This is what it's really like to get laser hair removal on your vagina

I’m just going to get his out of the way: I hate shaving. I hate is so much that as I’m typing this, I’m realizing I haven’t shaved my legs since December. (Phew, it feels good to get that off my chest.) Because I loathe shaving, my mom set up a consultation for me to get laser hair removal in eighth grade. At first, I started getting treatments in my armpits and my upper lip (to remove my ‘stache) and then came the biggest step: I got laser hair removal on my vagina—not once or twice, but three times.

Before we dive right into my laser hair removal vagina treatment, here’s some backstory on why I started doing the treatment in the first place.

I was a cheerleader all throughout junior high and high school, and I felt self-conscious about my thick, black armpit hair stealing the spotlight during the Friday night football games. While I know some people grow out their body hair because they DGAF (as it should be), as a teen, I wasn’t confident enough to do that. Because of my insecurity, my mom let me get laser hair removal on my armpits and upper lip once I turned 14. She had gotten a few treatments done herself, so she knew the drill.

How was I a good laser hair removal candidate at 14?

For starters, I have light skin, and because I’m Mexican, I have thick, dark hair (everywhere!). So at my go-to salon in San Antonio, Texas, I’m considered an ideal candidate. Most salons will do a thorough physical examination to see if this type of treatment is right for you. That’s why I had a consultation during my first visit.

Most places want to make sure that you aren’t pregnant, that you don’t have a history of melanoma, raised moles, hives, tattoos, actives herpes, and more. Annabel Newell, the Chief Operating Officer at the Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Center, broke it down for HelloGiggles:

For those non-scientific folks, melanin is the dark pigment found in the hair and skin of people and animals. If you don’t have pale skin and dark hair, you don’t have to completely write off the option of laser hair removal. You can always go in for a consultation, because everyone’s hair is different.

So what is it like to get laser hair removal on my vagina?

Ah, the burning question. When I went in for my first treatment, I wanted to go completely bare. I didn’t want the Bermuda triangle or a slight bikini trim. No, I wanted to get rid of all my hair down there. The night before I went in, I had to shave my vagina and (this might be TMI) my booty hole, because that was part of my vagina laser hair removal session. “Patients should shave within 12 hours of his or her treatment, refrain from plucking or waxing six weeks prior to their treatment,” Newell tells HelloGiggles.

The salon I went to didn’t allow a numbing treatment on the first session. Instead, they applied an icy cool gel to my vaginal area. Surprisingly, during my first treatment, I didn’t feel a thing, only a slight pinch every time they lasered my hair. Because I had gotten laser hair removal before, I knew what to expect once I decided to go bare down there. However, if this is your first time at the rodeo, Newell explains the SmoothPulse laser hair removal system is pain-free, so check with your salon to see if they use that system.

The second time I got laser hair removal, I was being cheap and I didn’t want to pay for the numbing cream, so I could FEEL everything. I can usually tolerate pain, but during that treatment, the heat and the rubber-like snapping of the laser was so irritating that I had to pause twice during the session. By the third time, I made sure to use the numbing gel, and I didn’t feel a thing.

So what did it feel like afterward?

The first time I got laser hair removal on my vagina, it felt like I was bruised down there. While it was totally fine for me to use the bathroom, it felt like I had worked out that part of my body and was sore. The second and third time, I saw more redness (probably because they raised the levels of the treatment) and a bit of scabbing (where my hair was trying to grow back out).

Newell tells HelloGiggles that bruising, scabbing, and redness may occur (which is what happened to me). Other side effects include “epidermal injury, swelling, blistering, hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation, textural changes in the skin such as crusting, scabbing, or scarring.”

To be clear, your hair will pop out the first few days. The burned hairs are trying to come out so, don’t worry about seeing hair after you just removed it. Let your body do its thing. Even though you’ll want to shave it, avoid doing so until it isn’t irritated. After every treatment, your hair should thin and come out less often. For me, once the burned hairs popped out, I didn’t have to shave my vagina area until about three or four weeks. Yes, honey!

You’ll also want to avoid sex for at least 24 hours after treatments, Newell notes. “Better to be safe than sorry. The goal is to have a pretty kitty, not an irritated and angry one!”

So, what are the results like?

Because I only got three treatments, my hair still grows down there and I do have to shave it (when I want to because, again, I hate shaving). However, I’ve noticed that my hair is definitely thinner compared to the first time I got the treatment. It also takes longer to grow back, especially in my bikini area. Newell explains that, on average, people start seeing results after six to 12 treatments. So it’s definitely an investment.

At the end of the day, I’m glad I got laser hair removal on my vagina. I feel cleaner down there when I’m on my period, and my hair doesn’t feel as thick and it doesn’t grow as much as it used to. While further treatments could lead to an even more dramatic difference, I’ve decided that three treatments are all I want. I’m comfortable with those results.