laser removal of hair suitability FAQs

Here are some of your frequently asked questions that relate to the suitability of hair removal lasers for both men and women:

The short answer is: "It depends". If you have light skin which is in good condition and dark hair then you will probably be an ideal candidate for laser removal of hair treatments. If you have very dark skin in poor condition with light hair then you are not an ideal candidate and you will probably have to choose an alternative method to remove hairs.

Basically, the greater the contrast between your skin colour and your hair's colour (the hair being the darker of the 2), the better. As the laser's light targets the melanin in hairs, people with grey, red or blonde hair lack the right type of melanin (eumelanin). This is not to say that people with these colours of hair can not have laser treatment, only that it might be slower and less effective.

Yes, dark hairs absorb more laser energy and therefore responds much better to treatment. Coarse dark hairs respond the best to laser treatment as they absorb more light energy. Lighter coloured hair is more difficult to treat as it absorbs less light energy; while blonde, grey or red hair is extremely difficult to treat.

Providing treatment to a person with dark skin is 1 of the most challenging tasks for any laser specialist. The laser's light is absorbed by the melanin in the skin and hairs. as the light energy is absorbed it heats it up. Therefore, if the skin has a lot of melanin (as dark skin has) then the skin will heat up. This can result in the skin blistering and scarring.

The specialist has to be very careful in choosing the most appropriate laser and settings when treating patients with dark skin. The specialist will also protect the skin by cooling the surface prior to, and after treatment. This can be done using lotions or cooling plates.

The specialist will use lasers with the longest wavelength. They do this because melanin is designed to absorb short wavelengths of light such as UV Light, and the ability of melanin to absorb light decreases as the wavelength increases, thereby decreasing the risk to darker skin.

There are a number of variables that a laser operator can manipulate when performing hair removal treatments. When treating very dark skinned patients the laser of choice is the 1064nm Nd:YAG laser as it has the longest wavelength. The operator can also manipulate the pulse duration, how long the light stays on, during the treatment. So treating patients with dark skin or patients who are tanned requires more skill and more intimate knowledge of which lasers to use and the associated settings.

Having a sun tan will increase the risk of side effects such as blistering, burning, discolouration and scarring. This is due to more of the light energy being absorbed by the skin and not the hair. These are the same side effects that darker skinned patients experience.

A grading for skin types was developed by Thomas B Fitzpatrick, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, in 1975. This grading was based on an individual's response to sun exposure in terms of the degree of burning and tanning. For a successful laser hair removal treatment, it is necessary to determine your correct skin type.