The laser needs to be set to the wavelength of the melanin in the hair. If the surrounding skin has a high degree of melanin, the laser isn’t as effective at differentiating. For our laser to work on people with darker skin tones or those who have tanned skin, we have to reduce the energy level of the laser to avoid damaging the adjacent skin. For that reason, we advise our patients not to do any tanning before their hair removal treatment.