The Downsides of Removing Using Lasers on Unwanted Hair

We all know the plus side of laser hair treatment. Done well, it’s safe, it’s relatively comfortable and depending on your definition, it’s as permanent as it gets. But that’s not the whole story.

Apart from the obvious need for eye protection, and occasionally painful treatments, the real problem is that there is simply no long-term information on just how effective – or how safe – laser hair removal treatment might be. Some research suggests that there are certain types of skin that react more to what is called laser irradiation, an overspill of radiation from the light. When you add this to the lack of clinical data out there, you can begin to see laser treatment as an unknown risk.

The main issue is that each time there’s an advancement in the laser systems used, they have been rushed onto the market without the recommended tests, showing the degree to which money and profit can influence professionals - those we feel we can automatically trust. Law suits in the mid-90s and the intervention of bodies like the FDA uncovered the shocking truth of consumers acting more or less as paying guinea pigs.

While the most recent developments have minimized patients’ risk and discomfort, it must be remembered that understanding is still in its early stages. What you can be sure of is that burns, lesions, lasting discomfort and, of course, mild to full re-growth have been experienced by some consumers everywhere.

A particular side effect of laser treatment is known as ‘striping’. Striping is a skin disorder caused directly by the laser, which leaves light, hairless stripes with sore, blotchy lines of red across the treated area. In most cases, striping eases and eventually disappears, but it can be a frightening thing to discover for new patients.

The trouble with pain as a side effect is that it differs from one consumer to the next. One person’s ‘unbearable’ is another’s walk in the park. Generally, laser treatment feels like a ‘snapping’ sensation, or being twanged with elastic. Of course it depends where you have it done – the upper lip, bony areas, armpits and bikini line are almost guaranteed to hurt.

The good news is there are plenty of pain relief products out there. If it’s a particular fear of yours, you might also try cutting out caffeine and other stimulants, working on your stress levels and making sure you’re comfortable and relaxed in treatment. All of this can help turn pain into a manageable side effect. Undergoing treatment in the morning or at night, when tiredness might dull your senses, is also a preference for many consumers. Beyond this, make sure your laserologist is good and awake – this can help reduce pain levels too!

When you remember the famous doctoral oath ‘first, do now harm’, you have to wonder whether this stretches to a patient’s bank account, because this is often the sting in the tail of the worst laser hair treatment experiences