Does Laser Hair Removal Work For All Types Of Hair?

Why Is Laser Hair Removal Not Working For Me?

Modern laser hair removal machines work well on all skin types I-VI (the Nd:YAG laser specifically) but even modern lasers aren’t capable of helping those with unwanted hair that is white, blonde, gray or red. Same goes with Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) machines. It doesn’t work well with thin, fine hair either.

The ideal candidate for laser and IPL hair removal has dark hair and light skin, although as mentioned, the Nd:YAG laser can work successfully with people with darker skin tones, too.

So assuming you meet the criteria above, why is laser hair removal not working for you?

Questions To Ask Yourself

• What does “not working” mean? Are you not getting the hair removal results you’re looking for? Ensure that your expectations of what laser hair removal can do are realistic and achievable.
• Are you using the correct laser machine? Check my main laser hair removal page to learn the difference between the 4 types of lasers. These days I’d avoid a clinic that only has Ruby laser as it’s an old outdated laser and there are better options. Don’t use Argon laser either as it’s even more outdated.
• How many treatments have you had? You may require 6-8 treatments if not more, spaced out every 4-6 weeks, to achieve a reasonable amount of hair removal.
• Are you sure that your laser hair removal practitioner knows what they’re doing? Did you you go for a cheap clinic based on the low price? Do often do get what you pay for.

So assuming you can answer these questions in a positive way and still can’t figure out why laser is not working for you, let’s look at some of the important factors that were alluded to above in more detail. Laser (and IPL) hair removal works on certain hair colors and hair types only.

And we’ll discuss whether or not dyeing your hair helps your cause.

Does Laser Hair Removal Work On Face Hair?

Yes, laser hair removal can work on the face. Modern laser machines have varying head sizes so the clinician can change the treatment head to a smaller one for face hair or a larger one for the back for example.

Electrolysis is also useful for facial hair removal particularly on the chin, lip and eyebrows for example.

Considerations

• The face is obviously a sensitive area so you want to ensure you find a good quality professional practitioner who knows what they’re doing.
• Face hair removal with laser is something that men consider to get rid of uneven beard growth, prevent ingrown hairs and razor bumps especially on the neck if it’s a problem and to permanently sculpt their beard shape among other reasons.
• Face hair removal with laser is something that women consider typically to get rid of facial hair that they’d prefer not to have.

Does Laser Hair Removal Work On Blonde Hair?

Unfortunately, no. Consider electrolysis for blonde hair removal if it’s appropriate for you as electrolysis doesn’t require a specific skin or hair color to use. Blonde and light-colored hair don’t have enough melanin for laser or IPL to treat it with hair removal.

Laser and IPL look for the contrast between hair and skin color and light hair and light skin don’t have enough contrast for the machine to pick up.

Does Laser Hair Removal Work On Red Hair?

Unfortunately, no. As above, consider electrolysis if appropriate. As with blonde and light hair, there is not enough pigment for the laser or IPL to pick up.

Does Laser Hair Removal Work On Gray Hair?

Unfortunately, no. As above, consider electrolysis if appropriate. Again, there is not enough pigment for the laser or IPL machine to pick up on.

Does Laser Hair Removal Work On Light Hair?

Unfortunately, no. As above, consider electrolysis if appropriate. As with blonde hair, there is not enough pigment for the laser or IPL machine to pick up on.

Does Laser Hair Removal Work On Fine Hair?

Unfortunately, no. As above, consider electrolysis if appropriate. Laser and IPL both have difficulty treating fine, thin hair. Thick, coarse hair is the ideal type of hair to be treated by both options.

In fact an Nd:YAG laser research study that profiled the hair removal success for Indian patients specifically excluded “thin vellus” hair also known as peach fuzz (referred to as Class 1 in the study) and in fact excluded any patients that only had this type of hair to remove. The researchers knew ahead of time that laser hair removal for these patients simply doesn’t work.

What If I Dye My Hair?

So, in each case above for blonde, red, gray or light hair, the lack of pigment in each hair color prevents laser or IPL from treating it. Dark hair works best for laser removal since it has pigment that the machines are attracted to.

What if you dye your hair dark brown or black for example? Would that fulfil the criteria of having dark hair that a laser or IPL machine would work with?

Unfortunately not. Hair dye typically works on the visible part of the hair above the skin but there is no guarantee that the dye travels all the way down the hair shaft to the root which is where laser and IPL target to kill the hair.

I wrote a page called Will Dyeing Hair Help Laser Hair Removal that discusses this topic in more detail and refers to research that tested this exact theory, albeit for IPL.

Conclusion

• Does laser hair removal work for everyone? Currently, no. Laser and IPL hair removal do not work for those with blonde, red, gray or light hair.
• Additionally, laser and IPL don’t work for those with thin, fine hair or on peach fuzz (vellus).
• Dyeing your hair to make it darker typically won’t help with laser or IPL hair removal as hair dye won’t make it all the way down to the bottom of the hair follicle to the root where these two technologies target during hair removal.
• Electrolysis is the only permanent hair removal option and is also not dependent on a person’s hair type, hair color or skin color.