- Ruby lasers are best for very light skin with very dark hair. Patients typically experience up to a 30 percent reduction in hair in one treatment and a 60 percent reduction after three to four treatments.
- Diode lasers work particularly well on dark, coarse hair, and they are also effective in treating pseudofolliculitis barbae, which is persistent irritation caused by shaving.
- Alexandrite lasers, along with the ruby and diode varieties, are primarily effective on patients with light skin and dark hair. There is a treatment that combines the alexandrite laser with an Nd:Yag laser to provide treatment options for all skin colors.
- The Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery in Washington, D.C., reports that when an Nd:YAG laser was used in a study of patients with dark skin, a substantial loss of hair was seen after the first three treatments, with a great reduction of hair after 12 months of treatment.
- Intense pulsed light (IPL) is not actually a true laser, but it produces similar results faster and for less money. IPL is appropriate for all skin types and also improves the tone and texture of the skin.
