal, that may impact your pre-wedding events if you’re not prepared for them.

The biggest restriction after laser hair removal is no exercising for 24 hours. If you’re working a wedding wellness plan, you may want to schedule your workouts ahead of your laser hair removal sessions. You also can’t take a super-hot shower for a day, or go in a pool or hot tub for three days. They also recommend limiting sunlight or sun exposure if your skin is sensitive afterwards.

All of this to say is, if you’re thinking about getting laser hair removal before your wedding, you’ll want to make sure that your pre-wedding events don’t bump up right after your hair removal sessions. This is especially true if you’re planning on going to the beach, swimming, or being out in the sun.

WOULD LASER HAIR REMOVAL IMPACT MY WEDDING?

Look, laser hair removal isn’t for everyone, no matter what they have going on in their lives. However, if you want to get laser hair removal before your wedding, let’s summarize some of the things you should be aware of:

Laser hair removal can make your wedding day, and honeymoon, more convenient, if you’re the kind of person who shaves or waxes.
Laser hair removal can be expensive. Make sure that you’re financially ready to cover the costs, given that you’re already planning, and likely paying for, a wedding.

Don’t plan to have the body parts that you’re treating exposed in public the day that you’re getting laser hair removal. You may experience some redness or bumps that aren’t ideal if you’re in a nice outfit or trying to look your best.
Make sure that your treatments aren’t scheduled right after a sunny event, like a bridal shower or bachelorette weekend. You’ll want your skin to be sun-free for at least two weeks ahead of your laser hair removal sessions.
Make sure that you don’t have plans to exercise or go swimming right after your sessions, for a couple of days.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

If you’re thinking about getting laser hair removal before your wedding, but not sure if you should, I hope this post helps. There are some nuances and caveats. However, if you can afford them both at the same time, there should be minimal impact to your wedding if you go ahead with the treatments. It doesn’t hurt that much, and the effects are awesome when done correctly and taken seriously. Happy wedding planning!