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The Definitive Guide to Laser Skin Treatments

Lasers are some of the most powerful and versatile tools in skin treatment. They can resurface ageing skin, fade stubborn hyperpigmentation, calm the redness of rosacea and soften scars. However, laser is not a single treatment. It is a whole family of very different devices, each tuned to target something specific in the skin. Choosing the wrong one, or the wrong settings, can do real harm, especially in darker skin tones. This guide explains the main types of laser used for skin, what each one treats and what to expect. We pay particular attention to the special cases that need real caution, namely skin of colour, melasma and rosacea.

Please note, we are an online skin clinic so do not offer laser treatments. We have written this guide because we believe people deserve clear, honest information About Laser Hair Removal all of their options.

How Do Lasers Work on Skin?

A laser produces a single, focused wavelength of light. The skin contains several targets that absorb light, and each target absorbs some wavelengths more than others. The three main targets are:

The art of laser treatment is matching the wavelength to the target you want to hit whilst sparing everything around it. This is why there are so many different types of lasers for skin treatment. A device tuned to haemoglobin treats redness and visible vessels. One tuned to melanin treats hyperpigmentation whereas one tuned to water vaporises or heats the skin to resurface it. Get the match right and the result can be excellent. If it is the wrong type, or you use too much energy, the laser heats the wrong target. This is exactly how burns, scarring and pigment problems happen. The matching of wavelength to target also explains why skin colour matters so much in terms of effectiveness and safety. We will we come back to this later.

What are the Main Types of Laser for Skin?

Lasers for skin fall into a few broad groups based on what they target. It helps to know the named devices in each group, as clinics often market by brand rather than by laser type. The main categories of laser available for skin treatment are:

A related device worth mentioning is intense pulsed light (IPL) which is very popular for skin treatment. However, IPL is not technically a laser, because it emits a broad spectrum of light rather than a single wavelength. Broadband light (BBL) is also another more advanced version of the same idea. Clinics use these for redness, sun damage and hyperpigmentation. We cover them in detail in our post on IPL skin rejuvenation.

What Do Lasers Treat?

Because different lasers hit different targets, the family as a whole covers a wide range of concerns. The main uses, and the lasers typically used for each, are:

Are Lasers Safe for Skin of Colour?

Lasers can be used safely in darker skin, but the risks are far higher, and the wrong device can cause lasting damage. The reason is that darker skin has more melanin in the epidermis, and many lasers are absorbed by melanin. So in darker skin the laser energy is absorbed by the whole surface rather than just the intended target. This can cause burns, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and even permanent loss of pigment.

A few principles make laser treatment safer in skin of colour. The Nd:YAG laser at 1064nm is considered the safest choice for darker skin (Fitzpatrick types IV to VI). This is because melanin absorbs this longer wavelength the least, so the beam passes the surface pigment and reaches its target more safely. Picosecond lasers are also emerging as a safer option, because their very short pulses cause less heat damage.