Laser hair removal for asian and black skin

Laser hair removal is becoming more popular for everyone including those of us with darker skin. As lasers target the melanin in hair, this becomes more difficult when there is also melanin in the skin, giving it a darker colour. Side effects are more likely ie. post treatment burns, purpura, hyper and hypopigmentation, crusting and scarring. Risks are minimised by using longer pulse durations with cooling devices and lasers with longer wavelengths which penetrate more deeply into the skin, to deliver more energy to the hair root and maximising the effectiveness of treatment.

Pulsed Ruby Laser - Not recommended for darker skin

Alexandrite Laser -  Not recommended for darker skin

Diode Laser - have longer wavelengths of 800nm upto 1000nm so can be used with caution

Nd:YAG - has an even higher wavelength of 1064nm and is highly recommended for people with the darkest skin types.

Following article courtesy of Cynosure

For safe and effective hair removal, Cynosure offers the entry-level Apogee 5500, a high-powered long-pulsed alexandrite laser that can treat brown to black hair in white to light Asian skin types quickly and with minimal discomfort. The Apogee also treats epidermal pigmented lesions such as age spots, sun spots and freckles in 1 – 2 treatments. Long-pulsed alexandrite technology is considered by doctors to be the “gold-standard” for treating dark hair in light skin types.

For Asian to black and sun-tanned skin types requesting hair removal, Cynosure offers the Acclaim, a high-powered long-pulsed neodymium YAG (Nd/YAG) laser. The Acclaim also treats broken thread veins on the face and legs. Long-pulsed Nd/YAG technology is considered by doctors to be the “gold-standard” for treating pigmented hair in dark skin types.

Both the Apogee and the Acclaim can easily be upgraded on-site at any time to Cynosure’s award-winning Elite, combining long-pulsed alexandrite and long-pulsed Nd/YAG laser technologies in one compact, easy to use box. The reason the Elite is so popular is that it is versatile, removing unwanted hair in all skin types (including sun-tanned patients) with unsurpassed safety, efficacy and client comfort. The Elite also treats broken thread veins and epidermal pigmented lesions, such as age spots, sun spots and freckles.

Pre, peri and post-operative skin cooling is achieved using the cost-effective SmartCool chilled-air cooler, affording maximum comfort to the patient whilst minimising potential side-effects.

Having a range of excellent lasers is only half the story of our success. We realise the importance of giving customers friendly, prompt and efficient service to ensure that they have the absolute minimal disruption to the client services they offer. All our systems are backed up by our first-class service and clinical support, for which we are renowned.

Cynosure is recognised as one of the UK’s leading suppliers of aesthetic lasers with over 15 years experience. We have over 200 installations in NHS hospitals, private clinics and beauty salons and are always happy to arrange reference site visits if required.