Is laser hair removal safe?

The light emitted by a Laser is always confused with the light emitted by the sun. This is why the question – is laser hair removal safe – is asked over and over again. It’s easy to see why client are concerned when there’s so much talk of sunlight and sunbeds damaging our skin.

So I’m here to explain why laser hair removal is safe..

Types of Laser hair removal

There are many types of laser hair removal systems – including alexandrite laser, diode and ND Yag, all of which have one thing in common.  They all emit a very specific wavelength of light.  This light is not in the spectrum of ultra violet light – which is the light which causes damage to our skin.

These lasers emit light at a much longer wavelength – which cannot cause damage to our DNA or skin cells. These wavelengths are specifically chosen because they are absorbed by the colour (called melanin) in the hair follicle. This is the part which absorbs the light and causes damage to the bulb of the hair to stop hair growing.

UV Light

There are 3 different types of Ultra Violet light which can damage our skin. UVC is absorbed by the Ozone layer, UVB is the type which causes us to get tanned, and UVA is the type which causes us to age.

Ultraviolet (UV) light has shorter wavelengths than visible light. Although UV waves are invisible to the human eye, some insects, such as bumblebees, can see them. The wavelengths in question are between 100 and 400nm.

Laser light however is much longer wave – and is visible to the human eye.

How safe is Laser

The very first laser to reduce hair growth was developed in the 1960s.  Since then there has been significant improvements, although the wavelengths used have remained the same. Over this time there has been nothing to show that laser can be linked to cancers or any other disease. That’s over 60 years of research and evidence.  So when I get asked – is laser hair removal safe – I can safely say that it does not have any long term side effects other than destroying hair.

What are the side effects of Laser

You don’t need to be worried about laser causing any long term illness. The only considerations you need to be aware of are the side effects of laser.  These are very few and far between but there are certain side effects which can occur including:

• Overheating can cause blisters and burning
• Darker skins are more prone to hypo or hyperpigmentation (lightening or darkening of the skin)
• Laser will make your skin more sensitive to sunlight – but only for 4 weeks after treatment. So immediately afterwards you should wear high SPF to protect the skin which has been lasered.
• The wrong laser on the wrong skin type can cause burning.

In general Laser hair removal is an extremely safe treatment, which I highly recommend. The type of light which causes skin cancers is Ultraviolet – which is in a completely different spectrum to the light used in lasers.

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I hope this article has helped you and if you need any more information please feel free to email me at: rach@radiantliving.co.uk