Laser hair removal is one of the most beloved methods of going fuzz-free. Still, there is a lot of misinformation floating around about the procedure. But fear not! Below, Dr. Michael Kaminer—board-certified dermatologist, cosmetic surgeon, and Skincare.com expert—zaps common myths. MYTH #1: ONLY DARK-HAIRED PATIENTS WILL SEE RESULTS“This is sort of true, but not entirely. Blond or gray hair does not respond, and red hair can be a challenge. But brown or black hair does well. Usually the rule of thumb is: the darker and thicker the hair, the better it responds.”MYTH #2: ONE TREATMENT IS ALL IT TAKES TO REMOVE 100 PERCENT OF UNWANTED HAIR…FOREVER “Completely untrue! This virtually never happens. Some areas like the underarms and bikini tend to respond faster, in as few as 3-5 sessions. But other areas can take much longer, even as many as 10 or more treatments spaced 6-8 weeks apart.” MYTH #3: LASER HAIR REMOVAL WON’T WORK ON DARKER COMPLEXIONS“False. There are specific lasers to treat hair on dark skin. They are longer wavelength lasers with longer pulse durations that make it safer. But it is extremely unsafe to use a laser designed for fair skin on someone with dark skin. This can lead to blisters, scarring, and discoloration.”MYTH #4: YOU CAN’T GET TREATMENTS IN THE SUMMER“This is only true if you are tan. But in some cases, we can use the laser designed for darker-skinned patients when a patient is tanned. Of course we never recommend a tan, anyway!”MYTH #5: THE PENETRATION OF THE LASER BEAM IS HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH AND INTERNAL ORGANS “This is not even possible. The laser only penetrates a few millimeters.”MYTH #6: ALL LASERS FOR HAIR REMOVAL ARE CREATED EQUAL“Fundamentally false. Lasers differ in power, wavelength, spot size, pulse duration, and a host of other factors that a skilled laser operator can use to make the lasers work best for each unique patient. This is one reason why, in our practice, we insist that all patients see a doctor before having laser hair removal. We have 3 different devices that all do something different, and we not only choose the proper laser, but we then choose unique settings on the device to make it optimized for that patient.”
