Laser hair removal can have side effects, especially if precautions and contraindications are not followed. These include
- Skin irritation
- Pain
- Paradoxical regrowth
- Hyperpigmentation or depigmentation
Common side effect: irritated skin
After the treatment, the hair follicles are empty (the hair is gone) and damaged (they have been burned). Therefore, the skin on the treated areas will be irritated in the hours following the treatment.
If the device is set too high, there may even be a risk of burning.
The pain of the treatment
The treatment can be painful, but generally less so than other methods. Devices with the Dynamic Cooling Device (DCD) feature further reduce this discomfort. They spray a cooling agent before each flash.
Paradoxical regrowth
The main undesirable side effect is paradoxical regrowth. Indeed, the laser will stimulate a whole area of the skin and heat up a little around it. This can cause the surrounding hair follicles to react and start producing hair. This is particularly problematic for people with hormonal disorders.
Change in pigmentation
There is also a slight risk of depigmentation or hyperpigmentation (especially if the precautions related to the sun or the contraindications related to medication, for example) are not respected.