I Have Type 3-4 Skin and Want to Get Laser Hair Removal. Which is Better, Diode or Alexandrite?

asked 1 year ago by ANY511 in Albany, NY
Latest answer by Jessica J. Krant, MD, MPH
Question viewed 758 times
Tags: comparison, sideburns, skin type III, skin type IV

I want to remove some of the hair on my sideburn area. Some of the hairs are lighter than others and I know I won't get 100% removal, but I'd like to get rid of the darker hairs without a great risk of hyperpigmentation or inducing excess hair growth. During some consultations I was told that the Alexandrite would be fine for reducing some of the sideburn area, while at others I was told that I should never use an Alexandrite on my skin. What should I do?

6 answers to I Have Type 3-4 Skin and Want to Get Laser Hair Removal. Which is Better, Diode or Alexandrite?

Laser hair removal on dark skin

Laser hair removal works best on dark hair. Since your skin is somewhat dark, there is a risk that the epidermis would absorb more energy than is desired and this can cause a burn. Therefore a longer wavelength laser, that penetrates deeper in the dermis and not as superficial as the shorter wavelength lasers, won't risk injury to the epidermal pigmentation as much. Risks still occur and test spots can be done to determine what the best energy level is. It may take more treatments... more

Ronald Shelton, MD
Manhattan Dermatologist

Nd:YAG laser best for hair removal on darker skin types.

If you are concerned about the safety of laser hair removal due to your darker skin type and risk of hyperpigmentation, the longer wavelength lasers will be better for you. The Nd:YAG (CoolGlide) laser is what we use in our office with good results and little to no risk of dark marks left when safe treatment parameters are used. This laser also has contact cooling which additionally decreases the risk of hypo- or hyperpigmentation from the cooling itself.

Jessica J. Krant, MD, MPH
Manhattan Dermatologic Surgeon

www.ArtofDermatology.com

Which Laser for Asian or Hispanic Permanent Hair Removal?

Hi ANY. Your skin type is suitable for either laser with proper cooling, but we prefer the Lumenis Lightsheer because it uses contact cooling rather than air cooling. As the other practitioners have stated, the long pulsed Nd:Yg laser is also an option, but we typically do not use this unless the hair is very coarse (Middle Eastern, Persian) or if the skin is very dark, African American. With an experienced practitioner, you should do fine with the Lightsheer. more

Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Diode is better than Alexandrite for Skin type 3-4.

At SkinMD Seattle, we successfully use the Lumenis LightSheer Diode laser to treat all skin types. An alternative laser is the Nd:YAG. Make sure you are treated at a facility that has experience treating darker skin types. If you wish to gauge how your skin will react to each the hair reduction lasers mentioned, I suggest you have a test patch treated, off-face and watch for any skin response over a 2 to 5 day period.

Anifat Balogun, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

Hair removal lasers work best when the skin is not dark.

Type 3-4 skin is borderline for reliable safety when having hair removal with lasers. Even darker skin types (type 5 for example) can have laser hair removal BUT the laser has to be a long wave length (say 1064 nm) and not the diodes nor the Alexandrite...........they may very well give you a burn. You need a doctor to carefully treat you with lasers to prevent injury (burns) and the difference between diodes and Alexandrite is not too significant. Diodes can have different wavelengths so the more

Harlow Hollis, MD
Victoria Plastic Surgeon

Darker Skin type laser hair removal

The safest laser for darker skin types is actually the long-pulsed ND YAG laser at 1064nm. This will allow for deeper pentration to the base of the hair follicle while avoinding the more superficial pigment of the darker skin types. No matter which laser you choose, you should consider a test spot first to ensure that optimal levels can be tolerated with no adverse effects.

Shawn Allen, MD
Boulder Dermatologist

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