Safe to Have Laser Hair Removal Near Body Jewelry?

Question

Can laser hair removal be safely done where there is either steel of titanium body jewelry in the area of laser treatment?

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

It is safe to have laser hair removal near body jewelry.  However, it is the safest option to have a physician perform the treatment.

Harold J. Kaplan, MD · Answer

The answer is yes, you can have laser hair removal in an area adjacent to body jewelry.  The question is how close your practitioner will be able to get with the treatment.
For laser hair removal to be effective, the tip of the laser being used normally needs to rest directly on the skin (this depends on the type of laser and your skin type).  For this to happen, the area needs to be flat.  If your jewelry prevents the area being treated from accepting the tip of the laser flat on the skin, then the area may need to be skipped.   If an area does need to be left untreated, it would normally just be a very small area around the jewelry.  Good luck.

Philip Young, MD · Answer

It is very likely that the jewelry can serve as a reflective device and cause the laser light to reflect off the jewelry and into someone's eyes, etc.  Even with protective devices, this reflection is not safe to have as the protection only serves to partially protect someones eyes. Also, the reflection could cause damage to areas on the body that the laser is reflected on to. So absolutely, you should have the body jewelry removed prior to laser hair reduction.
Consulting a Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon would be something that I would recommend. We specialize in the face and are highly qualified to help you with this.

Safe to Have Laser Hair Removal Near Body Jewelry?

Answers (3)

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