By Laura
November 27, 2023
6 minutes
Laser hair removal is a fantastic option if you want to reduce the amount of hair on your body or if you want long-lasting hair-free skin. This treatment is so effective that women all around the globe are now fascinated by it. But with this cosmetic treatment, there’s a risk of potential scars and a lot of girls are concerned about it.
That’s why in this article, we’re going to highlight the causes, prevention, and treatment of laser hair removal scars that you may get during the treatment.
Table of Contents:
- Part 1: Does Laser Hair Removal Leave Scars?
- Part 2: How to Treat Laser Hair Removal Scars?
- Part 3: How to Get Rid of Scars From Laser Hair Removal?
- Part 4: Does Laser Hair Removal Help With Scars?
Part 1: Does Laser Hair Removal Leave Scars?
Even though this treatment is considered one of the safest hair removal treatments, there’s still a slim chance of getting scars on your body during the treatment. But whether you will get scars or not, depends on so many things.
Factors That Can Cause Scars During Laser Hair Removal Treatment
The Color of Your Skin
Remember that lasers target the melanin of the hair follicles and this melanin is dark in color. But if your skin color is dark as well, then it will absorb a lot of laser beams, which can leave burns and scars. But to avoid such a situation, your esthetician will try their best to adjust the machine’s settings accordingly.
Wrong Technique Used By Your Esthetician
Sometimes estheticians, especially the novices, can set the machine incorrectly or follow the wrong procedure, which can cause scars on the treatment area. When it comes to laser hair removal treatment, high precision is important, which is not easy for all estheticians.
Recent Exposure To Sun
If you tanned recently, or if you kept the treatment area exposed to sunlight for a long time, then you should most probably be expecting scars there because your skin is already fighting the damage from the harshness of the sunlight and lasers will further increase the heat there. Not only scars, but you can also experience burning sensations. So don’t tan or go out in direct sun for a long time shortly before your treatment session.
Important Steps To Reduce The Risk Of Scarring
Go With A Qualified Esthetician
Since laser hair removal is all about experience, precision, and a focused mindset, you need to choose an esthetician who has all these skills. Go with one that can operate the machine properly, cares about your health and well-being, and takes all the important steps to keep the risk at bay.
Follow Proper Aftercare
Even if the treatment went flawlessly, not following proper aftercare can cause the heat to remain built up and that can leave you with the scars. Applying moisturizers, cooling agents, etc., will help your skin fight against all the heat and avoid scars.
Part 2: How to Treat Laser Hair Removal Scars?
If you need to deal with the scars that you got from laser hair removal treatment, then you have:
- Scar creams and gels: You can get these over the counters and their application is just like any regular cream. They’ll give you a quick cooling effect and that can treat scars to some extent. This is one of the topical treatments.
- Chemical peels: Your dermatologist can prescribe you chemical peels to exfoliate the damaged skin and that will remove the part that has scars.
- Silicone Gel Sheets: These gel sheets can be put directly on the affected area and they’ll help you cool down any burning sensations and flatten the scar. But this will be a little lengthy process.
- Microneedling: it’s rather a tricky process, where they will use tiny needles to create micro-injuries in the skin and that will produce collagen. Due to that, your skin’s overall texture will improve in that area and that will fade away the scars.
You Need to Consult Your Dermatologist First
Remember that even though there are so many options open, you still need to see a doctor, show them your scars, and get a personalized solution. They’ll inspect the scar and tell you what’s the best option for you based on the scar type and its severity.
Part 3: How to Get Rid of Scars From Laser Hair Removal: Avoiding Scars
Since scars can become a nightmare and a headache, here are some ways through which you can avoid them before you head to your laser hair removal session.
- Don’t go out in the sun: When you get a laser hair removal treatment, your skin will go through a lot of heat and harshness. And when you expose your skin to too much heat and sunlight, it’ll get even more vulnerable to scars. The best way is to not go out in the sun or keep your treatment area covered.
- Don’t tan: Tanning can again make your skin vulnerable to scars because it puts a lot of stress on the skin.
- Keep the treatment area shaved: When you shave your treatment area before shaving, the lasers will be more focused on your hair follicles rather than your skin. That’s one brilliant way to make sure that your skin stays out of harm’s way during the treatment.
Importance of Seeking Professional Advice
Your Medical Professional Will Advice Personalized Solutions
Based on your scar’s condition, your doctor will give you a custom and personalized treatment and solution, which will work best on your body.
They Can Monitor Progress
When you get the treatment under your doctor’s direction, they’ll monitor your scar removal progress. So, if the treatment isn’t working or if you need any different medications, they can tell you on time.
You Can Minimize The Overall Risk
Getting a scar removal treatment all by yourself will be tricky and very risky, but your doctor can make sure there’s no further risk in the treatment because they’re the experts in this field. Overall risk will be nil.
Part 4: Does Laser Hair Removal Help With Scars?
Yes, laser hair removal is very effective in improving the appearance of scars to some extent. This section elaborates on that.
How Can Laser Hair Removal Improve Scar Appearance?
It Can Improve The Texture
With lasers, we can make the overall texture of the skin smoother by improving collagen production in that area. That way, those scars will fade away.
Laser Treatment Can Reduce The Pigmentation
During a laser treatment, we can target the lasers to the scars and reduce their discoloration to some extent.
Your Skin Tone Can Be Improved
When the lasers target the scars, it can encourage your skin to develop new skin cells and that can even out the entire skin tone in that region.
How Does Laser Treatment Stimulate Collagen Production?
Collagen Remodelling
When the laser devices shoot light beams toward the skin, they penetrate the skin and stimulate the production of collagen. Collagen is a protein, that maintains our skin’s texture and elasticity.
By Breaking Down The Scar Tissue
When the light beams penetrate your skin, they generate a lot of heat, which is enough to break down the scar tissue. Also in the meantime, those light beams will help your body to distribute the collagen fibers in a better way.
Try Consulting A Dermatologist
When you visit your trusted dermatologist, he/she can inspect the situation and tell you how you can proceed with the laser treatment to get rid of that scar. They can also tell you any home remedies (if possible) instead of going for a surgical treatment.
Conclusion
So, we just saw that laser hair removal causes scars, and if yes, then how does laser hair removal remove scars? By now you do realize that your laser hair removal treatment can leave you with scars, especially if you choose a cheap and unreliable salon. But if you’ve already got some scars, you can get rid of them with the help of different topical and surgical treatments. However, as we advised earlier, it becomes very important to see a doctor even if you think that the scar isn’t that severe. Remember that your doctor knows your body better than anyone else and only they can tell you what to do and how to proceed with the scar treatment. After all, you wouldn’t want that scar to get worse.
