Is ND Yag Laser Really Effective on Indian Skin?

Question

I am from India and have brown skin and dark hair. I have had at least 9 sessions of laser hair removal on my leg. I still have hair growth, may be not as much as before, but substantial. My tech says she cannot go any higher in terms of intensity. Does this means the technology is not useful for Indian skin? Can someone comment on approx how many sessions one may need to get completely hair free for an Indian?

Harold J. Kaplan, MD · Answer

Hi Ria. Unless the East Indian patient we are treating is VERY dark and has VERY coarse hair, we do not use the Yag laser. Yes, it is safer than a Diode laser, but it is also much less effective. We would seek out a practitioner that uses the Lumenis Lightsheer. It is the most common laser hair removal device in the world and is fine for East Indian skin.

Richard Fitzpatrick, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

since the brown pigment in the skin is the same brown pigment that is being targeted in the hair certain " tricks " must be done to protect the brown skin and prevent it from blistering. One is to use a long wavelength that is not so easily absorbed by the wavelength used ( hence the ND Yag laser ). The second is to cool the surface of the skin simultaneously while treating. Third is using a long pulse width (50 ms or more ) to have the hair follicle become the primary target of the laser. When treatment is done there should be little dots of swelling visible at the surface surrounding each hair treated. As you can see this is a complex treatment and should be performed by a laser expert not a technician

Is ND Yag Laser Really Effective on Indian Skin?

Answers (2)