Laser Hair Removal - How Secure Is It?

Lasers are being used to remove unwanted hair, resurface the skin to remove scars, wrinkles and boost collagen. But are they safe? This is the question that plays on numerous minds. Let’s try to answer this question here.

First, let’s look at what lasers are. They are basically radiation, but of a safe variety. Laser therapy uses non-ionizing radiation to produce a fine laser beam which in laser hair removal is used to kill the hair follicle. This therapy is used to remove tattoos, plump up the skin and is also used in dental treatments, treatment for varicose veins, skin and eye surgery and as a treatment for skin cancer.

The type of radiation coming out from lasers is sometimes called non-ionising radiation. This is different from ionising radiation from nuclear sources and X-rays which are carcinogenic or cancer-causing. In terms of cancer risk, X-rays and gamma rays are the most dangerous and are known as high-frequency ionising radiation. Yet, X-rays are used even today to take pictures of our bones.

What is important is that when this kind of ionising radiation passes through our bodies, it can cause direct damage to our cell’s DNA and can lead to cancer later on. This doesn’t happen when lasers pass through the layers of our skin. The US Food and Drug Administration, FDA states that the light energy from these lasers does not penetrate deep into the skin. The laser beam remains superficially at the level of the skin and these lasers don’t cause DNA damage and DNA mutations, which are changes in DNA, linked to cancer.

• The pulse of light energy used in laser hair removal treatments, for example, are only designed to zap and destroy hair follicles. A few women have concerns about using these lasers for getting a hair free bikini line around their reproductive organs, but experts suggest that there is no risk for cancer. 
• Experts also clarify that the light from lasers does not go beyond the hair follicle to the internal organs so fertility is also not affected. There is some redness and scarring in treated areas after laser therapy which can easily be treated by using stuff like cold milk, icing and gels.
• Lasers are also said to be safe because laser therapy does not use the same ultraviolet wavelengths which is found in sunlight - UVA and UVB, both of these are known to damage the DNA in cells, causing skin cancer.
• Having said all this, it is incumbent upon us to deliver a warning. Since the long-term risk of cancer due to lasers has not been studied so far, it would be prudent to say that those with a family history of skin cancers should stay away from cosmetic laser procedures for their own safety.