Like most people in the world, you are probably dealing with those pesky and annoying unwanted body hairs that seem to cover your entire body. 

You have probably been scouring the internet for ways to remove it easily and preferably without pain, right? 

One of the best solutions you may have come across is to try laser hair removal in order to achieve that silky-smooth skin you so desire. 

Well, we have all been where you are, hoping and praying that laser hair removal will do the trick. But does laser hair removal work on dark skin?

The latest generations of lasers in the market currently have the capacity to target the melanin at the root of the hair, permitting laser hair removal to work efficiently on dark skin without spreading the intense pulse light into the darker high melanin bordering region of the skin, damaging it with the intense pulse light from the laser.

When it comes to all the other methods of hair removal like shaving, waxing, epilating, and even using depilatory cream, no one could care what color your skin was. 

So, why does it matter with laser hair removal? Do darker skin tones affect the outcome of using a laser. Well, the answer is both yes and no. 

Here are some of the things you may need to know about darker skin and using a laser to remove unwanted hair.

How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?

It is important to first understand how laser hair removal works. A concentrated beam of light, as in the laser, is absorbed by the pigment in the hair. 

During the absorption, the light energy is converted to heat which then damages the hair follicles. In most cases, the hair follicle is only damaged enough to delay the rate at which the hair grows substantially. 

This means that it can take anywhere between three to twelve months for the hair to grow back. Only in rare cases do the lasers permanently destroy the hair follicle. 

In order to really see a difference, you would have to undergo more than a handful of laser treatments. 

However, you will be happy to know that hair takes longer to grow back after each treatment. Another benefit of laser hair removal is the precision that comes with it, meaning that almost any part of your body that is covered with unwanted hair could be treated. 

This includes your legs, armpits, bikini line, upper lip, or any other body part that grows hair. Unfortunately, lasers usually blast out thin beams of light, so the bigger the area with hair, the longer it will take to go over it all.

Why Was Dark Skin A Factor In The Past?

The problem that women of color faced in the past when it came to laser hair removal was the contrast of colors. 

The technology in the lasers relied on the laser focusing on the dark hair before emitting the intense light beams. 

This is why laser hair removal was most successful in people with light skin and dark hair. The problem is the same for people with light skin and light hair. 

The lasers simply could not distinguish between hair and skin, which meant that the beam of light that was meant to burn the hair follicle had a very good chance of burning your skin instead.

What Were The Side Effects Of Laser Hair Removal On Dark Skin?

Before the technology for removing hair with lasers became available for people of color, laser treatments actually did more harm than good. 

While not all those who attempted laser treatments had the same side effects, it was likely for you to develop blisters and scarring around the hair follicles. 

Some people ended up with either light or dark spots on their skin. This was due to the fact that dark hair and dark skin offered little to no contrast, making it incredibly difficult for the laser to pinpoint the hair follicle. 

These are just some examples of the worst-case scenarios. The best-case scenario involves no damage, but the treatment would have yielded little to no results, meaning that you just spent a big chunk of money for nothing.

One thing that most people don’t realize is that dark skin is actually more sensitive than lighter skin tones, which means that people of color have a big chance of walking out of a laser treatment with something having gone wrong. 

If the skin was damaged and the laser caused a pigment change, this irregular skin tone could and would be permanent.

Does Laser Hair Removal Work On Dark Skin Today?

Thanks to the ever-evolving and developing world, not to mention a strong demand from people of color, we now have the technology to accurately distinguish the hair follicle from the skin, no matter how dark the skin may be. 

The technology today is able to bypass the pigmentation problem that has caused problems for people of color in the past. 

Dark skin and hair need to be treated differently from the skin of other races due to the high melanin content found in darker-skinned people.

The problem was that lasers in the past would target the melanin in the skin as well as the hair follicles, as a result, the process would be ineffective and you could suffer skin burns.  

With the advances in technology, the newest lasers on the market now have the ability to specifically target the melanin in the root of the hair without dispersing the laser light into the surrounding dark skin, with its high melanin content. 

This simple advancement makes laser hair removal possible on darker skin tones.

While the technology is more advanced, it’s not entirely necessary. There have been many specialists in the past who had years of experience under the belt when it came to treating people with darker skin. 

They knew exactly what to do and what to look for, and they would not take any risks if they felt they could not accomplish what you were looking for. 

All you had to do was enquire whether a certain facility had experience working on removing hair off of people with darker skin. 

Most facilities offer before and after pictures as a way of assuring their prospective clients that they knew exactly what they were doing. 

Should You Try Laser Hair Removal?

Every form of hair removal comes with its pros and cons, and anyone who said that nothing could go wrong with a laser treatment would be lying to you. Just like the other methods, there are some downsides to lasers. 

For example, it tends to be more expensive than the more conventional methods of shaving and waxing. 

However, if you are tired of shaving every other day, or experiencing the excruciating pain of ripping the hair from your skin when waxing, then maybe its time to try the laser treatment that will leave you with smooth, hairless skin for months at a time.

TIP: To minimize the risk of skin damage, it would be best to see a specialist who has plenty of experience using laser treatments on people with color. 

While there are advanced lasers that you can buy yourself for an at-home DIY treatment, you might not want to take the risk, especially if you are a first-timer with really dark skin. Better to be safe than sorry.

Does laser hair removal work on dark skin? You do not have to worry about that question anymore. Now, let us get rid of those unwanted hairs. Don’t suffer in silence!

Visit the main hair removal page for as much information on hair removal as possible. You can also visit the main IPL hair removal page. Thank you for visiting the lovely skin stuff site.  We appreciate you greatly.