Does hair laser removal really cause skin cancer?

I'm not saying it can't. The list of medicines and procedures, like thalidomide and x-rays, that were once considered safe and were later discovered to be otherwise, is certainly long. It usually takes years of use by many people for scientists to discover that there is a problem with a procedure, and laser hair removal is a fairly new procedure. It's only logical to consider the possibility that it is much more dangerous than we tend to think now, especially because laser hair removal is just a cosmetic procedure and not life saving surgery.

BUT there are no studies as of yet that show that laser hair removal can cause skin cancer.

Take that for what it's worth. Perhaps not a lot. Only time will tell. But so far, it seems safe.

I can't disagree with that. That is actually just about the most objective thing you could say: laser hair removal has not been shown to cause cancer of any kind thus far. That doesn't mean it cannot, though it most definitely appears that way, but it's good enough for me to feel absolutely fine about any kind of laser treatment.

Maybe it is because laser treatment seems "futuristic" or something. It isn't, though, not quite. The newer lasers are certainly much better and cause fewer side effects. Tattoo laser removal has been around since the 1970s for instance, and the first models caused scarring, but not cancer as far as we know.

Generally, I think it's fair to consider laser treatment as totally safe.

Thanks. That kinda satisfies my curiosity but not 100%. There's people out there who say that laser hair removal causes skin cancer. Why do they think that happens? Like what's the mechanism by which they think hair laser removal leads to cancer? I assume this has something to do with radiation. Hair laser removal involves radiation, right? Like x-rays? What kind of radiation is that and what do we know about it? So "sciency people say that laser hair removal doesn't cause cancer" isn't quite enough for me, I'd like to know more and I would love to hear from people who do think this kind of hair removal can cause cancer and why they think that. 

I don't know. I thought laser hair removal used non-ionizing radiation. In any case, I try to be an informed consumer and I occasionally delve into the world of reading scientific studies, though I don't pretend to understand every single thing, but at some point you have to have an attitude of trusting the experts. By that I don't mean people who sell the products, but objective third parties.

If I were inclined to get laser hair removal on any part of my body, I would not be concerned about cancer. I am happy with what science indicates right now.

Well yes. If you are not afraid of your microwave, you do not need to be afraid of laser hair removal devices either. At least, there is no reason to be concerned about the radiation. This does not mean laser hair removal does not have potential side effects like irritated skin, skin pigment changes, and sometimes even scarring and blistering. That is why it is so important to make sure the device is FDA approved and the person who administers it is qualified. (For this reason I would not choose an at home laser hair removal device.) The laser must also be suitable for your particular skin type.