Yag Vs Diode Laser for Hair Removal on Skin Type IV?

While Diode laser can be treated for darker skin, Nd:Yag is the gold standard for laser hair removal for darker skin individuals to minimize risks of post-treatment blistering and pigmentary changes. Make sure that the laser hair removal is performed under direct supervision of board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon to minimize post-treatment complication.

I would recommend the 1064 ND YAG for Type IV skin. In the right hands this laser can be safely used even on type 6 skin. The diode is truly a better hair removal laser wavelength, but is tricky on darker skin types. You definitely run a higher risk of some pigment changes or blistering if not in the hands of someone very skilled in treating type 4 skin and up.
The inflammation you experienced with your YAG treatment is perifollicular edema, which means you got an effective treatment. You would probably need more treatments to remove the hair than one. (average is 6). On darker skin types a hair reduction program with maintenance treatments is more realistic than permanent hair removal. Hope this helps.

With darker skin types, we recommend hair removal with the long pulsed ND:YAG laser as opposed to a diode type of hair removal laser.
The major risk of hair removal in darker skin is that the skin can burn and become hyper or worse hypopigmented with loss of skin color.
If you are darker where you want to be treated, it is safer to use the long pulsed ND:YAG for hair removal which is indicated for all skin types. I hope this information helps.

I have performed thousands of Yag laser hair removal treatments on dark skin and feel that it is superior to any other laser for dark complexions. Always seek the advice of a trained clinician.

Thank you for your question! Laser hair removal works on almost every skin type from very light-skinned people (or what's known as Type I) all the way up to Type V or even VI (which is dark skin).Some terminology to know: Light-skinned people will usually receive treatment from an Alexandrite or Diode laser, while darker-skinned people will receive treatment from an Nd:YAG laser. While Diode laser can be treated for darker skin, Nd:Yag is the gold standard for laser hair removal for darker skin individuals to minimize risks of post-treatment blistering and pigmentary changes. Make sure that the laser hair removal is performed under direct supervision of board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon to minimize post-treatment complication. However blonde, gray, or light red hair is difficult to treat. Best of luck!