Since its commercial availability in the middle of 1990’s laser hair removal has become a standard, effective, and easily accessible means of removing unwanted hair all around the body. When considering the procedure, many wonders: is laser hair removal safe? Generally, it is.
The process works with lasers that are specifically designed to target the melanin in your hair follicles and roots, burning them away without heating the skin around it.
The process works since the dark melanin absorbs the heat instead of the lighter skin. For this reason, the treatment is only effective for people with black or brown hair and can occasionally cause adverse laser hair removal side effects such as mild scarring and burns on people with darker complexions who naturally have a higher amount of melanin in their skin surrounding the hair follicles.
Is laser hair removal safe and effective?
While it may not be the most effective treatment for all skin tones and hair colours, there’s little to worry about when considering modern laser hair removal.
Although the process has become fairly normalized, having been performed routinely countless times, it still holds a few inherent dangers given the fact that you essentially are using lasers to burn hair off.
The potential for mild blistering, burning, and or scarring is certainly realistic as well as the possibility for a lightening of the skin’s pigment around the targeted area. For this reason, redness and irritation should be expected after the process has finished for up to a day or two after the procedure.
A dull stinging should also be expected throughout the process since a physician holds a laser onto your skin to facilitate the hair removal. Usually some sort of cooling tip will be applied to the laser to dull any potential pain or a cool gel will be applied to the skin. One thing you might want to familiarize yourself with prior to shopping around is laser hair removal safe practices used by each local practitioner.
What precautions should I undertake before laser hair therapy?
A few simple precautions can be taken prior to the procedure to ensure that it runs smoothly and above all else safely. To begin, tanning or just general exposure to long periods of direct sunshine can adversely affect the procedure since darker skin tends to absorb the lasers well, potentially causing scarring.
Cape Town based Laser Hair removal specialist – Bareskin told us for this reason, it is better to wait until your tan has faded away since the lasers operate most effectively when there is a strong contrasting difference between the dark hair and the light skin.
Another common recommended precaution is to not wax the hair you desire to have removed in the days preceding the procedure. The lasers need to target the dark hairs and the heat is conducted down into the root, thus removing the whole hair.
Without the actual hair to transfer the heat down into the root it likely will not be removed properly. It is also helpful to shave several days prior to your laser removal since your hair will grow in thicker. A few more things to note is that protective eyeware is absolutely essential given the nature of lasers blinding lights, as is fully sterilized equipment, and a skilled practitioner. It always best to inquire about their previous work as well as their credentials before undergoing the cosmetic treatment.
Is laser hair removal safe for your body? If excess body or facial hair is a problem for you, a consultation is a low-risk way to discuss your medical history, the hair you want removed and other factors to decide if laser hair removal is right for you and other laser hair removal safety issues you should consider.