Best for olive skin

How it works: This laser hair removal machine has a slightly longer wavelength than some of its competitors (though not as long as the Nd:YAG), which makes it usable on a wide range of skin tones, including olive skin.

Pros: Perhaps the Alexandrite’s most important benefit is an increased spot size and repetition rate, which means it can treat a larger area of skin, faster. This makes it one of the quickest methods available.

Cons: Despite its long wavelength, it still has high melanin absorption, so there is a significant risk for discoloration and burns on all but very light skin.

Diode Laser

Best for fair to medium skin

How it works: The Diode, one of the newest and most commonly used type of laser hair removal machines today, was designed for fair to medium skin types.

Pros: The Diode emits both shorter and longer wavelengths, so it boasts good melanin absorption and penetrates deep into the hair follicles. The longer wavelengths also decrease the risk of skin damage.

Cons: The main drawback of the Diode laser is its newness, as there is not yet an appropriate amount of data to assess its long-term results.

Best for very fair skin

How it works: As the oldest type of hair removal laser, the Ruby has a higher melanin absorption rate than most other lasers on the market, making it most appropriate for very light skin and light hair removal.

Pros: Effective, even on very fine hair.

Cons: Because of the high melanin absorption, it is more prone to leave skin discolored. For this reason, it should only be used on very fair skin.