Is laser hair removal safe?

Shaving, waxing or plucking—if you are someone who is struggling with unwanted body hair, at least one of these hair-removal methods must be a part of your everyday routine, unless you’ve made a decision to save some time and money and have your hair permanently removed. According to 2012 statistics, laser hair removal was the third most popular noninvasive beauty procedure, with more than 1.2 million treatments USA wide. People seem to love it: no more razor burns, no downtime, and smooth skin all year round. Sounds like a hairy person’s dream come true. But exactly how noninvasive is laser hair removal?

Laser hair removal is an FDA-approved procedure. With complication rates under 1 percent, it’s one of the safest cosmetic treatments on the market today. There is no direct invasion, just the beam of the laser. Sounds like not much could go wrong, right?

Laser hair removal is effective because it can identify the melanin in hair follicles. However, hair follicles aren’t the only place where melanin is found—the skin itself contains melanin, which is what gives our complexion its tone. The richer in melanin the skin is, the darker the skin color. A high concentration of melanin in the skin increases the possibility for the laser to accidentally target the skin, resulting in burns and scars.

Can laser hair removal cause cancer?

There have been no documented cases of cancer linked to laser hair removal so far.
Unlike CT scans and X-rays, which use high-frequency ionizing radiation that goes through the body and can directly harm cells’ DNA, all laser hair removal machines are built to use non-ionizing radiation only. The energy emitted during a laser hair-removal procedure remains at the skin level and doesn’t cause any damage or changes to DNA.

Can laser hair removal cause infertility?

There is a notion that using laser hair removal to treat areas near reproductive organs can lead to some additional risks. However, this is false. The beams of light energy used in laser hair-removal treatments heat and destroy hair follicles only. They target the pigment in the skin and can’t reach anywhere near the internal organs. Even if they did, because of the nature of the beam, no harm could come to ovaries or other parts of the body. Laser hair removal has no effect on fertility.

How can you minimize the risks linked to laser hair removal?

• Make sure your physician has a license for laser hair removal. According to a JAMA Dermatology study from laser hair removal lawsuits filed between 2008 and 2012, 86 percent involved cases in which the procedures were conducted by non-physicians.
• Make sure your clinic offers the right type of laser hair-removal equipment for your skin color. Performing laser hair removal is more risky on darker skin, but there are laser hair-removal machines that are more precise when targeting melanin and thus less likely to cause burns or discoloration. If your clinic offers the same equipment for different skin types, nothing good will come of it.
• Everyone’s skin is different. Even if your doctor is qualified to perform laser hair removal, there is still a slight chance that you’ll get some side effects. The best way to ensure your safety is to test the laser beam on a small area of skin to see how your body reacts.