Complications of Laser Hair Removal

Posted on August 17, 2007 in Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal treatments are proving to be very efficient and are therefore gaining a lot of ground. Its chief advantage is the fact that it destroys hair growth permanently and gives you soft skin forever. So, you stop your trips to the beauty parlor completely. When your hair follicles are exposed to a beam of laser light, it destroys hair growth in that area from the roots but does not destroy the surrounding area.

Fortunately, laser hair removal causes very few complications if done by an experienced and skilled cosmetic surgeon. True, there will be a certain degree of pain, swelling and redness around the hair follicle at the end of each treatment session. But you might also face the following symptoms that will go away in a 24 hour span:

Pigment alteration:
Post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation or darkening of the skin right next to the area treated is common among patients, and particularly if you are dark-skinned. So, avoid the direct glare of the sun. Hypo-pigmentation or lightening of the surrounding skin is also common and temporary.

Before you go in for a laser hair treatment, allow your sun tan to fade completely or your skin will bear dark marks or pale patches, which will take months to fade. Besides, lasers don”t give good results on red hair, and those with dark hair and dark complexion since too much energy is absorbed by the skin which damages it.

Infection:
If your superficial skin is injured, you will suffer from bacterial skin infections. Though your doctor may prescribe antibiotics, treating and looking after your wounds well is sufficient to prevent infection. If you have a history of cold sores or herpes simplex infections, you could have another of the same after a laser treatment. If this is so, your doctor should prescribe antiviral medication prior to a hair removal session to prevent another herpes attack.

Scarring:
This happens rarely and only if you have had a superficial skin injury. To prevent scarring, your doctor should avoid dermal or epidermal damage.
Other symptoms include:

As a matter of fact, laser hair removal has not been around long enough for there to be a comprehensive assessment of its long-term health impact. But from the data available, it can be safely said that laser hair removal is considered safe. And since it can change skin structures such as our sweat and oil glands, this form of treatment can bring about permanent or long lasting changes to our skin.

You should also avoid laser treatment if you are particularly sensitive to light or have any infection around the place to be treated. You should not have laser treatment if you have been treated for acne with Isotretinoin in the previous year.

Comments

One Response to “Complications of Laser Hair Removal”

  1. Lindy West Says:
    July 13th, 2009 at 12:06 am

    I wish getting over Herpes can be so easy as following a few steps.. but its not… :(

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