When laser hair removal first became an option for removing unwanted hair, there was only one type of laser used that worked well on only some people. So, if you were denied the service by a medical spa or cosmetic surgeon, they were only helping you prevent skin injury or lackluster results from the procedure. However, there new lasers being used today, and here is a guide to who is a great candidate now, who wasn't in the past, and what bad habit still makes you a bad candidate.
Great New Candidate: You Have a Naturally Tan to Dark Skin Tone
If you were told that your natural tan to dark skin tone made laser hair removal a bad option for you, then your doctor was just following the rules of laser hair removal at the time to protect your skin and prevent bad results. The first lasers used for hair removal (still in use today for the right candidates) projected only very short wavelengths of light that were attracted to the substance that produces color in skin and hair, called melanin. So, if you have tan to dark skin and wanted to obtain laser hair removal, the laser would have been just as attracted to your skin as it was to your hair. That would have resulted not only lackluster results, but the laser could have burned your skin.
The great news is that there are now lasers that can produce great hair-removal results on naturally tan to dark skin. There is now a hair-removal laser that produces longer wavelengths of light by just a switch of a knob on the unit. An additional newer laser, called and yttrium aluminium garnet laser, produces even longer wavelengths to remove hair without burning even the darkest skin. Longer wavelengths will remove hair just as well as shorter ones without burning your skin.
Habit That Still Makes You a Bad Candidate: Sun-worshipping
While these new lasers are great for people with naturally tan to dark skin, be aware that having naturally pale skin that is tan from the sun still makes you a bad candidate for laser hair removal of any type. For the best results, you must stop tanning before you begin your treatments long enough in advance to achieve a skin tone that is at or close to your natural shade. This is because a hair-removal expert must carefully adjust the settings on the laser they use to the perfect wavelength of light for you. When you sun-tan before and during treatments, your skin shade naturally fluctuates at least a little. That means one laser setting that works perfectly on you during your first session may not work well on your next, and that can lead to not only bad hair-removal results, but burned skin.
The number one cause of skin blistering after hair removal is sun-tanning before or between your laser hair removal sessions.
The great news is that if you were denied laser hair removal in the past, then today's new lasers may make you a great new candidate. However, sun-tanning makes you a bad candidate, but if you kick the bad habit, you can become a great laser hair removal candidate in the future.
