About Laser Hair Removal Infections

Series Summary

Laser hair removal is a process by which a laser or pulsed light epilator seeks out a hair and destroys the root of the hair follicle. Once the hair follicle is destroyed by the laser, the hair will fall out and the follicle will be dead. In general, laser hair removal is 98 percent to 99 percent effective, but it does require several sessions in order to get hair that is growing in different phases. In this free video series on laser hair removal, an experienced aesthetician explains how laser hair removal works. Find out how effective laser hair removal is and whether or not it is permanent. Get information on the side effects, possible complications and risks of laser hair removal. Learn about whether laser hair removal hurts and get tips for preparing for the treatment, all in this free video series.

Video Transcript

"So you're thinking about laser hair removal and were wondering about some of the side effects? My name is Keeley Selvage with Keeley's Skin Solutions and I'm going to talk to you about laser hair removal infections. Really there's not too many cases where you can get an infection from laser hair removal. It's pretty safe. But a couple things that you want to think about are if you have a history of herpes simplex, then if you do, then you'll want to talk to the doctor about it, let them know, even if you don't currently have one, and they can give you an anti-viral medication for it. You probably want to start that maybe two weeks before your treatments. Also, you can think about if you have a superficial burn from the treatment, it's not a big deal, it happens sometimes and you could get a bacterial infection from that. If that happens again, you'd want to talk to your doctor about it. They'll probably write you a prescription for an anti-biotic, and you can take that, but at the same time, you want to make sure that you are carefully taking care of that wound. Make sure that it's cleaned and bandaged properly and you should be fine. Other than that, laser hair removal is safe and a great way to go. My name is Keeley Selvage with Keeley's Skin Solutions and that is all about laser hair removal infections."