Question
hi
i went to the beach recently, and I applied ample sunscreen to avoid getting a tan like the tech said. But I'm not sure exactly why I cannot get a tan, is it to avoid burning? Will the laser detect the hair if im just a little darker than usual? I didn't get that much darker, so I hope it won't make a difference. I dont burn easily, I've done LHR 3 times. thanks

Answer
hi
i went to the beach recently, and I applied ample sunscreen to avoid getting a tan like the tech said. But I'm not sure exactly why I cannot get a tan, is it to avoid burning? Will the laser detect the hair if im just a little darker than usual? I didn't get that much darker, so I hope it won't make a difference. I dont burn easily, I've done LHR 3 times. thanks

Answer
The laser likes three things in your skin - hair, melanin and blood. With some lasers, the darker the skin the more it will absorb the energy and less will go to the hair shaft. If the skin absorbs too much energy it can burn, blister or even scar. Hence, light skin types can tolerate higher energy whereas dark skin cannot. Unless you use the YAG 1064, then you can tan or have darker skin type. Beware though a light tanned skin type will have less than optimal results with a 1064, you'd rather be using the 755 (alexandrite) and not tan for best results. One year without tanning for a lifetime of no hair, not a bad trade off.

Answer
plus, higher settings can be used on lighter skin, which means more power going to kill that hair

Answer
Blood is not a target for hair removal lasers. Hair removal lasers do not see red.

Answer
Licensed Electrologist
They do not see light red hair, but hair removal lasers most definately can see red (blood vessels), just ask my candela rep - there's actually a protocal for spider vein removal, he tries to sell us on it all the time. It's not very good at and I'd much rather use a KTP or even an IPL for them, but the chromophore red has some absorption at 755nm. Blood does, however, prefer a lower wavelength in the 500nm range. Even for tatoo removal of red color they use a q-switched laser with a nm around 700-800.

Answer
When you use a GentleLase, or any other laser intended for hair removal to try remove spider veins, you are using a much smaller spot size, and a much higher fluence than you'd ever use on hair removal, and the results are at best, minimal. The target is the purple/blue pigment of the spider vein, not the blood. At the spot size and fluence used to remove hair, blood is not a target. I've done the vein and tattoo removal laser training, hair removal lasers aren't the best choice for vein removal. And a q-switched laser absolutely should never be used for hair removal.
I just don't want consumers to think that anything relating to their blood is an issue during laser hair removal.