Laser hair removal for adolescents

Dermatologist Karyn Grossman, MD, shares advice for parents on three important factors to consider before having your teenager get laser hair removal
Laser Hair Removal For Teens
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Laser hair removal for adolescents

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Laser hair removal has become a very popular procedure these days for teenagers, for both boys and girls for underarm hair, for bikini lines, for legs, and also for boys on their chest or their back if they're very hairy. Some women may also get hair on their upper lip or face. There is no hard and fast rule about how old your child can be to start this, but there are three very important considerations to take before you do. One is that you want your child to have an established adult pattern of hair. If you start at an early age, they will need many many more treatments to achieve the same result. Once you know that your child is physically ready to have the procedure, you need to determine if they are emotionally ready. All laser hair removal procedures do hurt some. And numbing creams can be used to decrease the pain. But you want to make sure that your child is ready, willing, and able to handle the mild pain that's associated with the procedure. In addition, you want to make sure that your child is capable of following both the preoperative and postoperative instructions properly. It has a greater risk of scarring if your child is tan or goes out in the sun after a procedure. So they have to be prepared to have no suntan and to stay completely out of the sun for several months after the procedure is performed. So if you determine that your child is ready and can handle all of these things, then they would be able to go. However, it is important that you as the parent be able to go with them, because you will need to read the consent, understand the risks and the benefits for it, and sign for them.

Dermatologist Karyn Grossman, MD, shares advice for parents on three important factors to consider before having your teenager get laser hair removal

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Karyn Grossman, MD

Dermatologist

Karyn Grossman, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist specializing in cosmetic dermatology in Santa Monica, CA and New York City. Her offices are "home" to thousands of elite patients with the highest of standards. Dr. Grossman attended a highly competitive, accelerated six-year premedical and medical program at Boston University and completed her residency and fellowship at Harvard University. Dr. Grossman has been featured in many broadcast and print media outlets to provide consumers expert information on cosmetic procedures, skin care and sun protection. Some television appearances include The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The View, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News, the Martha Stewart Show, and The Doctors. She has been listed as one of the top cosmetic surgeons by Town & Country, Vogue, C Magazine, More Magazine, The New York Times, and L.A. Confidential. 

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Transcription: 
Laser hair removal has become a very popular procedure these days for teenagers, for both boys and girls for underarm hair, for bikini lines, for legs, and also for boys on their chest or their back if they're very hairy. Some women may also get hair on their upper lip or face. There is no hard and fast rule about how old your child can be to start this, but there are three very important considerations to take before you do. One is that you want your child to have an established adult pattern of hair. If you start at an early age, they will need many many more treatments to achieve the same result. Once you know that your child is physically ready to have the procedure, you need to determine if they are emotionally ready. All laser hair removal procedures do hurt some. And numbing creams can be used to decrease the pain. But you want to make sure that your child is ready, willing, and able to handle the mild pain that's associated with the procedure. In addition, you want to make sure that your child is capable of following both the preoperative and postoperative instructions properly. It has a greater risk of scarring if your child is tan or goes out in the sun after a procedure. So they have to be prepared to have no suntan and to stay completely out of the sun for several months after the procedure is performed. So if you determine that your child is ready and can handle all of these things, then they would be able to go. However, it is important that you as the parent be able to go with them, because you will need to read the consent, understand the risks and the benefits for it, and sign for them.