If you're not happy with shaving, tweezing, or waxing to remove unwanted hair, laser hair removal may be an option worth considering. Laser hair removal is one of the most commonly done cosmetic procedures in the U.S. It beams highly concentrated light into hair follicles. Pigment in the follicles absorb the light. That destroys the hair.

Lasers are useful for removing unwanted hair from the face, leg, chin, back, arm, underarm, bikini line, and other areas. Benefits of laser hair removal include: Precision. Lasers can selectively target dark, coarse hairs while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged.

• Precision: Lasers can selectively target dark, coarse hairs while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged.
• Speed: Each pulse of the laser takes a fraction of a second and can treat many hairs at the same time. The laser can treat an area approximately the size of a quarter every second. Small areas such as the upper lip can be treated in less than a minute, and large areas, such as the back or legs, may take up to an hour.
• Predictability: Most patients have permanent hair loss after an average of three to seven sessions.
• Pre-Care: Limit yourself to plucking, waxing, and electrolysis for six weeks before treatment. That's because the laser targets the hairs' roots, which are temporarily removed by waxing or plucking. Sun exposure should also be avoided for six weeks before and after treatment. Sun exposure makes laser hair removal less effective and makes complications after treatment more likely.
• Recovery and Risks: For a day or two afterward, the treated area of your skin will look and feel like it's sunburned. Cool compresses and moisturizers may help. If your face was treated, you can wear makeup the next day unless your skin is blistering. Over the next month, your treated hair will fall out. Wear sunscreen for the following month to help prevent temporary changes in the color of the treated skin. Blisters are rare but are more likely in people with darker complexions. Other potential side effects are swelling, redness, and scarring. Permanent scarring or changes in skin color are rare.

This procedure isn't recommended during pregnancy. This is primarily due to the fact that no human studies have proved the safety of laser hair treatments during pregnancy.

Follow-up treatments are necessary to get the most out of laser hair removal. The exact number of maintenance laser treatments varies by individual. Most people need between four and six laser therapy sessions. Each session should space out by five to six weeks each. After each session, you'll likely notice fewer hairs. Any hair that remains or regenerates will also be lighter in both texture and color. The rate of reduction thereafter will improve, but will also vary.

• Can laser hair removal be used while pregnant? This procedure isn't recommended during pregnancy. This is primarily due to the fact that no human studies have proved the safety of laser hair treatments during pregnancy. If you're pregnant and looking at laser hair removal, consider waiting until after delivery. Your doctor will likely recommend that you wait several weeks to be safe.
• Can laser hair removal cause cancer? Different lasers are used to treat sun damage and wrinkles. The lasers used in hair removal or other skin procedures have such a minimal amount of radiation. Plus, the minimal amount is only being exacted on the surface of the skin. So, they don't pose a risk of cancer.
• Can laser hair removal cause infertility? It's also a myth that laser hair removal can cause infertility. Only the skin surface is affected by the lasers, so the minimal radiation from the procedure can't penetrate to any of your organs. Talk to your doctor about potential risks if you're currently trying to get pregnant.