Laser Hair Removal » Has Laser Hair Removal Been Linked to Cancer?

Has Laser Hair Removal Been Linked to Cancer?

There are five different types of laser products used for laser hair removal. The ruby laser was the first type of laser invented and works best for patients with fair, untanned skin and dark hair. Darker skin types with dark hair also respond well, but with a higher incidence of side effects. The ruby laser does not work well for individuals with light-colored hair and dark skin. Ruby lasers are good for treating small areas.

The alexandrite laser was cleared by the FDA in 1997 for laser hair removal. The alexandrite laser works best on patients with light-to-olive complexion. It is the fastest of the laser types and is good for treating large body areas. The alexandrite laser is one of the most widely used lasers for hair removal and is increasingly replacing ruby lasers.

The diode laser has a longer wavelength than the ruby and alexandrite lasers, which allows it to penetrate deeper into the skin, allowing treatment on darker skin types. The diode laser is particularly effective over large areas of the body with fast repetition rates.

The long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser is one of the most common types of laser and is effective on all skin types, including patients with darkly pigmented skin. Large areas of the body can be treated quickly with an Nd:YAG laser, except there may be slightly more discomfort than with other lasers.

Intense pulsed light (IPL) devices are flashlamps not lasers, but are also effective in removing hair like the other lasers. IPL devices are the latest technology for hair removal and are quick and veritably painless with few side effects. One drawback is that IPL devices are more difficult to use than lasers and require a very skilled technician to operate. Good candidates for IPL laser hair removal have lighter skin and darker hair.

All these lasers or devices used for laser hair removal use non-ionizing radiation that is not cancer forming. This non-ionizing radiation produces intense heat but does not penetrate far into the skin and does not cause cell mutation. While lasers are still a fairly new technology, with laser hair removal not becoming commercially available until the mid 1990s, there has been no known association between laser hair removal and cancer.

Laser Hair Removal