A question from India regarding safety of laser hair removal.

Dr. Irwin
February 23, 2013
Dear Irwin My name is Richa and i am from india. I have facial hair on my chin and i feel so embarrassed..i have fair complexion...i don't want to go for threading or waxing..i never had this problem of chin hair before..but now they are most visible..i went to my dermotologist.. he said u can go for diode laser treatment but first u will have to go for hormonal test on 2nd day of your period...but my date is next month..now he is saying..i can go for first laser sitting without getting test done..he said..you can get ur test done next month...but u can take first laser sitting...m having irregular periods for last 3-4 months...m sooooo scared...of all the potential side effects..n all...please suggest me what should i do...can i go for laser treatment without getting Hormonal test done? please reply Thankyou! Regards, Richa

Hello Richa –  thank you for visiting SkinTour!

If your skin is fairly light in color and the doctor and his/her nurses are well trained, generally the diode based laser hair systems like the LightSheer by Lumenis will be safe for you.  If you were darker skinned, it is safer to go with an Nd:YAG (Neodymium YAG) based hair removal laser.

 I’m going to assume you’re not pregnant because we generally don’t recommend lasers during pregnancy (just to be extra safe!).   Generally, there is no need to wait for a test of your hormones to start laser treatments.

When we have a patient with irregular periods, we recommend that they see a gynecologist for an evaluation.  If the gynecologist finds a condition called Polycystic Ovaries, which can cause facial hair growth, irregular periods and sometimes acne, then the laser treatments will not work as well as they normally do.   It doesn’t mean that you can’t do them, but it may mean you will need more treatments and more maintenance after the initial series.  So please see your gynecologist for an evaluation.

 Hope this helps,  Dr. I

 

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

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