Question about health.

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hi everyone,
i’m a hairy girl.
Hair on my lower leg is very dark, course and dense and i’m very prone to iperpigmentation. Years of waxing and shaving have left my legs an horrible mess.
I’m thinking about doing some laser sessions on this area. I’m a fan of electrolysis but my leg hair is extremely dense so i think i’ll spend more than with the laser.

My doubts are about health.
Laser sessions can cause health problems? i’m thinking about skin cancer, problems on nevus etc etc.
Are the long term effects known? I’m worried about this.
It seems to me that doing laser on my skin is not the healthiest thing.
I need advices.

(sorry for the bad english)

#2

I’d avoid laser if you’re worried about you skin. You can see how laser promoters lie about the claim of PERMANENT hair removal, so until there are long term studies on the overall health of laser patients, I’d stay well clear.

If you have access to a university library I would suggest doing some research on the types of light used for hair removal procedures. You’d certainly get better information from an academic journal than you would from someone selling the services.

I REDUCED my leg hair using electrolysis because i had the same problem. Mediterranean background and coarse dark hair like a man on my legs. I cleared it to about 20% of what it was and I can shave a couple of times a week and my legs look fabulous.

I had no problems with hyperpigmentation and the spots that were on my legs around the follicle opening disappeared along with the hair.

So I guess I’d recommend electrolysis. :slight_smile:

Ciao (sorry for my limited Italian :P)

#3

No health problems post laser treatmens have been discovered(aside from the actual side effects from the treatments) and people have been treated for decades now, and I never heard of anybody claiming some kind of after effects from laser. If you haven’t been affected years after your treatmens I seriously doubt you ever will. I think it’s a harmless procedure in that respect.

#4

I’m a man and I was one of those guys who had very hairy legs. I had 6 sessions almost 2 years ago and I am very happy with the results. You can see my story on the ‘Success Stories - 6 Months Post Last Treatment’.

#5

In contrast to Ilovepink’s post: you don’t need to spend hours reading academic journals in a library; you may get hyperpigmentation with electrolysis just as you may with laser treatment; it’s possible to achieve ‘permanent’ hair removal (5years is a pretty good indicator in my books) with laser, depending: the type of laser and the settings used; the body area being treated, the coarseness of hair and the colour of the hair; and like with laser, you can have unsuccessful hair removal if you have a rubbish electrologist treating you.

You should look for a somewhere with an Alex or a YAG laser for your skin type (dark coarse hair, mediterranean/dark skin, tans easily, prone to hyperpigmentation). Those two lasers would be the best on your skin and will ensure you can successful results to reduce or clear (you may have to do some touch ups) provided that you have a decent laser operator.

Laser can even help with skin conditions, so don’t rule it out completely. As for cancer, you probably have more chance of getting cancer by being out in the sun without sun lotion or from going on a UV tanning bed.

Check LAgirl’s FAQ in the laser section and most of her posts. They’ll get you informed in no time.

#6

Laser hair removal is NOT known to cause skin cancer or any other serious health problems.