Generally, laser hair removal treatments work best on fair skinned people with dark hair, so if you have blond hair or dark skin, you may not be a good candidate. People who have very light colored skin and those with very dark colored skin are often not qualified for this type of treatment.

In recent years, however, new lasers have been developed to work with other skin and hair combination. They are now able to target dark black hair in patients with dark skin or light hair (blond or gray) in patients with dark skin. Some studies indicated that patients with tanned or dark skin can now achieve hair reduction equal to fair skinned patients without undesirable side effects.

You have to understand that different lasers have been developed for different skin and hair combinations, so you’ll need to find a clinic with laser that works best for your skin type and hair color. Because everyone’s skin is different so go for a consultation and have a test patch done.

Once you find the right clinic, your results will depend on:

• Your hair type and skin type
• How many sessions you have. Usually a complete treatment is 3-4 sessions, but you may need 5 or more with darker skin tones or light hair.
• Your willingness to accept the fact that you may only achieve a 50% reduction in hair
• The clinic investments in technology and new lasers.
• The laser professional skill in working with laser technology. An experienced professional can make a difference when working with more difficult skin tones.

In special situations when laser hair removal is not recommended (because of certain medical conditions, for example, lupus or diabetes), you may be referred to an electrolysis practice or, if that’s not an option either, there are also some effective temporary hair removal treatments that you can do yourself at home.

Read more on my Laser Hair Removal blog. Also read about Laser Hair Removal Price, Laser Hair Removal For Bikini Line, and other methods of hair removal, such as waxing hair removal.

If you are worried about possible laser hair removal side effects and risks, consider this. Laser hair removal procedure has been around quite a long time now and the equipment used has undergone a great deal of progress from where it first started. As a result, you no longer have to be concerned about the safety about laser treatment. The procedure is very effective for removing unwanted hair and has very few side effects.

The most common side effect is redness and some swelling in the area of removal. Skin may appear pink or red after treatment, but is not painful. This usually disappears after a few minutes, in other cases after a few hours, or in still other cases, a few days. Use of cold packs will speed up the recovery time and ease any discomfort.

Some people may notice the skin in the area of removal appear lighter. This is more common for people with a darker complexion and is only temporary. In very rare cases, blistering and discoloration of moles are also some issues that laser hair removal can cause.

Fortunately, these side effects are not severe. Be gentle with your skin following treatment; do not pick at or scrub the skin and be sure to protect it from the sun, avoiding sun exposure or wearing light clothing.

Read more about cost of Laser Hair Removal, male laser hair removal, Laser Hair Removal For Bikini Line, and other methods of hair removal, such as waxing hair removal.