There are lots of inquiries into the efficacy of laser hair removal on people of color or tanned skin. The simplest answer is that new technology does allow a few options for people with dark skin, but it is still a difficult procedure to perform. A laser surgeon has a monumental task of treating the hair effectively without damaging the dark skin. This is going to be true for almost any patient even with advanced laser systems. So, if you have dark skin, it would behoove you to seek out the best laser surgeon’s available to you.

The reason it is so difficult to treat dark skin is because the contrast between the hair and skin is minimal. This causes the skin to steal away the light from the hair and render the laser almost ineffective. Melanin pigment lies between the laser and the hair follicle that we wish to treat. This is effectively a barrier to success and the real trick is getting around it without injuring the epidermis along the way.

A skilled-doctor’s best tool is his experience in choosing the correct laser and energy level to use fitting the current candidate. Another newer method is using contact cooling to protect the skin. This can be done by either using two sapphire plates with water running between or using a chilled plate.

Another method of protection is to use the longest wavelengths possible. This is because the surface of the skin is designed to absorb shorter wavelengths such as UV light. Surgeons can also use different types of lasers. The Nd:YAG laser has the longest wavelength of any laser available at 1064nm. Pulse duration is also another method the doctor can use to accommodate darker-skinned patients. It is highly recommended that you get a doctor that has multiple lasers, has extensive laser hair removal training, and has a good amount of experience doing the procedure on dark-skinned patients.

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