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Laser Hair Removal on Tan Skin/People of Color
Laser hair removal for dark-skinned individuals is much different than for lighter-skinned individuals because hair removal lasers are designed to be absorbed by the melanin pigment in the hair shaft, that we avoid treating the melanin pigment in the surface of the skin. The way to do that is by cooling the surface of the skin to protect it. That can be done with contact cooling, something cold that touches the skin such as two sapphire plates with running water running between, or by using a chilled plate, or by a spray that is applied to the skin and cools the skin through evaporation. There are all ways we protect the surface of the skin. The lighter the surface of the skin is, the less chance the laser is going to hurt the skin.
For color-skinned individuals best lasers are the ones with the longest wavelength of light because of the melanin is designed to absorb short wavelengths of light such as UV Light, and the ability of melanin to absorb light decreases as you go to longer and longer wavelengths, thereby decreasing risk to darker skin. Melanin will still absorb the longer wavelength reasonably well, even at very long wavelengths.
When treating very dark-skinned typically using the 1064nmNd:YAG laser is the treatment of choice, because that laser is least absorbed by the melanin pigment in the epidermis, but it often still sees the melanin in the hair on, during the laser treatment. For thicker hairs one might often use longer pulse duration and use shorter pulse duration for thinner hairs. So treating clients with dark skin or clients who are tan require more skill and more intimate knowledge of which lasers to use and which settings to use with those lasers. Using the wrong setting or wrong device on dark skin clients has a much higher risk of making blisters or other side-effects.
The FDA recently approved a new long pulse ND: YAG laser. The YAG delivers energy more slowly to the
target area, in order to give the epidermis more time to cool off. This is important for those with
darker skin types, because there is less chance of skin pigmentation irregularity. Before the approval
of this laser, those with darker skin types had a greater chance of pigment discoloration. To discover
if laser hair removal is right for you, take our online consultation.
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Laser Hair Removal Source
