The Laser Treatments I Rely On for Skin of Colour—And Trust Without Compromise

Traditionally, lasers have been a scary no-go treatment for Black and brown skin, but in recent years, I’ve become a massive fan. How, you may well be asking, since we’ve been left out of the beauty devices conversation for decades? Well, yes, “early laser technologies were designed with lighter skin in mind, often using wavelengths that were absorbed by melanin. In darker skin tones, where melanin is more abundant, this absorption led to excessive heat, increasing the risk of burns, scarring, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH),” explains occuloplastic surgeon, facial aesthetics doctor and MZ Skin Clinic founder, Maryam Zamani. However, “while there is still some truth to this even with laser advancements—we have come a long way!” adds Zamani.

As a beauty editor for two decades, I’ve seen the evolution firsthand, going from having few options when I’d scan a treatment list to slowly seeing more and more energy-based devices I could actually use to address my skin concerns. That’s because “newer offerings use longer wavelengths which penetrate deeper and bypass much of the surface melanin, which in turn reduces the risk of thermal injury,” shares Zamani. While others house advanced cooling systems to control energy delivery, or use light or pressure rather than heat to get the job done.

Lasers, explained

But what job exactly are lasers doing? Put simply, they use focused beams of light at specific wavelengths to target excess pigment, reduce redness, regulate oil production, stimulate collagen, resurface the skin, and aid hair removal. And they reach deeper within the skin than your go-to skincare to offer everything from clearer, more even-toned skin and fewer breakouts to softened lines and less visible scarring, alongside a long-term reduction in hair growth. I’ve been using them to youth-boost my skin, help me sport smooth, hair-free limbs, and banish scarring, acne, and pigmentation. These are my favourites…

Best laser for hair removal: Motus AY

As a teen, all my friends were getting laser hair removal, but because of my Fitzpatrick 4 skin, I had to stick with shaving and waxing—the former left me with a fair few scars from nicks and cuts, while the latter was a big expense. As tech developed, I discovered I could use the Nd:YAG laser on my melanin-rich skin, but finding clinics that carry it hasn’t always been easy, and I imagine it can be even tougher if you don’t live in a big city. That’s why I love the DEKA Motus AY, it's a dual-wavelength laser system that combines Alexandrite and Nd:YAG with Moveo technology.

“What makes this significant is that Alexandrite, which was traditionally best suited to lighter skin, can now be used safely across all skin types, while Nd:YAG remains available where indicated,” shares advanced aesthetician and Ace Skin Clinic founder Corina Mihalache. That means clinic owners don’t have to shell out for two devices (something they often can’t do), which is huge. And not only that, Mihalache explains that the device is groundbreaking for another reason as well. “Traditional systems rely on a single, high-energy pulse, which we often refer to as ‘stamp and zap’. This can be uncomfortable and carries a higher risk, particularly for darker skin tones. Moveo technology delivers multiple gentle pulses, rather than one intense hit—gradually heating the follicle while keeping the skin protected.”

I’ve been really impressed by it. For me, the sessions are pain-free, and my hair growth has significantly slowed; the strands are finer, and less hair grows back after each session. Though it’s worth noting that, like all laser hair removal devices, it doesn’t offer guaranteed permanent removal of the hair, as only the likes of electrolysis can do that. But according to Mihalache, it does offer the best of both worlds, think, “the safety profile we need for darker skin and the efficacy we want across different hair types.”

Best laser for pigmentation & early signs of ageing: Moxi

While to a certain extent the saying ‘Black don’t crack’ is true—as those of us with melanin-rich skin do generally present with lines and wrinkles a lot later in life—it doesn’t mean we should swerve youth-boosting practices entirely. Plus, hyperpigmentation is a more prevalent and earlier sign of ageing in black and brown skin, and that I had my fair share of. So, I wanted to try a treatment that would help me bank some all-important collagen to slow down the lines and wrinkles that eventually come for us all and target my hyperpigmentation. However, it needed to be safe for my skin tone and not overly aggressive; I didn’t want to look like Freddie Krueger for a week. Cue the Moxi laser, which sits firmly in that preventative ageing space and works to boost collagen and improve tone, texture and early pigmentation.

“Moxi is a non-ablative fractional laser that targets water rather than melanin in the skin, which makes it significantly safer for skin of colour compared to older lasers that primarily targeted pigment,” shares Zamani. It creates tiny micro-injuries in the upper layers of the skin, triggering the skin's repair mode, which produces more skin-tightening collagen and increases cell turnover, gradually replacing older, pigmented cells with new, more evenly toned ones.

“It works well on sun spots, early melasma, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation—the kind you get after acne. However, it should be used cautiously for deep dermal pigment and combining with pigment suppressors like azelaic acid, arbutin, kojic acid, or hydroquinone, and proper protocols are essential for safety and effectiveness,” shares Zamani.

I did a course of four sessions, and, as Zamani promised, my complexion was totally refreshed; it’s brighter, smoother, and more even in tone.

Best laser for acne: AviClear

Acne has been the bane of my existence; I’ve thrown everything but the kitchen sink at my skin to get it under control with varying degrees of success. So, I can’t tell you how excited I was when the acne-busting laser AviClear hit our shores. “This laser selectively targets sebum within the sebaceous glands,” explains aesthetic doctor and PHI Clinic founder, Tapan Patel. “In so doing, it allows us to reduce sebaceous gland activity and directly address the root cause of acne, aka excess oil production.”

