Lasers, decoded: which one for which concern

Part of the problem is that clinics market by brand name rather than by what the device does. Underneath the brands, almost everything falls into one of three jobs: treating colour at the surface, renewing texture at depth, or removing hair. Once you think in terms of the job rather than the machine, the choice becomes far clearer. The other crucial factor is skin tone, because some devices that suit fair skin are not safe on deeper skin, and a responsible clinic assesses this before anything else.

If your concern is brown spots, sun damage, broken capillaries or general redness, the usual answer is intense pulsed light. Strictly speaking IPL is a light source rather than a true laser, but it is grouped here because it does the colour job well. It targets the pigment and the blood vessels near the surface, leaving the skin texture largely untouched. Expect a course of sessions rather than a single fix. Our guide to the IPL photofacial explains who it suits and the important caveat that it is not appropriate for every skin tone.

When the concern is fine lines, rough texture, enlarged pores or acne scarring, you want a resurfacing laser. These work by creating controlled damage that prompts the skin to rebuild smoother and firmer, either gently over several sessions or more dramatically in one. The trade off is recovery, which can range from a few days to a couple of weeks depending on depth. Our laser skin resurfacing guide covers the spectrum, and if you are weighing it against a peel, the comparison of chemical peels versus laser skin resurfacing is a useful next read.

Laser hair removal is a different job entirely. It targets the pigment in the hair follicle to disable future growth, which is why it works best on hair that is darker than the surrounding skin and why modern devices have widened who can be treated safely. It requires a course of sessions spaced over months, because it only affects hairs in an active growth phase. It does not resurface skin or treat pigment elsewhere; it does one thing, reliably, when matched to the right candidate.

The single most important safety question with any light based treatment is your skin tone. Devices that read pigment cannot always tell the difference between the pigment you want to treat and the pigment in your skin, which means the wrong settings or the wrong machine can cause burns or marks on deeper skin. A good clinic will assess your skin type, patch test, and sometimes recommend a different device or decline a treatment that is not safe for you. That caution is a sign of competence, not reluctance.

Start from your concern, not the brochure. Name the thing that bothers you, colour, texture or hair, and the category follows. Then ask the clinic which specific device they will use, why it suits your skin tone, how many sessions you should expect, and what the downtime is. If a clinic offers to treat very different concerns with a single machine and no nuance, be sceptical. The right answer is usually specific.