No — not on a fresh tan, and that includes fake tan and recent sunbed use. Both laser and IPL work by targeting melanin in the hair. When the surrounding skin is tanned, it's full of extra melanin too, so the device can't tell hair from skin. The energy gets absorbed by the skin instead of the follicle, and the result is burns, blistering, and patches of hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation that can take months to fade — or never fully settle on darker skin tones.
The standard most UK insurers and training bodies follow:
- Real sun exposure or sunbeds: no treatment for 2 weeks before and after, on any exposed area.
- Fake tan: must be fully exhausted and scrubbed off — usually 1–2 weeks depending on the product. A faded tan still holds enough pigment to cause a reaction.
- Always re-patch test if a client's baseline skin colour has changed since their last session. The setting that was safe in winter can burn the same client in July.
The catch is clients rarely volunteer this. They'll book a course in spring, then top up with St Tropez or a holiday before their next appointment. Ask directly at every visit: "Any sun, sunbeds, or fake tan in the last two weeks?" — and record the answer with the date.
Every client, remembered — safely.
SAY-OS keeps each client's contraindications, allergies and history in one place, and flags them at booking — so the right call happens before they're in the chair.
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