Side effects of long term use of laser hair removal?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted some info/opinions on this, I am a female that has been doing laser hair removal consistently (every 2 months) full body (from face to feet) for the last 6 years. Does anyone know that doing a huge amount of laser hair removal over a very long period time can have concerning long term damage like for example, destroying collagen and bringing up early onset ageing? I’ve been noticing my skin is sensitive and appears a little thinner over the years. Would love to hear from everyone, both experts and those who have been doing laser hair removal themselves.

A side note, I’ve had paradoxical hair growth all over my body and am having my face treated with electrolysis for the past year so I am aware of that side effect!

Thanks in advance.

1 Like
#2

Yours is, of course, the million-dollar question.

ONLY after decades of use, can all the data be accumulated and a determination made. The same with any procedure or medication. For example, those reluctant to get the C-19 vaccine often voice the same concern: long term effects? Indeed, these concerns are not “ridiculous” because an RNA “vaccine” is the new frontier. I took the Pfizer vaccine and I had (verified) heart inflammation for 3-months. Very unpleasant indeed. When it comes to everything applied to the body … it’s all experimental.

Your question of collagen thinning is very interesting. The “short-term” effect of inflammation is that the collagen layer is stimulated (collagen turn-over) and thickened … indeed, that is the basis of all dermabrasion, chemical peels and laser resurfacing procedures.

HOWEVER, continuous inflammation has the opposite effect … breaking-down and thinning the collagen layer. Those who are “sun worshipers” have several negative things happen to their skin, but the on-going inflammation (sun burn) causes the skin to become thinner and wrinkled.

Do I know what the long-term effects of laser are? I don’t know! … However, “every 2-months for 6-years” is definitely something that might be interesting for dermatologists who are studying these long-term effects.

1 Like
#3

Hi Mike Bono,

Thank you so much for replying to my concern so quickly! Really appreciate the honest views on the situation and basically what I take is that I am a guinea pig in all of this.

And sorry to hear you some nasty side effects from the Pfizer vaccine ! My partner also experienced a severe response to the AstraZeneca vaccine - he developed an autoimmune response, namely Sarcoidosis and is on strong medications for a period of time to manage it!

Anyway, I digress, what’s concerning is this “continuous inflammation has the opposite effect … breaking-down and thinning the collagen layer.” and I believe that could be happening to me? I don’t know, it would be good to hear from others who are in the same position as me who have been having continuous laser hair removal for years.

Thanks again for your input.

HP

#4

I suppose, in some way, all of us are guinea pigs. There is a very long list of “oops” in the medical profession; and the best physicians know the story better than we do. I suppose we could talk about Thalidomide, or even when physicians injected silicone as face and breast filler. Heart stints that fail, implants that cause auto-immune disorders … and then, many years ago, when nobody knew the dangers of X-ray. I’m old enough to remember when shoe stores sometimes had a fluoroscope (X-ray unit) so that kids could look to see how the bones of their feet fit their new shoes. And, of course, X-ray hair removal.

I have a friend, of my vintage, who has the classic “Thalidomide deformed arm,” and a friend’s grandmother who died from cancer as a result of X-ray hair removal (used until 1956, and finally outlawed). Stunningly, unbeknownst to most electrologists, that’s how Art Hinkel (an X-ray technician working for General Electric) met Henri St. Pierre (who was doing X-ray hair removal in San Francisco). On the subject of breast augmentation, Dr. Chapple attended a convention a few years ago and essentially there are no breast implants that are totally without the potential of negative side effects.

Indeed, the experts “know everything” … until they’re wrong. And, “wrong” happens a lot! Those of us that do not want the COVID vaccine should not be forced into having it. I took the vaccine … but, that was my decision and nobody forced me. I can’t think of anything more important than freedom of choice for your own body!

#5

So true. Yes! The thalidomide babies, the DES daughters, the Tuskegee airmen being used as test subjects and before that, the radium dial women who licked paint brushes with the NonDark invention (cancer causing radium) to make wrist watches that glowed in the dark. These young women developed cancer in the mouth/jaw line and the company officials hid the problem, until they could no longer deny it. Some people even drank the radioactive water and were told by the scientific types that it was just great and a life saving miracle. They glowed in the dark and will glow in their graves for a thousand years. Not so long ago, doctors smoked and told their patients to smoke to alleviate their nervous condition. My obstetrician for my first child smoked and did so during my first visit. I was under weight, but he told me not to gain too much weight. I told him he should not smoke. Ha! I’m hesitant to get a booster because I went through six hours of pure hell with the second dose. I had neurological side effects, tinnitus and tachycardia. Some of those effects are with me now so Im not going to push it with a third dose.

Related to laser hair removal and thinning skin, the best thing to do is try to find good data that supports or doesn’t support your suspicions. PubMed.gov is my go to hang out place to see what the scientific community has compiled. Here is just one abstract I found that you can peruse :laser hair removal and collagen - Search Results - PubMed

1 Like
#6

Similar technology is used to stimulate hair. Ensure this dont stimulate your vellus hair

#7

What do you mean that similar technology to laser is used to stimulate hair growth?

