Laser hair removal is aimed to reduce hair, yet skin tone plays a very big role in the process of laser hair removal. Many people are left wondering what skin tone have to do with a procedure that aims at reducing hair. There is certainly an explanation to all of this, and anyone considering laser hair removal will greatly benefit from understanding how skin tone matters.
Laser hair removal machines are strongly attracted to color, which is also sometimes referred to as melanin or pigment. Hair has melanin in it. The darker the hair is, the more melanin it has. A laser machine is a powerful tool that emits laser beams which are so strong that they produce a great amount of heat. The ultimate goal in laser hair removal is for the laser machine to be attracted to the hair, and heat it up enough for it to be destroyed.
While the laser needs to seek out and destroy the hair, there is a concern that the laser will do the same with the skin, because the skin is naturally prone to absorbing light. The laser doesn’t know that it should only seek out the hair and not the skin. The darker the skin is, the bigger the concern that the skin will absorb too much of the laser. And too much heat can easily lead to different types of skin damage, such as burns and pigmentation. The laser hair removal practitioner makes sure the skin isn’t damaged by using the right type of laser machine, and applying a cooling gel to the skin prior to treatment, or by use a cooling machine. Some of the newest laser machines even have built in cooling systems.
One could say that light skin in combination with dark hair makes laser hair removal an easy task. The laser is not likely to be attracted to the light skin, but will focus all its energy on the dark hair. The dark hair and light skin combination is optimal for laser hair removal and could lead to fewer treatments, with better and faster results. Individuals with darker skin present a bigger challenge for a laser hair removal practitioner and might see slower results and need more sessions. Regardless of skin tone, the laser hair removal practitioner will individualize each treatment, and pick a laser machine and a setting that will work best for the client.
So while the type of hair color is of great interest to a laser hair removal practitioner, so is the color of the skin. Hair color and skin tone go hand in hand when it comes to laser hair removal. While there are laser machines that can treat dark skin today, such as the Nd:YAG laser machines, many practitioners still prefer to see a combination of dark hair and light skin as they believe that’s when their work will be the most safe and efficient.
