Laser hair removal is meant to be the gold standard treatment for excess hair, but not everyone can afford to go to the salon. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the treatment costs an average of $389, so it’s no surprise that some people are starting to rely on at-home laser hair removal kits instead.
What is at-home laser hair removal?
Home laser hair removal kits use slightly different devices than those used at salons. According to USA Today, these kits use intense pulse light (IPL) devices.
The idea is for these intense lights to pulse to the hair follicle to interrupt hair growth. While this process is less powerful than run-of-the-mill laser hair removal, esthetician @britain.skincare says it still runs a certain amount of risk in a viral TikTok.
Esthetician issues warning
In the clip, which has amassed 564,300 views as of this writing, the expert shows images of burns across women’s legs and faces that she says were caused by IPL devices.
“This is what can happen to your legs or any other body part if you decide to buy an at-home laser hair removal machine,” she began.
“I see them all over TikTok, all over Instagram. Everyone’s saying how great they are and how they don’t have hair anymore, but they don’t understand, like, the wavelengths, and the actual settings, and the science, and everything behind the actual laser itself.”
She continued, “You can end up with third-degree burns … that don’t go away on their own, and you have to do chemical peels, microneedling, and a ton of other extensive aesthetic stuff just to get rid of some of the scarring.”
“My advice would be go to a licensed professional who knows what they’re talking about and understands the laser, and the settings, and the wavelength, and everything like that,” she said.
@britain.skincare Why its so important yo go to a licensed professional! Im a medical master esthetician and the stories ive heard from other estheticians are crazy! #skincare #fyp #lhr ♬ original sound – Britains.skincare
The TikToker didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment.
While going to the salon for laser hair removal might be safer, even that isn’t exactly risk-free.TikToker Lekha (@saddesigirl) ended up going viral after her laser hair removal session ended with her in the ER with first-degree burns striped across her arms.
“Apparently the place that I went to does not know how to do non-white skin properly,” she said in the clip, which has now amassed 3.8 million views.
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