Laser hair removal contraindications, Risk of stimulation or of burns

Let’s talk in a first place of “non” indications :

-very light blond or white hair, which will not store enough heat to damage the germinal cells. The laser light crosses the unpigmented hair without heating it. In such a case, electrolysis is the only alternative to laser.

-red-coloured hair do not respond to laser neither. The melanin it contains is particular, and does not absorb the beam well.

The real laser contraindications are

-the uncoloured downy hair or the presence of isolated hairs in an area covered by downy hair

-suntan, which increase the risk for burns

The downy hair

We are among the first researchers to have realised that laser can stimulate the vellus hair and thus induce the regrowth of thicker hair more difficult to treat. This is why the treatment of certain areas is delicate.

It is thus important not to undergo laser hair removal on a few isolated hairs, as it can induce a stimulation of the surrounding hairs. Electrolysis is well indicated is such cases, and will remove hair selectively without affecting the surrounding vellus hair.

On areas that have been shaved or hair removed for years (legs, underarms, bikini for example), the vellus hair has disappeared, replaced by a population of terminal hair. There is thus no stimulation risk.

The sun

The sun is the worst enemy of a laser treatment for understandable reasons: if the skin is tanned, the melanin it contains will be heated up just as much as the melanin contained in the hair.

Burns can occur in such cases, always extremely superficial. They heal in a few days.

Patients are told not to expose themselves to the sun during the treatment, so that the power of the shot can be increased progressively without injuring them.

This contraindication is less important with the Yag laser, but remember it does not give permanent results.

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