Laser Hair Removal Risks and Safety (2024)

FAQs

Laser Hair Removal Risks and Safety? ›

Laser hair removal can be dangerous in inexperienced hands. Burns, permanent changes to your skin color, and scars can occur. You can greatly reduce the risk of possible side effects by having your treatment performed by a medical doctor who is extremely skilled in using lasers and has in-depth knowledge of the skin.

People who are taking certain medications, such as acne treatments, should avoid laser hair removal. It can also be a bad fit for people with certain skin conditions, like a history of skin cancer or keloid scars. Women who are pregnant or nursing should also put off hair removal.

Laser therapy can result in misdirected or excessively intense burns, bleeding from the choriocapillaris, damage to macular and other ocular structures, and breaks in Bruch's membrane.

Background on the Safety of Laser Hair Removal

Some patients hear the word “laser” and immediately wonder, “does it increase risk of cancer?” or “can it cause damage to my organs?” The short answer is, no, laser hair removal does not cause cancer, nor does it cause any damage to organs.

Avoid heat treatments such as spas, steam rooms and saunas for 7 days. Avoid excessive scrubbing or applying pressure to the skin for 4-5 days. This is to allow the treated skin to recover and to prevent any infection. Avoid shaving the treated area for 72 hours after treatment.

Rarely, laser hair removal can cause blistering, crusting, scarring or other changes in skin texture. Other rare side effects include graying of treated hair or excessive hair growth around treated areas, particularly on darker skin.

These include both direct beam hazards such as tissue burns, eye damage, endotracheal tube fire, drape fire, and explosion of gases, or non-beam hazards (those that are secondary to the actual beam interaction) such as laser generated airborne contaminants (surgical plume), electrical damage, toxic dyes, and system ...

It's Unlikely That Laser Therapy Aggravates Skin Cancer

There is no solid research that indicates laser therapy exacerbates any malignant forms of skin cancers. Most forms of laser therapy operate at a frequency that barely penetrates the skin itself and are used primarily for cosmetic purposes.

Why do I feel sick after laser hair removal? ›

Initial treatments may cause short term muscle spasm, mild fatigue, mild nausea or headaches. It is thought that these healing reactions are the result of increased metabolites in the blood stream. This usually subsides within 48 hours.

It was found that the history of laser hair removal was positively associated with positive HPV results (OR: 4.353, CI: 95%, 3.157 to 5.989). Conclusions: Laser hair removal was positively associated with positive HPV transmission.

The other wavelengths utilized in laser skin therapy do not affect the immune system nor do they interfere with healing from injury. In fact, lasers promote faster healing because it speeds up cellular division, which is part of the body's natural healing process.

' Yes, it is safe to laser the pubic area for most patients. It should be noted that this is one of the more sensitive areas when it comes to laser hair removal, but it is quick and effective. Many patients also believe it is overall less painful than waxing.

If treatment is stopped before all of the hair follicles have been destroyed, some may continue to grow. It is important to complete the recommended treatment plan to achieve the best results. Sometimes, the patient sees hairs are thicker and darker after the treatment when they have original light and fair hair.

A patient may not be a good candidate for LASIK if they have thin corneas, an irregular shaped cornea, corneal scarring, or other unusual findings. In those cases, your eye doctor may recommend photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) surgery.