If you’re dedicated to both your laser hair removal treatments and your normal workout routine, you may be wondering when it’s safe to exercise after a session. The short answer is to avoid exercise for at least 48 hours after laser hair removal. Strenuous activity like working out can irritate your treated skin and follicles, slowing down healing and results. However, light activity is fine and resuming your normal routine after 48 hours is typically okay.
Why Avoid Exercise After Laser Hair Removal?
Laser hair removal uses targeted light pulses to destroy hair follicles below the surface of the skin. This process causes heat and swelling that can lead to tenderness and redness for 2 to 3 days after a treatment. Exercising during this time can:
- Cause further irritation and inflammation of the hair follicles. Your swollen hair follicles need time to heal, and exercise can delay the healing process.
- Lead to discomfort and pain. Your treated area may feel tender after a laser session, and exercise can increase discomfort during this sensitive period.
- Increase redness and swelling. Exercise elevates your body temperature and blood flow, which can intensify any redness, swelling, and inflammation from your laser treatment.
- Cause ingrown hairs. Exercise friction and sweat can lead to ingrown hairs if done immediately after laser hair removal. Give your skin adequate time to shed treated hairs before working out.
- Affect treatment results. Repeated inflammation and irritation from strenuous activity before healing can impact your hair loss results over the total course of treatments. It’s best to avoid whenever possible for the most effective laser hair removal.
How Long Should You Wait to Workout?
As a general rule, you should avoid any strenuous exercise for 48 to 72 hours after a laser hair removal treatment. This includes activities like:
- Running or jogging
- High intensity interval training
- Crossfit
- Spin class
- Tennis or basketball
- Swimming
During this time, stick to light activity like walking, gentle yoga or stretching. You want to give your skin and follicles adequate time to heal to prevent discomfort, allow proper shedding of treated hairs and optimize your results.
Most clients are able to resume their normal workout routine 3 to 4 days after laser hair removal with no issues. However, if your treated area is still tender or badly inflamed at 48 to 72 hours, give it an additional day or two of rest before exercising. It’s best to avoid workouts altogether if your skin is not healed enough, even if that means an extra rest day or two. Your results are worth it!
With the proper aftercare and avoidance of exercise for a couple days, you can successfully enjoy the smoother skin from laser hair removal and stay on your normal workout schedule. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to your skin. Give it some rest and your laser results will be even better. Happy exercising (when your skin says it’s ready)!