Afterwards the area treated may feel like a sunburn for a few hours or half a day. Because of the intensity of the light, everyone has to wear safety goggles. But the long term effectiveness of any laser treatment for hair removal has not been proven. And the industry itself is largely unregulated. In Canada people working with this powerful technology often have no medical training.
Some companies make dramatic and unproven claims.
Other companies specifically tell their patients that the company cannot guarantee permanent hair loss. However, some patients are told about a Harvard study, which supposedly establishes the effectiveness of the treatment. But it was very limited, involving only thirteen patients who were followed for only six months. And nine of them had more than fifty per cent hair regrowth. The Harvard study involved only one laser treatment per patient.