Laser treatment is increasing in popularity around the world, with lots of women ditching their waxing appointments for this easier, less painful plus more permanent option. When hair laser removal first came onto the scene, the optimal patient had fair skin and dark hair, so the machine could easily pick up on the color contrast and target just the pigment inside the hair. This meant that initially, patients with dark or black skin were warned that this treatment wouldn’t be as effective on them. But with advancements in technology, hair laser removal has become a good and efficient option for all kinds of skin. Here we’ll explain all that you should know about hair laser removal for dark skin.
Kinds of skin Explained
Firstly, let’s have a look at your skin type. A standard strategy for determining your type of skin is to use the Fitzpatrick scale, which looks at your skin tone’s response to UV light. Before new technology were introduced, kinds of skin 4-6 were at risk of scarring damage, or not achieving their desired hair thinning. These kinds of skin usually participate in people of Latin, Mediterranean, Indian or African backgrounds.
The Fitzpatrick Skin-Typing Scale
Type of skin Skin Colour Response to Sun
1 Very white or freckled Always burns/never tans
2 White Usually burns/sometimes tans
3 White to olive Sometimes burns/always tans
4 Brown Rarely burns
5 Dark brown Almost never burns/moderately pigmented
6 Black Highly pigmented
Is It Safe for Dark Skin?
The reason kinds of skin 1-3 were the top candidates for laser for dark skin hyperpigmentation is due to the contrast between their head of hair and skin colour. Given that the darker the hair, the harder light it will absorb, fair skinned patients might be treated at the higher intensity without the risk that the skin would absorb some of this light. Lasers couldn’t decipher involving the pigment in hair as well as the pigment in skin, so patients with kinds of skin 4-6 were previously susceptible to burns, hyper-pigmentation or other scarring damage. However, hair laser removal has become a highly effective option for all kinds of skin, because of new technology and therapists which were trained properly to treat dark and black skin.
What Laser is Best?
Lasers with long wavelengths are best to treat dark skin, since the laser can bypass the darker epidermis and penetrate deeper in to the skin where hair roots reside. This significantly cuts down on the chance of harm to the epidermis (outside of the skin). At Simply Laser, we make use of the ND YAG machine, that has been created specifically to treat dark skin. However, if you’re still concerned that your particular skin won’t react well to hair laser removal, your therapist can conduct an area test over a small section of your skin to be sure you’re satisfied with the result.
The amount of Treatments are Needed?
While the quantity of treatments required varies from patient to patient, you may want 6-10 treatments every 6 weeks for hair on the body, and each 4 weeks for hair on your face. Unwanted facial hair could be hormonal, and that’s why you may want more frequent treatments for this area.
It’s worth noting though, that hair laser removal can improve as well as eliminate a lot of the skin disorders that dark skinned women face using traditional techniques methods like shaving, waxing or plucking. Many of our patients have seen a reduction in folliculitis (your skin condition that produces bumps, ingrown hairs, papules and pustules from techniques) because of regular hair laser removal treatments.
Still need Questions?
Should you still have any queries or concerns about hair laser removal for dark or black skin, feel free to speak to us. Either Leona or one individuals professional beauty specialists will be more than pleased to give you information specific for your hair and skin type. Simply Laser is dedicated to providing the latest and incredibly better of laser light treatments to its customers, so that you can be assured that you’re in good hands with Leona as well as the team.
More info about laser for dark skin hyperpigmentation check out this resource: click for more info