About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
How you prepare
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you're interested in laser hair removal, choose a doctor who's board certified in a specialty such as dermatology or cosmetic surgery and has experience with laser hair removal. If a physician's assistant or licensed nurse will do the procedure, make sure the doctor supervises and is available on-site during the treatments. Be cautious about spas, salons or other facilities that allow nonmedical personnel to do laser hair removal.
Before laser hair removal, schedule a consultation with the doctor. He or she will use this visit to:
- Review your medical history, including medication use
- Discuss risks, benefits and expectations, including what laser hair removal can and can't do for you
- Outline a treatment plan and related costs
- Take photos to be used for before-and-after assessments and long-term reviews
The doctor will also offer specific tips to prepare for laser hair removal. For example:
- Stay out of the sun. A tan increases the risk of side effects, such as blistering and discoloration. If you have a tan — either from sun exposure or sunless tanning products — wait until the tan fades completely before undergoing laser hair removal.
- Avoid plucking, waxing and electrolysis. These hair removal methods can disturb the hair follicle and interfere with laser hair removal. Shaving is OK, however, since it preserves the hair shaft and follicle. In fact, shaving may even be recommended. Some studies suggest that shaving before laser hair removal improves results.
- Shenenberger DW. Removal of unwanted hair. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 2, 2009.
- Vano-Galvan S, et al. Complications of nonphysician-supervised laser hair removal: Case report and literature review. Canadian Family Physician. 2009;55:50.
- Wanitphakdeedecha R, et al. Physical means of treating unwanted hair. Dermatologic Therapy. 2008;21:392.
- Tierney EP, et al. Laser hair removal pearls. Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy. 2008;10:17.
- Gold MH. Lasers and light sources for the removal of unwanted hair. Clinics in Dermatology. 2007;25:443.
- Do's and don'ts for laser hair removal. American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. http://www.asds.net/DosAndDontsLaserHairRemoval.aspx. Accessed Dec. 3, 2009.
- Laser hair removal information. American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. http://www.asds.net/LaserHairRemovalInformation.aspx. Accessed Dec. 3, 2009.
- Casey AS, et al. Guidelines for laser hair removal. Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy. 2008;10:24.
- Life-threatening side effects with the use of skin products containing numbing ingredients for cosmetic procedures. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PublicHealthAdvisories/ucm054718.htm. Accessed Dec. 8, 2009.
Find Mayo Clinic on