Is Laser Hair Removal Safe At Home
Unwanted hair can be removed with the use of a laser. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that lasers were proven safe and effective for this use. Meeting with a medical professional, following detailed instructions on how and how often to use the device, keeping an eye out for unpleasant reactions, and caring for your recovery over time are the four phases necessary for at-home laser removal.
Laser hair removal at home has become widely available and an economical way to remove unwanted hairs. One of the reasons it is considered the best method for permanent hair removal is because laser methods have been shown to be superior in removing all the root from the follicle. The key to this is being able to take the utmost care while using a laser device at home. Read on to learn more and does at home laser hair removal hurt/best at home laser hair removal for men.
Is Laser Hair Removal Safe At Home
Some DIY beauty tricks are totally worth it. You can save time and money by dyeing your roots or plucking your brows in the comfort of your bathroom. But laser hair removal?
While the procedure used to only be available in the dermatologist’s office, these days you can buy small devices to zap away hair yourself.
But before you kiss your razor goodbye, find out what dermatologist Rachel Ward, MD, has to say about the safety and effectiveness of these devices.
Permanent hair removal
Laser hair removal devices work by killing the hair follicle. But hair grows in cycles, and the lasers only damage follicles during an active cycle of hair growth. So it takes multiple treatments, about a month apart, to completely stop hair from regrowing.
For some people, laser hair removal is not entirely permanent. You might need a maintenance treatment every year or so to keep stray hairs from cropping up.
The process doesn’t come cheap. Professional laser hair removal can cost a couple hundred bucks per treatment, and it might take half a dozen sessions (or more) to knock out every follicle. You could rack up more than a thousand dollars in pursuit of a bald bikini line.
Meanwhile, you can order an at-home hair removal laser for somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 or $500. At first glance, it seems like a better investment. But there are some important caveats, Dr. Ward says.
At-home laser hair removal: Pros and cons
There are two types of at-home devices for hair removal. One is a true laser, and the other uses intense pulsed light. Both types remove hair, and both are less powerful than the device you’ll find at the dermatologist’s office, Dr. Ward explains.
That’s good and bad. On the one hand, with less power comes less responsibility. These devices are safe for amateurs to use at home, so you don’t have to worry about singeing yourself in the name of smooth skin. (Still, make sure you follow the directions exactly — because laser.)
But with less power also comes less effectiveness: The at-home devices don’t work as well as the pro models.
More downsides: It’s hard to cover a lot of territory — like an entire leg — with the small at-home devices, Dr. Ward says. And they might not be strong enough to get completely hair-free. “Over multiple sessions, you’ll reduce the amount of hair you see — but it probably won’t be a home run,” she says.
Does At Home Laser Hair Removal Hurt
over and over again. Bony areas (your shins or ankles, for example) will hurt a lot more than spots with more cushion to them (such as your calf). That’s because the skin closest to the bone is thinner. (It doesn’t mean that hair is more difficult to treat, though.
One of the biggest drawbacks to at-home laser hair removal? The tools only work on a narrow range of hair and skin colors. The lasers zero in on pigments in the hair follicle and are only effective when there’s a lot of contrast between skin and hair. That means the systems are recommended for people with light skin and dark hair.
In people with darker skin, there’s a risk of burns — though to prevent that, many at-home devices have sensors that block them from working on darker skin.
If you don’t have the pale-skin/dark-hair combo, professional lasers are the only option. “The lasers we use in the dermatology office are more sophisticated and can be used in patients with skin of any color,” Dr. Ward says.
Laser hair removal safety
If you have the right hair and skin tones, the devices are generally safe to try, Dr. Ward says. But it’s important to use them correctly.
DON’T use them:
- Near your eyes (though the upper lip is OK).
- Over tattoos or pigmented areas, including moles.
- In the genital area (but you can safely target the bikini line).
When doing the math, consider that at-home devices might have limited battery power or contain light cartridges that will need to be replaced, Dr. Ward says. And no matter how often you use them, you might never achieve total hairlessness.
“It depends on the person, but professional hair removal usually gives you a bigger bang for your buck,” she says.
Best At Home Laser Hair Removal For Men
EVEN MEN with full beards would probably say they wish some of their hair on the rest of their body would disappear. Body hair is completely natural and nothing to be embarrassed about, but if removing it would make you feel more confident in your skin, then you should do it. Luckily, technology exists that makes it possible to permanently get rid of any and all unwanted body hair.
When it comes to hair removal, you can either go into a laser hair removal clinic or do it yourself with an at-home laser hair removal device. Dr. Jaimie DeRosa of DeRosa Center Plastic Surgery & Med Spa explains how it works to permanently stop hair from growing where you don’t want it to.
“Laser hair removal (or more correctly, laser hair reduction) works by damaging the hair follicle, thus preventing further hair growth,” he said. “The lasers used for hair removal ‘see’ the dark pigment melanin within the hair follicle, which is why laser hair removal does not work on white or grey hair.”
Laser hair removal clinics often requires multiple appointments over the span of 1-2 years before the hair is gone for good, which could end up costing you thousands of dollars in the long run. Even if stay on top of appointments and finish your course of treatments, you inevitably have to go back at least once a year for touch-up treatments to maintain your results.
Laser hair removal isn’t intended for areas of the skin near an open orifice. This includes the hair inside your nose and ears, as well as around the genital area.
Most of the side effects related to laser hair removal are mild, and they occur after the procedure. These include:
- redness
- swelling
- blisters
- hyperpigmentation or scarring
- increased risk for sunburn
While anesthetic (numbing) creams can help to minimize the pain, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Trusted Source recommends only using them when absolutely necessary and at the lowest dose possible.
Using too much numbing cream has been linked to life threatening side effects. Talk to your provider about the benefits and risks of numbing cream, especially if you’re undergoing multiple treatments.
Overall, numbing cream has been deemed safe when used in small amounts on small areas of the body and when applied by a professional.
You may also consider using different types of lasers for your hair removal treatments. One older studyTrusted Source found that alexandrite lasers tend to be less painful, with or without numbing agents.
It’s also important to get laser hair removal from a licensed professional. Although at-home laser kits may be less painful to use, they aren’t guaranteed safe or effective at removing hair.