Two weeks before your session
- · No direct sun on the treatment area. Cover with clothing if outdoors.
- · No self-tanner or spray tan on the treatment area.
- · No waxing, plucking, threading, or epilating — anything that removes the follicle target.
- · Shaving, trimming, and depilatory creams are fine (they leave the follicle intact).
The week of your session
- · 3–5 days before: Stop retinoids, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and physical exfoliants on the treatment area.
- · Continue daily SPF 30+ on treated areas.
- · Hydrate. Well-hydrated skin is less reactive.
- · Flag any new medications — antibiotics, hormone changes, anything photosensitizing.
If you can't remember what you're taking
Bring the bottle or a photo of the label. Your provider can look up photosensitizing properties in seconds — but they need to know it's in your system.
The day of your session
- · Shave 12–24 hours before your appointment. Close, clean, no nicks.
- · Arrive with clean skin. No lotion, oil, makeup, deodorant, or SPF on the specific area being treated. Elsewhere is fine.
- · Wear loose clothing over the area you're treating.
- · Skip caffeine if you tend to be sensitive.
- · Eat something beforehand — light-headedness is uncommon but easier to avoid than manage.
Full checklist
The complete downloadable version — with a printable checklist and product recommendations — lives in the Stubble Prep Guide. Individual topics are broken down in the sibling articles under this cluster.
Key takeaways
- · Sun avoidance is the single most important prep step.
- · Shave — never wax or pluck — within 12–24 hours of the appointment.
- · Skip retinoids and exfoliants for 3–5 days beforehand.
- · Arrive with clean, product-free skin on the treatment area.
- · Disclose any new medications, even if they seem unrelated.