Are there any adverse affects or individuals who cannot be treated with laser hair removal?
FDA clearance for the safety and effectiveness of laser hair removal was achieved in 1997. In over 1,000 research treatments performed, only transient side effects have been noted. There is mild pain associated with the treatments, which has been likened to the light snap of a rubber band. For those wishing to minimize any discomfort, topical anesthetic cream can be prescribed, however, it must be applied an hour and a half before treatment and occluded with Saran wrap. Some degree of redness or swelling may occur, but usually does not persist much beyond a few hours to a few days. Occasionally blisters can develop, and extremely rarely, scarring or infection can occur (to date we have not seen scarring or infection in any of our laser hair patients). The darker ones skin color, the more than one is at risk for changes in skin color, hypo or hyper pigmentation. Usually any changes in skin color will fade over time, but permanent discoloration is a very remote possibility (we have seen
