Before the first hair removal session: consultation, contraindications and test flash

What happens at the consultation?

1. Questions about health: skin conditions, medicines, blood pressure, a history of melanoma.
2. Recent sun: a tan, sunbeds or self-tanner on the areas to be treated.
3. Skin and hair: the specialist assesses the skin type on the Fitzpatrick scale and the colour and thickness of the hair.
4. Previous hair removal: waxing, epilators or other methods, and when they were last used.
5. The plan: areas, number of treatments, intervals and how the treatment feels.
6. Photos of each area before the first treatment, so that progress can be compared.

Which contraindications are common?

According to Innovatione, the most common reasons to postpone or decline a treatment are:

• An intense tan. Tanned skin holds more melanin and absorbs more of the light meant for the hair.
• A flare-up of a chronic skin condition.
• Taking antibiotics or retinoids. Some medicines make the skin more sensitive to light.
• Severe hypertension.
• A history of melanoma.

This is not a complete medical list. The specialist decides at the consultation, and when in doubt, sends the client to a doctor first.

Medicines: antibiotics, retinoids and creams

Some antibiotics and retinoids make the skin more sensitive to light, so they are in the list of contraindications. Retinoids come as tablets and as creams for the face and body. The client names everything they take or apply, including courses that ended recently, and the specialist decides whether and when the treatment can go ahead.

The client does not stop a prescribed medicine for the sake of hair removal: if the medicine matters, the treatment waits.

What is a test flash, and when is it needed?

A test flash is a single flash on a small area before the course, to see how the skin reacts. The protocol says when it is needed, especially for darker skin types and after the summer. How skin type affects the treatment is explained in the article on dark skin and light hair.

What does the client form record?

The answers are written down, so that the decision can be checked later and the course can be followed from session to session. A typical form records:

• The skin type and the hair colour on each area.
• Medicines and creams, skin conditions, blood pressure and a history of melanoma.
• Recent sun, sunbeds and self-tanner.
• Moles and tattoos on the areas to be treated.
• Previous hair removal methods.
• The parameters of each session and how the skin reacted.
• The date and the client’s signature under the answers.

Rules on keeping such records and on client consent differ between countries. Check the rules where you work.

What the client does before the first session

• Shave the area as the specialist says, and do not wax, pluck or use an epilator.
• Avoid a fresh tan, sunbeds and self-tanner on the areas to be treated.
• Come with clean skin, without cream or deodorant on the area.
• Bring a list of medicines and creams.

The full before and after rules are in the article on sun and tan, and the time each area takes in the article how long a session takes.

Are there side effects?

They can occur. Mild redness right after the treatment is possible. When the specialist and the client follow the protocols, the risks are very low. Anything unusual, or anything that does not pass, is a reason to contact the specialist.

A consultation that is written down protects both the client and the salon.