I had always been curious about laser hair removal; the thought of being able to toss my razors in the trash was really enticing. I’ve also noticed that my skin has become increasingly sensitive over the past few years, which means that a normal round of shaving in the shower could leave me with red, irritated skin and ingrown hairs. No one has time for that! I noticed my skin was increasingly itchy and dry, and shaving only made things worse. And the fact my hair would grow back in less than a day? Pass. Laser hair removal seemed like a great option, but where to go? The provider would need to be safe, first and foremost. I had heard too many horror stories of people getting burned from spas that weren’t trained properly or didn’t have the best equipment. I was also concerned about price; quite frankly, the idea of paying thousands of dollars to laser my legs just wasn’t in the budget.
So how exactly does laser hair removal work? Essentially, a focused beam of light aimed at the hair follicle damages the follicle so it cannot grow new hair. A stun gun for hair growth, if you will. All your follicles don’t produce hair at once, they grow in cycles, rather– which is why you usually need at least 6 treatments to really clear an area of unwanted hair.
When I got to my appointment, my tech took a look at my legs (and helped me exfoliate off a little leftover spray tan with an alcohol wipe) to gauge my skin tone, type, hair color, thickness, etc. She input those into the machine to calibrate the laser, which she started at a moderate intensity. Over the course of 6 treatments, the intensity of the laser will be dialed up to keep the hair follicle from getting used to the laser (the body adapts!) and increase the effectiveness.
My tech used a white eyeliner to make a grid pattern on my legs. This helped her efficiently + completely treat an area before moving on to the next (otherwise, it’s easy to lose track and thus miss spots). Once the grid was marked, we were off! The laser adds a shot of cryogen with each pulse, which is super chilled air. This helps protect the skin and keep the procedure comfortable while the laser blasts your follicles with heat + light.
The entire procedure took about 90 minutes, including calibrating the machine and a short break halfway through so the tech could clean the laser. Which, considering we lasered both my legs, top to bottom, is pretty efficient. You could easily book it over a lunch break.
I took some questions via Insta stories the day before my first treatment + coupled ’em with a few questions of my own to ask my technician during my appointment. Here we go, let’s unpack ’em:
What did you do to prep? I shaved before and exfoliated off my spray tan. Note: antibiotics + laser hair removal don’t mix, so make sure to schedule your appointment at a time when you aren’t taking this type of medication. If you’re getting your face treated, do not any retinol or acids 2-3 days before your appointment.
Do you have to have any hair growth in order for the laser to work? No, just shave 24-48 hours before your appointment. Laser hair removal is different from waxing (where the wax needs a bit of hair to grab onto in order to pull the hair out of the follicle). The laser is attempting to pinpoint the melanin (read: pigment) in the bulb of your hair follicle, not the hair itself.
Quick note: while a close shave is key, you do have to have active hair growth (i.e., hair producing follicles) in order for laser hair removal to work. So stop waxing 3-4 weeks before your laser hair removal appointment to encourage active hair growth (just return to shaving).
Does it hurt? Not really, guys. Certainly not as bad as I figured it would, or as bad as it’s been billed in the past. (Lasers have gotten better!) There were a few areas of my leg that were uncomfortable: the ankles and the backs of my thighs just under my bum. Those stung a bit. I felt a very brief little snap– similar to a small burning snap from a rubber band. However, the pain passed as quickly as it came. The cryogen that accompanies each laser pulse really works to keep the process quite tolerable in those tender areas. For the rest of my legs (shins, calves, knees, quads, thighs), I barely felt it.
Are there any after effects? You might have some redness and/or slight tenderness for a few hours after your appointment, which you can treat with lotion and/or aloe. A little redness and swelling right after is normal– it’s actually a sign the laser has effectively blasted the follicle and is working! I felt like I had a slight sunburn after (even though my skin didn’t look red or pink), but it was hardly noticeable and had resolved about a day or so after treatment.
How long before you start to see results? The lasers typically deliver a 15-20% reduction in growth (and likely finer hair) after the first treatment. Six treatments will get you pretty close to all-the-time-smooth, but individual people with different hair growth speeds, hair type, and resilience will vary. Someone who has very thick, very resilient hair might need a few more treatments to get everything silky smooth.
How often do you go in? For the legs, about every 8-10 weeks. It all depends on how fast (and how strong) your hair grows. Hair near the top of the body grows faster than hair at the bottom. Laser appointments for the face would be every 4-6 weeks and 6-8 for the trunk of the body (underarms, chest, back, bikini).
Do you have to do your whole leg? What if my thighs don’t have much hair? No, you do not have to do the whole leg. (And thicker hair on the lower leg + thinner/more sparse growth on the thighs is very common!)
