Incidence of side effects after laser hair removal

Abstract

Background Despite the widespread use of lasers for hair removal there are few data published on the incidence of side effects from this treatment. Objective The aim of this study was to generate data on a large number of patients receiving laser hair removal to obtain an accurate assessment of the incidence and type of side effects resulting from treatment. Methods A multicenter prospective study of patients presenting for laser hair removal was conducted to determine incidence of side effects in relation to skin type and laser or lasers used. Results Laser hair removal is associated with a low incidence of side effects that are self-limiting in the majority of cases. The highest incidence of side effects was seen in patients with darker skin treated with the long-pulsed ruby laser. Conclusions Laser hair removal is inherently safe. For darker Fitzpatrick skin types the long-pulsed neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser is preferred to the ruby laser.