#8

i can answer that for @thinou

Doesnt Matter you will do Hairremoval by IPL / Alexandritlaser/Diodlaser /YAG laser /ELOS Laser (/SHR (Super hairremoval).

You got general the Chance , laser stimulate Vellus hairs to be Terminal Hairs

Its from Internet just qoute it

What Causes the Unwanted Growth

Your body grows two types of hair. The long, dark hairs are called terminal hairs. These are the hairs laser removal targets. You’re also covered in vellus hairs. These are the thin, light hairs that make peach fuzz.

Vellus hairs are too pale to absorb heat from a laser. In theory, this means that laser light won’t affect them. In practice, however, some people find that their vellus hairs grow darker and coarser after hair removal treatment.

Doctors understand why hair removal treatments don’t destroy vellus hairs, but they don’t understand why the laser light sometimes stimulates them. One theory is that the heat from the laser injures vellus follicles but does not destroy them. Proponents of this theory believe that the damaged follicles heal themselves and start to create terminal hairs in the process.

Another theory, published by the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, suggests that the laser may stimulate the growth of dormant stem cells that produce terminal hairs. More research is needed, however, to fully understand this phenomenon as it applies to hair removal treatments.

Prevention

The good news is that experts estimate only around 1 percent of those who undergo laser treatment notice darkening vellus hairs. The bad news, however, is that no one can promise you that you won’t be part of that 1 percent

The only guaranteed way of avoiding vellus hair darkening is to avoid treating areas where you have vellus hairs. Consider, for example, treating the hair on your lower leg but not your thighs, which are more likely to contain vellus hairs.

If you need to treat an area that contains vellus hairs, such as your chin or upper lip, consider a two-pronged approach. Use electrolysis to remove the vellus hairs and then use laser treatment to remove the terminal hairs you want rid of.

Expert Laser Hair Removal on Long Island
The best way to ease your concerns about this unwanted side effect of hair removal is to schedule a consultation with a laser hair removal expert.An experienced technician knows how to evaluate your individual situation and guide you towards your best hair removal solution.

From me :

Best Search for Laser:

  1. A Hairexpert /Dermatologist you Pay maybe More as in Studio but the One do it Very Good.

  2. Search a Good Studio, with Good feedback and Results

  3. Dont Pay to Less for for a Session if you pay like 60-80 Euro/Dolllar for full facial hairs its to cheap, maybe something wrong with it A Usual Price here is by 120 Euro for facial hairs. By Doctor You pay 120-200 Euro , at least in Germany. I Cant speak for other countrys.

  4. If you go in a Studio , Make Sure they have more than 1 Laser . Even inform yourself about the Laser. By Laser technologies it exist some Very Hard differents.

It exist some Laser , they work with different wave Lengths and the Strongest Laser i think they get produced in Isreal if i remember right. Found some once a Video like this. And by this Laser , the Hairs Fall Out instantly , after the treatment. You dont need to wait , weeks within they fall out. You have directly results. By Usual you need wait 2-3 weeks for any results.

Also you Should know, Laser Remove Most Hairs for Months/Year/s.
it will Regenerate Proparly over Years MINIMUM 20-60% Percentage of all Hairs, But General there is the Chance that XX% , get Destroyed (forever).

Vellus Hairs are Fine /Grey Hairs , you got them even in Face on Your Body they dont grow so much MAXIMUM 1-2 CM ( if i remember right).

You see them just in right light or if you go very close with your face , to the mirror.

#9

Sorry M_K I don’t understand your broken English

I have done google scholar search and found that low-level laser (same wavelengths that r using for hair removal), can also be used for hair regeneration. There was one research done at the molecular, cellular & tissue level showing that low-level laser can significantly increase hair stem cells (Quantitative proteomic analysis of dermal papilla from male androgenetic alopecia comparing before and after treatment with low-level laser therapy - PubMed). Low Level (LL) settings of laser can stimulate hair growth instead of removing it, but this takes series of repeating treatment sessions for hypertrichosis to happen.

Please note:
Alopicia is the medical term for hair loss.
LLLT is laser and LEDs are lower energy versions of IPL.

Currently, there are many studies supporting the uses of LLLT and LED light therapy from speeding up wound healing, enhancing muscle performance for athletes, to increasing bovine sperm motility.

So I can conclude that exposure to low-level laser & IPL for multiple sessions can regenerate hair follicles, instead of removing them.

For more info, please read:

#10

You dont Understand UK/English ?. 3/4 was not from me.

Most , i wrote was from a Website from UK .

I just qoute it . Was just Copy/Paste.

Also i noticed here a lot, Peoples have Problems with UK English.As well as youth language and gamer slangl. If i write with Peoples from UK and Europe also from South America and Talk with them, they understand me , very well. But peoples from USA/Canada/Australia , have some problems . Its weird.