As the summer season comes, it becomes almost impossible to fix an appointment in laser hair removal clinics and spas. However; due to a sudden decrement in the rising number of this treatment’s proponents, people are becoming more conscious about its hazards and dangers.
Risks, Dangers and Side Effects of Laser Hair Removal
Generally, the risks and dangers of laser hair removal depend on the area of hair removal and the skin type. In professional and skilled hands, the risk percentage is very low.
Common Side Effects and Risks
The common side effects are temporary and disappear within one month. However; it is highly important that you follow the post-treatment guidelines carefully.
1 – Skin Burn
It is a condition in which the upper most or the second upper layer of the skin burns due to the heat of lasers. People with dark skin or sensitive skin are more prone to skin burns. The burns are mostly mild and can be treated with home remedies or affordable topical ointments.
2 – Swelling and Redness
Isolation and ignorance from sunlight exposure are often suggested to the treated people because swelling and redness occurs in 99% of the cases. This swelling may last for one week. Otherwise it vanishes in 3 days.
3 – Pain, Tingling and Numbness
The tolerable pain, tingling and numbness after laser hair removal show the success of treatment. However; if you cannot bear the pain or numbness, then you must contact your doctor immediately.
4 – Crusting and Scarring
Sometimes, the upper most layer of skin forms hard crusts when exposed to lasers. These crusts shed off after a few days but they might leave scars on sensitive skin. The scars cannot be treated for at least one month from the day of treatment. Home solutions should also be avoided.
5 – Hyperpigmentation and Hypopigmentation
People with a history of pigmentation disturbances tend to have greater chances of hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation. It leads to skin discoloration throughout the treated area or in some patches only. These are treated with melanin control creams.
Dangerous and Long-Lasting Side Effects
Long term side effects are not very common but they might occur if pre-treatment care is not followed. Long-term side effects are completely in the hands of the physician.
1 – Bacterial Infections
If the skin is not properly cleared or the patient has some kind of untreated or under-treatment skin problem, then bacterial infections might occur.
2 – Visionary Problems
It is very important to cover the sensitive areas of the body. If the eyes are not properly covered in facial laser hair removal, then visionary problems might occur and last for months.
3 – Long Term Hyperpigmentation and Hypopigmentation
If the pigments of skin are extremely disturbed, then lasers might destroy their chemical bonding and cause long lasting hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation.
4 – Permanent Scarring
Scarring caused by crusts, burns or infections might stay on the skin for years. Moisturizing is the only solution to scaring after laser hair removal.
Dangers to the Environment
An American study conducted in 2013 by Dr. Garry S. Chuang from Tufts Medical Center reveals that laser hair removal is dangerous to the environment. It tells that the black smoky fumes, which were previously misunderstood as sulfur fumes, are actually dangerous toxins like benzene, ethyl benzene and toluene. On individual level, these fumes might not seem harmful. However; on a collective level, these fumes can dangerously poison the environment and make life even harder in the next few years.
Victoria Swan
Victoria Swan is an enthusiast health writer who loves to provide awareness and knowledge for all people wanting to lead a healthy life. She believes in outer and inner health and vouches for her audiences to always improve upon their physical and cognitive health. Currently she's writing about different types of outer body marks and their solutions.
Great
I agree Anthony, good article.
We’d like to see burns and scarring categorised as adverse outcomes though as they should not be an accepted side effect. The definition of what constitutes a burn in the aesthetic/cosmetic/beauty industry though has been ill-defined. At Bravura Education we have sought to gain some clarity on that for graduates of our laser/IPL safety courses and our lasers/IPL in cosmetics continuing professional development modules.
We recommend that professional medical attention should be sought for:
-any burns involving the face, genitals, perineum or hands (the size of these burns is unclear but we suspect anything larger than 3-5mm might be of concern to a client)
-burn in other areas larger than a 50c coin (3cm diameter circle)
-burns which appear white or chalky, with decreased pain sensation, these ones are deep and serious.
With national uniformity and regulation on the horizon for laser and IPL and proposals for minimum education standards for cosmetic laser users, adverse outcomes should be reduced as the skill and capabilities of the operators are enhanced. Interestingly there has recently (closed yesterday) been a ‘National IPL and Laser Hair Reduction Survey’ conducted by an independent company scrutinising the current RTO delivery of laser hair reduction courses. We suspect too that some type of incident register may be considered nationally as changes toward national uniformity and regulation are implemented.
1. Cuttle L & Kimble RM (2010). First aid treatment of burn injuries. Wound Practice and Research, Volume 18(1).
Those side effects are really painful. I am glad you shared this, I hope people should remember this and rethink before doing any laser treatment.