For Eshanka Jayasinghe, or Eshi Jay, unwanted body hair negatively affected her self-esteem for years, so she decided to undergo laser hair removal treatments.
It's estimated about a million people get laser hair removal annually, and the industry rakes in around $300 million a year, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Some laser hair removal specialists said they are working hard to counter this deep-seated issue and provide their darker-skinned patients with the proper care.
Jay said the owner of the laser removal center she visited never warned her that the procedure shouldn’t be done on people who had a lot of recent sun exposure.