"This is one of the largest and most comprehensive clinical studies to focus on the safety of laser or pulsed light," says Dr. Jay, Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical School, New York City. "Unlike previously published studies, we did not pre-screen our participants to exclude those with darker skin types who are typically more prone to side effects. We also treated entire body areas instead of test patches. Our findings show that in the right setting, with the right tools, with an expert dermatologist, successful and safe laser or pulsed light hair removal can be the norm for patients of virtually any skin color." Dr. Jay notes many people are interested in long-lasting hair removal but are concerned about the risk of adverse side effects. He went on to say that his patients' worries have been exacerbated by media reports about the rise of patient complications from non-medical inexperienced practitioners who claim to safely perform hair removal on all skin types with one laser or light device in spas, salons and walk-in clinics. With conventional laser hair removal, a single wavelength of coherent light penetrates the pigment in the hair shaft and disables the hair follicle. Introduced six years ago, IPL hair removal uses hundreds of wavelengths of incoherent light to accomplish the same goal but without the high levels of power or energy fluence required by lasers and associated with such side effects as skin discoloration and crusting. According to Dr. Jay, this mode of operation makes the IPL hair removal approach more suitable for patients who in the past were advised against laser hair removal.