Dermatologists call for more regulation on laser hair removal

Dermatologists are calling for more regulations on laser hair removal, due to the swathes of untrained, inexperienced beauty therapists providing these services in Melbourne.

While there are no official figures, burns are not uncommon during laser hair removal procedures. Most burns are not severe enough to be reported, but this doesn’t mean burns are not serious: the truth is, they shouldn’t be happening at all.

There is a lack of regulation in Australia and globally when it comes to laser hair removal, with thousands of Australians undergoing the procedure every year in beauty clinics, at the dermatologists, and at other specialist laser clinics. There are plenty of reputable clinics and therapists in Melbourne; however, there are also therapists who are not completely across laser hair removal techniques – knowing how to tell the difference is key to a good outcome.

Women with darker skin are suffering more burns than anyone else, due to many lasers being inappropriate for use on darker skins. There are only a handful of lasers that are appropriate for darker skin, the likes of which we use at our Melbourne clinic for laser hair removal.

Burns can occur when the laser operator uses the wrong laser with the wrong settings for the skin and hair type they are treating. The skin can burn, blister, and sometimes scar. Considering many laser hair removal treatments are performed on very intimate areas, this lack of regulation is even more concerning.

Laser hair removal treatments should be performed by a qualified, experienced practitioner under the supervision of a doctor or by a doctor. Lasers are high-powered medical devices and left in the wrong hands can cause immense damage to skin and even eyes.

Another issue in the laser hair removal industry is incorrect lasers being used. Pulsed light machines are not as good as a laser at hair removal, and may be ineffective, particularly on some skin types with some hair colours. This could result in more treatments than necessary, which equals greater expense of both money and time. Hair reduction may not even meet your expectations.

Lasers have become freely available to anyone with enough money to buy one, with cheap imports coming out of Asia – a quick glance down any Melbourne street reveals multiple laser clinics, laser tattoo removal clinics, and laser hair removal clinics. Cheap lasers are typically not as well-produced as other higher quality (pricier) machines or they are not suited to the particular job.

Laser hair removal techniques take some specialised training to perfect, and experience trumps everything when it comes to any cosmetic procedure. Equipment in this case, is meaningful in terms of the time it takes to get results and the amount of hair reduced; however, your practitioner is ultimately the user of the machine with you on the other end of it.

When choosing a laser hair removal practitioner and clinic, make sure they have the appropriate laser for hair laser and that their practitioners are experienced in your skin tone and type. If you have darker skin, this is doubly important.

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