This is a very important rule. Laser light/heat selectively targets the melanin in the hair follicles. The light and heat will not be absorbed by the skin but only by the pigment in the hair, thus it will only go where it needs to go. If your skin is tanned the melanin in your skin will also absorb heat risking scorches and burns.

The area that you wish to have treated can not have been exposed to sunlight for at least 6 weeks, preferably 8 weeks, prior to treatment. It may even be longer if your skin tans easily. Your skin needs to be as light as possible and as close to your natural skin tone during treatment. Not following these rules can lead to scorches, burns and blisters possibly resulting in stains. These will most likely disappear over time, but may be visible for up to 1.5 years! If your skin is tanned we may not want to treat you or we will have to use very low settings resulting in an ineffective treatment, this is a waste of your money.

It is very imporant that the area you wish to have treated has not been exposed to sunlight for at least 6 weeks, preferably 8 weeks, prior to treatment. It may even be longer if your skin tans easily. The exact amount of time depends on your skin type. But the general rule is: Your skin needs to be as light as possible and as close to your natural skin tone during treatment, the pigment cells need to be dormant.

If you can’t undergo treatment because of tanned skin, please cancel your appointment as soon as you can.

The area that you wish to have treated has to be as close to your natural skin color as possible and the pigment cells have to be dormant. If you manage to cover this area well with clothing, then other parts of your body can be exposed to sun, solarium, etc.

During the summer ‘covering an area well’ means sufficient thick clothing. A thin linen shirt, sitting in the shade or applying sunscreen are not sufficient during the summertime! For example, if you wish to have your legs treated, thin linen trousers are not sufficient, but jeans are.

If you spend a lot of time outside during the winter months, it’s important to apply a sunscreen with a UV-A filter. Please check the label on your sunscreen! A UV-B filter is not necessary, since UV-B radiation does not reach the Netherlands during the winter.

Tips for covering up:

Torso: UV rays will easily penetrate through thin clothing. Please wear a thick t-shirt or blouse, or two thinner layers. Darker colors or better than lighter colors.

Arms: Choose a long-sleeve shirt or sweater of thick material. Also in the car!

Bikini line: If you are outside in your bikini prior to treatment, wear hotpants / a hipster / shorts over your bikini bottoms. If you’re tanning in your bikini, wrap a towel or thick sarong around you.

Legs: In the summertime and/or when being in the full sun, linen trousers are not sufficient, jeans are. If you wear thin clothing it’s best to sit in the shade or to wrap an extra sarong/beach towel around you.

Face: Sun on the face is unavoidable in the summer. UV-rays will always penetrate through sunscreen, no matter the SPF value. For this reason we do not perform treatments on the face in the summertime. We only perform these treatments from mid-October until March or April. Also, if you wish to start treatment in October, it’s best to start wearing a shade providing hat or cap in August. Always apply a sunscreen with UV-A filter on your face in the weeks prior to treatment, also in the winter months.

If all of the above seems too big a hassle, it’s perhaps a good idea to simply take a summer break. As soon as your skin has returned to it’s natural color, you can plan treatments for the winter months. Your previous treatments will not have been a waste of money, the body can not repair eliminated hair follicles. We will only miss the new batch of hair grown during the summertime, this batch will be treated in another cycles.

Do you have questions about hair removal on the face?, click here.

No. Unfortunately we have to be very strict. You may only come for treatment when your skin has not been exposed to sun/solarium for at least 6 weeks.

More questions about darker skin? Click here

Self-tanning lotion can last anywhere from 3 days up to 10 days or even longer, depending on the brand. The rule is: Your skin needs to be as light as possible and as close to your natural skin tone during treatment.

During your treatment trajectory (also between treatments), never use products advertising with ‘gradual tanning’, these products contain ingredients (of the Indian herb Coleus) that activate pigment cells. Other catchwords that these type of products often use are pre-tanner, pigment booster or pigment-darkener. Ingredients related to Coleus are forskohlii, forskolin, allyl royleanone, barbatusin, plectrin, plectirinon A, acetoxy coleosol, coleol, coleonone, dioxycoleonol, crocetin dialehyde, napthopyrones. Please check your labels!

After treatment you may apply self-tanning lotion, but make sure that the shade has completely disappeared before your next appointment and that it’s not one containing the Indian herb Coleus (see above). Also, don’t apply the lotion before redness (possibly caused by treatment) has completely disappeared.