Does laser hair removal affect skin?
I am interested in permanent hair removal. I have dark skin and worry the laser will affect my skin. Is that an issue and which technology is the best?
I am interested in permanent hair removal. I have dark skin and worry the laser will affect my skin. Is that an issue and which technology is the best?
American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Dear Raj,
Thank you for your clinical
post. Laser hair removal involves the
use of specific and focused lasers who emit a photon of light energy that
travels across the skin barrier, down the hair shaft, into the hair follicle. The selective energy that is released
generally kills the hair follicle so that a subsequent hair shaft cannot be
produced. Laser hair removal has been
around now for almost 15 years and is extremely safe and efficacious. In general, for light skin patients with dark
hair or dark skin patients with dark hair after 5 treatments, once every growth
cycle, up to 75% of the hair shafts will never grow again. The rest of the hair that has been treated
becomes synchronized, that is they all grow at once, miniaturized with a less
coarse shaft and can all be treated at once intermittently throughout the year.
If, however, excessive energy is used
or parameters are aberrant there can be excess energy delivered to the skin in
treating the hair follicle and hair shaft and this results in thermal injury to
the surrounding skin, which can result in hypopigmentation, hyperpigmentation
or even scarring. At a certified laser
hair removal centre with a physician/medical director overseeing quality
control this complication is rare. In
general, most laser hair removal patients achieve excellent permanent reduction
without any effect on local skin.
Seek out a centre with a lot of years
of experience of hair removal using a laser and a medical director who is
knowledgeable and reputable.
To schedule a consultation or find
out more, please visit: https://spamedica.com/non-surgical-procedures/laser-hair-removal-toronto/
R. Stephen Mulholland, M.D.
Certified Plastic Surgeon
Yorkville, Toronto