Laser hair removal is a vaery safe treatment.

RISKS

Laser hair removal is a very safe treatment for the removal of unwanted hair. However, no medical procedure comes without certain risks. Once again, the need for finding a licensed medical professional (link to search page) is of utmost importance. If this is done the risks are minimal and, for the most part, not serious.

The most important thing to remember as far as risks are concerned has to do with ethnicity. People of afro-American, Hispanic or Asian decent are difficult to treat. These people require an advanced treatment specialist with several years of experience. With people of these ethnic backgrounds, spot testing is required to avoid hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation. Search our list of providers to find an advanced treatment specialist (link to search page) near you.
Risks associated with laser hair removal include but are not limited to:

Hypopigmentation – Hypopigmentation is the medical term for lightening of the skin. This is a primary concern on people with darker skin types. Laser hair removal is generally most effective on people with lighter skin. However, an advanced treatment specialist may also have success treating darker skin.

Hyperpigmentation – Hyperpigmentation is the medical term for darkening of the skin. Usually this darkening is temporary but in some instances can be permanent.

Blistering and Scarring – This would normally fall under the scope of a condition considered to be serious. It is very rare to see this in laser hair treatment so it should not be a primary concern. Consult your medical professional for detailed information on this topic.

Change in Skin Texture – Highly uncommon. Consult your medical professional.

Scabbing – Highly uncommon and temporary. Consult your medical professional.

Incomplete Hair Removal or Regrowth of Treated Hair – As previously mentioned, sometimes hair will regrow in a treated area within several months to several years. If this occurs, a touch-up treatment may be required to remove the hair again. Some hair turns out to be resistant to the laser hair treatment. This scenario usually still results in the hair in that treatment area being less visible or requiring less shaving.