laser-deep/complications

Laser hair removal's complication profile is narrow and well-characterised but includes a small number of severe failure modes that merit independent chapters. This summary is a navigational index; the individual chapters cover mechanism, prevention,…

Epidermal injury is the commonest laser hair removal complication and the one most amenable to prevention. It ranges from the expected and transient (erythema, perifollicular edema) through the cosmetically significant (PIH, hypopigmentation) to the rare…

Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2) reactivation after laser hair removal in a dermatome harbouring latent virus is an under-appreciated complication that is fully preventable with appropriate prophylaxis. The mechanism is the same as for reactivation…

Ocular injury is the severe-end complication of laser hair removal most often associated with work around the eye. Iritis, iris atrophy, uveitis, posterior synechiae, pupillary distortion, cataract, and retinal haemorrhage are all documented after…

Paradoxical hypertrichosis — the induction of terminal-hair growth in the treated field by laser hair removal — is the most unsettling complication of the modality because it runs opposite to the intended effect. A patient commits to a six-figure-dollar or…