Every spring the phone rings more. Every spring we explain the same thing: a full protocol does not wrap up in six weeks, and the June sun works against precisely what we are trying to do. The right time to start is now, while the weather is grey.
The real obstacle is tanning
The laser targets the melanin in the hair. Tanned skin contains a great deal of it too: the contrast between skin and hair fades, and part of the energy is captured by the epidermis instead of the follicle.
Two consequences, neither of them good. We have to lower the settings to stay safe, and therefore treat less effectively. And the risk of a superficial burn or a mark increases, especially on darker skin.
That is why we ask for 2 to 4 weeks without sun exposure before a session — 4 weeks on the face and on darker skin. This is not a precaution of principle: a session done on tanned skin is a lower-quality session, when it is not postponed on the spot.
The real calendar of a protocol
Count on 6 to 8 sessions on the body, spaced 6 to 8 weeks apart. Add it up and a full protocol spans eight months to a year. This is not a treatment you slot in between two weekends.
Translated into a Belgian calendar:
- Starting in October or November: the first sessions are done on skin that has lost its summer tan, and most of the protocol is behind you by the time the good weather arrives.
- Starting in May: you will fit in one or two sessions, then summer will force you to space them out — or to give up the sun. You will pick it up again in autumn, with the feeling of having lost a season.
What else winter brings
You are covered up
After a session the skin can stay slightly red for a few hours, sometimes a day. In winter that is no problem at all: nobody sees your legs. In July it means moving an appointment.
Regrowth does not show
Between sessions some hairs remain — that is normal, not all cycles are treated at once. Under jeans and a jumper, that in-between phase goes completely unnoticed.
You are not under calendar pressure
A protocol started without a deadline runs at the right pace. Regularity makes the result far more than machine power does — as we explain in our article on how many sessions are needed.
And if you cannot wait for winter?
Starting in summer is not forbidden, on three conditions:
- Treat covered areas — bikini, underarms, back, chest — which see no sun even on holiday.
- Accept postponing a session if you come back tanned.
- Use a high-factor sunscreen on treated areas, including on overcast days.
Legs and face, by contrast, are treated far better outside periods of exposure.
A word about Belgium
“There is no sun in Brussels” is something we hear often, and for our purposes it is untrue. A week in the mountains, a February weekend in Spain, or simply a few fine April days are enough to tan skin — especially the face and forearms, which stay uncovered.
Always tell us if you have been in the sun, even a little, even three weeks ago. It is not a check-up: it is what allows us to set the device correctly.
Start now, be ready in June
The first appointment is a free assessment: we look at your skin, determine your phototype, settle the number of sessions and map out a realistic calendar with you through to summer.
Our three Brussels centres — Uccle, Etterbeek, Watermael-Boitsfort — take bookings online. Our prices by area are freely available.
