<\/p>\n
On the flip side, if you\u2019re still in the process of finding a psoriasis treatment that works for you, Dr. Shokeen says all hair removal methods carry a high risk. \u201cAnything that\u2019s causing repeated, mechanical trauma could potentially trigger your psoriasis.\u201d<\/p>\n
If your psoriasis is well managed and the hair removal method is performed correctly, the dermatologists interviewed for this piece agree you\u2019ll likely be fine to use any hair removal method, so long as you do so carefully. However, they note you should ideally speak with your own doctor before trying anything new.<\/p>\n
It will ultimately be a matter of trial and error to find which method works best for you, but these are a few safer options to consider.<\/p>\n
Shaving<\/p>\n
All three dermatologists interviewed for this piece agree that, aside from the risk of accidental cuts that could cause skin trauma, shaving is one of the safest hair removal methods for people with psoriasis. With shaving, \u201cyou\u2019re [removing hair] above the follicle, not pulling it out,\u201d Tracy Evans, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and medical director of Pacific Skin and Cosmetic Dermatology in California, explains.<\/p>\n
Dr. Wieder agrees and notes that it\u2019s especially important for people with psoriasis to use a sharp razor and shave in the direction of hair growth rather than against the grain. Both of these things will help ward off the skin irritation that can trigger Koebnerization. And if you\u2019re trying to navigate around a psoriasis plaque, proceed with caution. \u201cAvoid shaving off the scales, because it\u2019ll bleed underneath,\u201d Dr. Wieder says.<\/p>\n
Laser hair removal<\/p>\n
Laser hair removal might sound like it carries a high risk of causing trauma, but all the dermatologists interviewed for this piece agree it\u2019s actually one of the safer options for psoriasis patients, as long as it is administered correctly. (Laser burns have the potential to cause, say it with us, Koebnerization<\/em>.) \u201cEven though you would think [a laser] would be traumatic to the hair follicle, it does seem to be safe,\u201d Dr. Wieder says, pointing to studies on lasers that have shown their potential for treating psoriasis. Dr. Evans echoes this, noting that \u201cheat and light\u201d don\u2019t seem to be an issue for people with psoriasis.<\/p>\n \u201cI do laser hair removal on psoriasis patients all the time,\u201d Dr. Shokeen says. She notes her preference for long-pulsed Nd:YAG lasers (1064 nm), though she says diode lasers (about 800 to 810 nm) can also work if the settings are dialed down. Either way, it can be a tricky balance to get the levels just right, and the settings will need to be adjusted for each individual patient.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the energy of the device is too low, you\u2019ll actually get hair regrowth,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s complicated to treat a psoriatic patient [with lasers], to say the least.\u201d That\u2019s why she always recommends people with psoriasis get laser hair removal in \u201ca physician-supervised, medical-grade setting rather than a standard laser chain. There are more med spas than McDonald\u2019s,\u201d she says, noting her skepticism that all the people employed in those many locations would be fully trained in treating people with psoriasis.<\/p>\n As mentioned above, if your psoriasis is well controlled, you will likely be okay no matter how you remove unwanted hair, as long as it\u2019s done carefully. However, these methods carry some extra risks worth considering.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On the flip side, if you\u2019re still in the process of finding a psoriasis treatment that works for you, Dr. Shokeen says all hair removal methods carry a high risk. \u201cAnything that\u2019s causing repeated, mechanical trauma could potentially trigger your psoriasis.\u201d The Best Hair Removal Methods for Psoriasis-Prone Skin If your psoriasis is well managed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beauty"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2192"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Hair Removal Methods to Approach With Caution<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n