Medications can have a significant impact on the safety and effectiveness of laser hair removal treatments. Certain drugs, such as antibiotics and Accutane, can increase skin sensitivity to light and the risk of skin injury after laser hair removal. Retin-A may also raise the likelihood of skin damage and make the skin more sensitive to light. However, most common medications, such as cold and flu medications, antibiotics, and mood regulators, do not cause any negative side effects from laser hair removal. More serious drug-induced side effects, such as phototoxic and photoallergic reactions, are only a concern if you're taking a medication that's considered photosensitive.
If you have any questions about laser hair removal treatment or other skin treatments, it is best to consult with an expert. If you didn't have a laser hair removal consultation before starting laser treatments and they never asked you what medications you were taking, make sure to let your technician know now. Naturally or artificially tanned skin can make laser hair removal less effective and cause side effects. Laser hair removal is an extremely safe hair removal method, and side effects are usually mild and rare. Herpes Simplex Virus (I or II): During laser treatments, laser heat can cause outbreaks in areas that have already had outbreaks.
Fortunately, laser hair removal is only affected by a few medications, those that are considered “photosensitive”. The type of reaction or side effect you may have if you take a light-sensitive medication and undergo laser hair removal treatments varies. If you have too much body hair, the first thing you should do is consult your family doctor to discuss the problem and rule out any underlying health problems that may be causing problems, such as female facial hair (usually around the mustache or beard area) that grows like men's hair. These more serious side effects are caused only by photosensitive drugs; they do not pose a risk to patients with laser hair removal who are not taking medications containing photoreactive agents. Many antihistamines used to reduce allergy symptoms may contain photosensitive compounds that can also react negatively to laser hair removal treatments.
Your skin may react negatively if you take a medication for photosensitivity and undergo laser hair removal treatments. Having sun-sensitive skin, because it's pale, wouldn't stop you from being a good candidate for laser hair removal. If you are planning to start a laser hair removal treatment or have already done so, it is very important that you tell the technician all the medications you are taking. Contraindications to laser treatments: If a patient is taking a certain medication or has recently undergone surgery or procedure, it is strongly recommended that the patient share that information before undergoing laser treatment, as it may cause harm to the patient.
