The Free Press Journal

Laser hair removal for intimate areas

Last week we saw how laser can make hair removal easy. Today, let’s see how you can use laser for parts of the body that are less exposed and sensitive

- DR USHA BELOSKAR (The writer is the Director and Founder at Sskin Savvy Advanced Aesthetics, Mumbai)

For the last few years, laser hair removal treatment has gained popularity among young Indians. Not just because it is safe, but also less painful compared to the traditiona­l waxing or other such methods. It is hygienic and there are less side-effects or complicati­ons.

Many also resort to laser hair removal for private and intimate areas.

HOW IT WORKS

To understand the safety one needs to be aware of how a laser works. There are different types of lasers used for hair reduction — Nd:Yag, Diode and Triple Wavelength. These lasers have affinity for melanin pigment in the hair. Melanin in hair absorbs the laser light and gets converted into heat energy and destroys hair roots. Hence, it is just limited to your hair and does not go beyond it. As the laser light gets absorbed by only melanin, there’s no chance of the light passing through skin layers like subcutaneo­us tissues or internal organs. It is safe and doesn’t affect genitals.

The long standing rumour about laser hair removal causing infertilit­y is just that, a rumour. The laser penetrates less than a millimetre into the skin and doesn’t get anywhere near your ovaries.

The challenge in intimate areas in Caucasian skin is that it is mostly hyperpigme­nted skin due to friction or hormonal issues like insulin resistance (acanthosis nigricans) or use of too much chemicals in form of deodorants.

In such cases, there is chance of laser induced heat reactions, which are treatable and avoidable if proper laser energy is used along with cooling and coolgel applicatio­n during treatment. The chance of having any reaction is negligible (0.1 per cent) if done profession­ally.

Laser hair removal is generally safe for the bikini area, but you can make it even safer by doing your research and minimising your risk of complicati­ons after treatment. Ensure the treatment is done by a profession­al. Always tell the profession­al about the chemicals you use in that area.

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BENEFITS

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