Laser hair removal can be a painful procedure that sometimes causes side effects that range from temporary to permanent depending on who conducts your session and any precautions taken prior and during treatment.
People with darker or newly tanned skin are more prone to experiencing burns during laser hair removal due to the melanin in their skin competing with pigments in the hair follicles and making results less effective.
Cooling
When laser hair removal burns occur, it is vitally important to take immediate steps to treat them in order to avoid infection and alleviate pain. This may mean applying an ointment with skin cooling properties or applying a cold compress that constricts blood vessels to relieve pain and swelling – this action will allow the burnt area to heal faster while improving its appearance as well.
Other than using skin cooling treatments, there are other steps you can take to minimize laser hair removal burns. These include selecting a licensed provider with extensive experience performing laser treatments as well as conducting a patch test to make sure that it will be safe for you.
Prior to your session, it is wise to remove any products which might irritate or sensitize the treatment area such as fragrances, deodorants or skincare products that might aggravate it such as fragrances, deodorants and antiperspirants. Shaving can also help ensure laser energy can more accurately target hair follicles under the surface of skin for maximum precision in hair removal.
Though not many will experience laser hair removal burns, those that do should seek medical help immediately if they experience them. This is especially crucial if the burns occur on the face; facial injuries tend to take longer to heal properly than other parts of the body. If signs of infection such as bad smell, increased pain or pus are present, it’s essential to see a physician quickly.
Dependent upon the severity of your burn, natural skin color could take anywhere from several weeks to several months to return. Concealing facial burns may prove particularly challenging.
Laser hair removal burns typically involve minor, first-degree burns that resemble heat burns. While not ideal, they can usually be managed easily with proper care from both pre and post treatment care recommendations from your practitioner and by not popping blisters that form post treatment as this could lead to infections.
Pain Relief
Laser hair removal can be an ideal way to effectively get rid of unwanted body hair. It makes shaving, waxing and plucking unnecessary while leaving skin smooth – and reduces issues such as folliculitis and discoloration caused by traditional methods like shaving. Unfortunately, laser treatments do not come without risk, however; one such risk being burn injuries from improper handling of equipment or technicians with no experience handling laser equipment properly – however there are steps which can be taken to minimize such risks.
First step to prevent laser hair removal burns: ensure the procedure is performed by a licensed, experienced technician. This will help ensure the equipment is calibrated appropriately and settings tailored specifically to each client based on skin type, hair color and thickness.
When an injury occurs during treatment, it’s crucial that it’s treated immediately if minor. Cooling the burn with ice or cold water is helpful and should also avoid using oil-based ointments that trap in heat as this can increase its intensity further. When blisters appear they should not be broken as this increases susceptibility to infection; alternatively a doctor or nurse may instruct to wrap loosely the injured area in gauze for maximum care and protection.
Antibiotic creams can also help weakened skin heal faster, but the key step for avoiding laser hair removal burn scars is wearing high-SPF sunscreen every day and covering any exposed areas from direct sunlight. If the scars are more severe, however, a doctor may suggest chemical peels or other treatment options to minimize their appearance; additionally using moisturizer with aloe vera as this can provide extra soothing for damaged areas of skin can be highly beneficial as well.
Medications
Mild burns may heal without medical intervention or even a visit to the doctor; for more severe ones, however, your physician might prescribe antibacterial or steroid creams in order to combat infection and promote healing; they could also provide pain medication and skin grafting as possible remedies.
Preventing laser hair removal burns starts with choosing an experienced clinic and practitioner, then shaving 24 hours prior to treatment and avoiding sun exposure and certain skincare products. Finally, test the laser on a small area of skin first in order to make sure that it’s safe before going ahead with actual sessions.
Laser hair removal burns often resemble light sunburn, with reddening, swelling and blisters appearing on the skin. A burn will likely also itch; to relieve symptoms patients can take a cool bath or apply an icy compress over the affected area to soothe it; also applying non-greasy cream may help as well.
At first, the most essential step is protecting a burned area from further injury by limiting sun exposure, using high SPF sunscreen whenever available, and wearing loose-fitting clothing that does not irritate skin. Furthermore, keeping it clean while taking an over-the-counter pain reliever should provide relief if any discomfort arises.
If burns blister, they should never be poked as this could lead to infection. Ideally, blisters should rupture on their own but if not, gently trim any excess skin using scissors disinfected with alcohol before using clean scissors to cut any extra length off with. If blisters appear large or likely to burst quickly then medical advice should be sought immediately.
Laser hair removal burns may be minor; in such cases, patients should follow the advice of their practitioner and take pictures if possible to document their condition. In cases requiring further investigation, patients should contact their beauty center’s medical director in order to discuss an effective course of action.
Seek Medical Attention
Laser hair removal is typically a safe process, however burns may result from prolonged laser contact or the use of certain gels during treatment. If symptoms such as redness, swelling and pain arise while receiving laser hair removal treatments it’s essential that proper precautions be taken in treating any laser hair removal-induced burns as soon as possible; more serious burns require medical assistance for treatment.
Pre and post-treatment recommendations provided by your practitioner should always be abided by. This may involve rinsing the burn with cool water before using topical treatments such as aloe vera or hydrocortisone cream to relieve pain, soothe the skin and promote healing. It’s also essential not to pop any blisters that form as this could lead to infection and further damage skin tissue.
One key way to reduce the risk of laser hair removal burns is ensuring you receive treatment from a licensed cosmetologist. Reputable salons will conduct a patch test prior to beginning treatment; any salon that fails to conduct one should be avoided as soon as possible.
Some individuals are more vulnerable to laser hair removal burns than others, including those with thinner or darker skin, those who use lighter laser applicators devices and those whose bodies contain melanin that competes with it within hair follicles. Researchers have discovered that laser energy converted to heat by debris on laser applicator devices can lead to burns in those areas where this happens more frequently; moreover, researchers believe these burns may also result from melanin in the skin competing with melanin within hair follicles, creating heat during hair removal sessions resulting from competing melanin in hair follicles competing with melanin in skin cells within hair follicles themselves resulting in burns occurring most frequently on faces, necks, armpits and bikini areas. Researchers believe laser energy being converted directly into heat by melanin competing melanin found within hair follicles competing with melanin present within hair follicles creating heat while simultaneously turning on/off laser energy being converted directly into heat by either melanin competition between melanin in skin competing with melanin found within hair follicles competing with each other or competing with each follicle competing with melanin found within them both areas causing burns caused by either too much melanin competing for melanin which causes these burns caused by laser applicator device collecting debris accumulator device or melanin competition between skin competing with melanin levels within hair follicles/hairfollicle competing with melanin competition with melanin competing competing melanin within skin competing competition with melanin compete competing follicle/hairfollicle competing from hair follicle follicle compared with melanin competition between which occurs within each other than in hair follicle.
Make sure that the laser device you are using fits with the tone and thickness of your skin. For optimal results, it is wise to consult a professional with experience using FDA approved lasers; this is the safest and most effective way of getting laser hair removal without risk of burns. Furthermore, be sure to inform the laser practitioner if you experience excessively hot or uncomfortable treatment settings as this could indicate miscalculation allowing them to make necessary changes and prevent additional injury to yourself or anyone else in the treatment session.