What sets it apart is that it bypasses pigment entirely. “The wavelength does not significantly interact with melanin, which means we can treat all skin tones safely without the same risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that we see with other energy-based devices,” he adds.

What I loved about this was that it’s a shift away from medication-led approaches, think spironolactone and Accutane, both of which I was on for years. And that all you need are three sessions spaced a month apart, each lasting around 30 minutes, with no need for even a drop of numbing cream. It’s not completely pain-free, as the skin is kept super cold, which I found a little uncomfortable but totally bearable and worth the discomfort for the results I experienced. Clinical studies found 30 per cent acne clearance in three months, 60 per cent clearance in six months, and 90 percent clearance in nine months and I’d say my results followed that trajectory.

Best laser for scarring: UltraClear

One minute I’m walking down the cobbled streets of Porto, Portugal, the next I’m twisting my ankle in the biggest pothole I’ve ever seen, reaching out for the bollard to break my fall, only to discover it’s one of those new ones that bends. Needless to say, I hit the pavement with a thud while it cut through my knees and legs. A year later, I was left with a dark, long scar down the centre of my leg that depressed me every time I caught a glimpse of it. Then I heard about the UltraClear laser and let's just say this laser can take all my coins and then some because it worked absolute wonders.

“UltraClear is a modern fractional laser designed to resurface and remodel the skin,” explains Patel, who offers the laser at his clinic. “It works using controlled pulse durations and cooling to target deeper layers of the skin while sparing surface melanin. The controlled zones of injury it creates trigger collagen production and allow the skin to repair itself in a more uniform way,” he adds.

Its ability to resurface skin in such a precise way helps it rebuild in a more uniform manner, resulting in an improvement for both raised and indented scars as well as those with a different colour and texture to the surrounding skin. In the case of my scar, it took 4 sessions to render it unrecognisable and I couldn’t be happier.

Best laser for laxity: Stellar M22 ResurFX

Combine losing a lot of weight and being in my early 40’s and you‘ve got the perfect recipe for signs of laxity. This is because, as we age, our facial muscles lose tone, bone recedes and fat pads shift – this is then exaggerated when weight loss enters the chat. I felt like my face was sinking, my nasolabial folds were suddenly more pronounced, I had some jowling and my cheeks looked flatter, too. One of my favourite aesthetic doctors based at Harrods, London, Dr Marwa Ali, suggested I try the Stellar M22 ResurFX. Like most collagen boosting lasers, it “delivers hundreds of tiny columns of energy beneath the skin, to stimulate collagen renewal. But unlike lasers of old, it leaves the surface of the skin intact, lowering the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which is a common concern when treating Black and brown skin,” explains Ali.

Skin needs to be numbed beforehand, so the treatment isn’t too spicy, but once numbed I hardly felt a thing. “It’s also highly customisable, as we can adjust energy, density and treatment patterns depending on the individual, which is important for safety when treating skin of colour,” Ali explains. In my case, this meant using lower energy and building results gradually, which I wasn’t mad about since I never had any downtime with this laser. After six sessions, my jawline looked snatched, my face was plumper, and my skin felt firmer, too.

Best laser for redness: V-Beam

For some of us, redness can be seen, while for other skin tones it’s less visible - but either way, the V-Beam laser can be really helpful. “V-Beam is a pulsed dye laser designed to target haemoglobin within blood vessels. And out of all the vascular lasers, it’s probably the safest for skin of colour because it's less absorbed in the skin than the 532 wavelength, which a lot of other vascular lasers use,” reveals Patel.

It targets everything from those tiny visible red blood vessels that typically appear around the nose, cheeks and chin to rosacea and post-acne redness as well as red, inflamed, tight or thick post-surgery scars. The latter is what I presented with after skin removal surgery on my arms, and Patel suggested our first course of action was to reduce blood flow to the area to dampen the inflammatory response and, hopefully, reduce the redness and flatten the scars.

When it comes to melanin-rich skin, “we often need more sessions, and in some cases, the redness may not be visible enough to treat effectively,” shares Patel. “But in the right patient, and with the right approach, it can be very effective.” I’m a few sessions in, and I’m noticing the redness has dissipated, but there’s still a way to go—but so far so good.

Things to keep in mind

Laser technology has come a long way, making treatments far more accessible to those of us with Black and brown skin, but that doesn’t remove risk entirely. The same device can produce very different outcomes depending on how it’s used, making who you see incredibly important. Treating melanin-rich skin requires an understanding of how to adjust settings such as energy, pulse duration and density to minimise heat build-up and reduce the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation (a loss of pigment), burning, blistering, prolonged inflammation and even keloid scarring.

If you’re unsure where to begin, the British College of Aesthetic Medicine has launched its Vet It Before You Get It campaign, designed to help patients make informed decisions before treatment. Its questionnaires encourage you to check qualifications, training and registration, while also understanding the risks and safety measures your prospective practitioner has in place. For the best place to start, I’d suggest checking out the Black Skin Directory, a site dedicated to helping us find practitioners who have experience treating Black and brown skin.