Dark Skin and Laser Hair removal: Yay or Nay?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

I recently saw a dermatologist who has seen how bad my facial hair is and referred me to get laser hair removal of the face starting next month. However, I am very undecided and apprehensive about it because I have dark skin–slightly darker than actress Gabrielle Union. My dermatologist explained that because I have dark skin, she has ordered me to have more sessions than the norm (for less aggressive treaments at a time) in order to minimize my chances of getting hyperpigmentation. She told me there’s still a small chance that it could happen. She also informed me that the hyperpigmentation would eventually heal and basically form scabs as the new skin starts to rebuild…(sigh) lol.

On the other side, I’ve previously considered electrolysis for the face and the body, but that would be coming str8 out of pocket(which I currently can’t afford), not covered by any insurance, so I thought that I would atleast give this laser treatment for the face a shot. At the end of the day, I would pay more if it would save my skin from damage, but everydday my skin is getting worse. The hair alone I could deal with if it didn’t cause severe breakouts and irritation.

Has anyone here, who either has dark skin or knows someone with dark skin, undergone the laser treatment that resulted in little to no damage?

Do you think it is worth trying?

#2

Are you male or female? IS the hair coarse and dense?

Dark skin is perfectly fine to treat without any side effects to suffer. It just needs to be treated with an ND:Yag type of laser that’s made for darker skin.

But first you need to figure out whether your hair is coarse and dense enough to be impacted by laser.

#3

I have done three treatments so far and no issue at all with the yag laser. I’m darker than Ms. Union myself. I know of a few other black guys on a forum I belong to who have had this done also with no problems. Listen to LAgirl.

#4

LAgirl, I am a woman and I do have slightly coarse hair. I guess it would be considered dense if I allowed it to completely grow out. It grows along the same areas a man would grow a beard, but mostly severe under the chin. Most people don’t notice the hair because of my dark skin, and I try to keep my chin down and stay on top of the shaving. This is definitely more encouraging. As bad as the hair has already affected my skin, I really have nothing to lose.

Beetlejuice, after the treatment, do you experience any redness? Are you allowed to shave in between treatments, or does the first treatment instantly slow down or stop the hair growth?

Even as a woman, my facial hair grows back very fast. I usually have to shave every 2-3 days, not just for vanity, but because the hair comes back and creates bumps and excessive itchiness.

#5

Go for it. If you are really lucky, it will work. If you are unlucky, it will cause more hair growth, BUT at that point, you can clear up using laser, and get electrolysis as the hairs grow back. As they grow back slowly, it should be easier to stay on top of.

#6

I’ve never heard that advice before.

All the ladies I know who have experienced induced growth have been devastated by it - thicker hair, longer hair, denser hair. The electrolysis mission is so much larger.

#7

You do have something to lose as finer hair can be stimulated to induce more growth instead of killing the hair, so we need to figure out what “slightly coarse” means. The hair needs to be coarse like bikini or underarm hair. The type of hair that leaves a stubble or a shadow. If it’s not coarse enough, electrolysis is the only method you should use on your face.

If you decide that some patches, like under the chin, are coarse enough, then you need to find a clinic that will make sure to treat just those specific patches. And you’ll need electrolysis for the rest.

How many hairs are we talking about in total?

#8

Electrolysis can handle any structure of hair from very fine to very coarse. I would not spend money for LASER at all if you will need electrolysis as well. Let the electrologist do it all. Wish as much as you may for LASER to be the answer in your case, if it’s not suitable then don’t spend the money or gamble with the possibility for induced hair stimulation on your face.

#9

Have not notice any redness. Yes I can shave between treatments. Notice a big improvement of my facial hair after 1st treatment(only the missed spots were issues). It slowed it down. I went over a good month with no hair on the areas I had treated. I use to get an ingrown hair every week now I could count on one hand over 4 months how many ingrown hairs I’ve had which were mainly due to her missing spots.

#10

The laser treatment is basically paid for through my healthcare provider, since it is a referral by my dermatologist. Electrolysis is not covered anywhere (atleast not here in IL), so I found this to be a great opportunity. That is the main reason I am considering laser, otherwise I’m for electrolysis all the way. As for induced growth–Ahhhhhhh! I don’t want that to happen. I think I’ll take a chance on the laser, and if it turns out bad, I’ll save up money for an electrologist.

Either way I’ll be turning to an electrologist for other parts of the body, but that woon’t be anytime soon–just the laser treatment on the face for now.

LAgirl, my hair is coarse enough to take well to laser treatment. I haven’t counted the number of hairs. I don’t have the time right now, nor do I have a good angle to see them all ha.

#11

I think, if you are going to go for it, and its too hard to see how thick/what the hairs are like, you could tell if they are thick enough IF after you shave the area, you can feel it is quite prickly when you run your fingers against the grain.

I have had laser hair removal on my upper lip. I didn’t have induced growth, so no, I don’t know how bad it would be if that did happen, so I can’t comment on that. What I do know is that laser will give a hair free period, even when it does stimulate growth, so that if you have electrolysis as the hair grow back, while it is a weaker stage, it should be easier to combat it.

And I think if someone is going to go for it, no matter what we say, we should at least give them advice about what might happen. You can warn people about induced growth but obviously it isn’t going to stop them every time…

#12

Are you sure these laser treatments will be covered? American insurance companies do not cover hair removal treatments of any kind because they’re considered cosmetic. It doesn’t matter whether you’re getting it done by a doctor (unless they send a claim to the insurance company for another service that’s covered instead).