Many of us are tired and frustrated with unwanted hair growth and the temporary solutions to deal with it. And why shouldn’t we be? Anyone having to undergo sticky painful procedures of waxing or the bother of shaving every few days would probably agree that it’s a hassle. Most of us would love to have the perfect solution to permanently prevent unwanted hair growth and laser hair removal might seem like the most ideal solution. Although this system can be a little painful and expensive, it worked wonders on people with light skin tones and dark hair. But what about laser hair removal for dark skinned Asians and African Americans?
Laser hair removal for dark skin has been very difficult in the past because of how the lasers work. The laser light is absorbed by the melanin in the hair follicle and the follicle is destroyed so that the hair doesn’t grow back. The difficulty arises when it comes to dark skin or tanned skin because the laser is unable to distinguish between the skin and hair follicle and so the melanin in both absorbs the laser light. Here the melanin itself is in high concentration hence skin appears dark and so the skin instead of the hair ends up absorbing the light. As a result the laser is unable to pass through the epidermis of the skin to reach the hair follicle. This not only creates problem in achieving the best result but can also injure the skin. Darker skin has the potential to become discolored, develop keloids, or even burn.
However this has not stopped the process of laser hair removal for dark skin! Technological advancements mean that there are procedures that can be undertaken to ensure that laser hair removal on darker skin is safe and effective. Methods like cooling the skin can prevent it from being injured. That can be done with contact cooling, something cold that touches the skin such as two sapphire plates with 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 thus preventing laser from burning dark skin. In addition to this, technicians use longer wavelengths. The reason for longer laser wavelengths is that melanin in the skin will absorb the short wavelengths, but longer wavelengths can pass through the skin to destroy the follicle. Despite the different varieties of lasers available a diode laser or nd:yag laser are best suited when it comes to laser hair removal for dark skin. In the hands of a skilled technician and with the help of modern techniques, people of Asian or African American origin can get rid of all their unwanted hair with laser treatment for hair removal.