Many people ask us ‘is laser hair removal safe?’ as the thought of a laser being used on the skin can conjure up many images.
Dr Willis, of the Doctors Laser Clinic, talks about the regulation of laser hair removal and the dangers involved for people undertaking hair removal in certain clinics. Dr Willis also talks about how laser hair removal is not dangerous if treated in the right hands.
The industry was completely deregulated in October 2010 and since then there’s been a flood of cheap machines into the country. The cheap lasers that can be bought for as little as £5,000 can drift off setting and are associated with a very high level of burns. Lasers are often operated by people who aren’t adequately trained or adequately supervised and there are very few medically qualified people in the industry.
Laser treatments have been around for over 25 years and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in America have been watching it very carefully. We’ve got a lot of good evidence about its safety. In skilled hands medical lasers are incredibly effective and they do exactly what they say on the box.
For more information on the UK regulations in the UK read our blog on The Keogh Report.
Author: Dr Malcolm Willis
