Laser hair removal has been considered to be one of the best methods of long lasting hair removal, and there are many different kinds of laser hair removal methods that can be used. However, as with all other forms of permanent hair removal, there is the chance that there will be laser hair removal side effects. Hair naturally grows on your skin, so anything that prevents the hair from growing will involve some kind of damage to your skin or hair follicles. For this reason, it is common for people to experience laser hair removal side effects, so let’s take a look at some of the things that you can expect.
What laser hair removal side effects are possible?
Pain – Pain is one of the many things that you can expect when having laser hair removal done. Remember that the laser is burning the hairs, and that burning is going to cause pain. It may not be a lot of pain, especially if your skin is very light and the hair is very dark. This is because the light targets pigment in the hair, but either way there will be some pain – it has been compared to the prick of a needle. Some people take medication to deal with the pain, and there are creams that can be used to help avoid pain for the days following the procedure.
Redness – The skin tends to get a bit red as a result of the burns caused by the laser. The burns are in the follicles and thus are not large enough to be seen by the naked eye, but too many burns in a small area will cause the skin to get very red and angry.
Swelling – Swelling is your body’s natural reaction when dealing with damage, and the laser will damage your skin – or at least the hair follicles. If you have very sensitive skin, you may find that it will swell in order to help heal the damage done by the laser.
Blisters – Blisters are very uncommon, but they can result. It’s just like how a blister forms when you burn your hand, but it will usually disappear within a few days as the burning heals.
Hyper-pigmentation – Hyper-pigmentation is what happens when the skin around the treated area becomes a bit darker, and this side effect should also disappear. There is no treatment for it, however.
Discoloration — Remember that the laser will burn up the pigment of the hair, but any pigment in the skin around the hair will also be burned up. This means that your skin could be a bit lighter in the areas where you had laser treatment.
Scarring – If the laser is used for too long in the same place, the result could be scarring. This is usually only the case when an inexperienced person does the treatment, but it does happen.
Burns – Again, burns are not all that common, but they do occur when the technician doing the treatment is not very skilled and they allow the laser to burn a small portion of your skin for too long.
If you make sure to seek out a well established, licensed professional you can reduce or eliminate any possible laser hair removal side effects. When it comes to deciding on a specialist in this industry, don’t let laser hair removal cost come before seeking out the right professional.
