Diode laser hair removal
Diode laser for face and body, women and men. Progressive reduction across sessions, following the hair cycle. The honest word is reduction.
How it worksLight absorbed by the melanin in the hair, turned into heat that damages the follicle, session by session and by growth cycles.
- Rhythm
- A course of spaced sessions following the hair cycle, then top-ups.
- Back to normal
- None: redness for a few hours and normal life, keeping the area out of the sun.
- Price
- Agreed at the free assessment. Why there is no fixed price list →
What it is
Diode laser emits a light that the melanin in the hair absorbs and turns into heat. That heat damages the structure that makes hair grow. Since only hair in its growth phase can be acted on — and at any given moment only some of it is — the treatment is done in spaced sessions, so follicles are reached at different points in their cycle.
The diode allows work across a wide range of skin tones by adjusting the parameters, and it works better the more contrast there is between hair and skin. Grey hair, very fair blonde and red hair have little melanin and therefore respond worse: that is said at the assessment, before starting, not afterwards.
We work with women and men, on the face and on the body, with different parameters according to the area, the thickness of the hair and your skin type.
Who it is for
- Legs, bikini, underarms, arms, back and chest
- Facial areas: upper lip, chin, sideburns
- Men’s beard: shaping or reducing density
- Recurrent folliculitis and ingrown hairs
- Anyone tired of waxing and the razor
Better to wait, or to check first, if…
- Tanned or sunburnt skin, or skin with fake tan
- Pregnancy. During breastfeeding it is assessed, and the areola is not treated
- Lesions, infections, infected folliculitis, a herpes flare-up, wounds or tattoos in the area to be treated
- Photosensitivity, or photosensitising medication: always say so, some are in common use
- Lupus or other autoimmune diseases with photosensitivity, and ongoing cancer treatment
- Current or recent isotretinoin
- Uncontrolled epilepsy
- Moles and pigmented lesions in the area: they are covered and not passed over
- Melasma, vitiligo or a marked tendency to hyperpigment in the area: assessed first
- Uncontrolled diabetes and a tendency to keloids
- Facial or body hair that has appeared recently and strikingly: it may have a hormonal cause, and a doctor assesses that first
- Grey, very fair blonde or red hair: not forbidden, but the laser has little to grab onto and that has to be said
There are everyday medications that make the skin photosensitive. Go over your medication at the assessment even if it seems irrelevant.
The session, step by step
- 01
Assessment and patch test
We look at your skin type, your hair and your medication, and do a test on a small area to set the parameters.
- 02
Preparing the area
The area has to arrive shaved. It is cleaned and the conductive gel applied.
- 03
Eye protection
Protective goggles, compulsory throughout the session.
- 04
Laser passes
The area is covered with the handpiece in motion. On small areas it is a matter of minutes.
- 05
Calming
A calming product is applied and you get the instructions until the next session.
What it feels like
Building heat and the odd sting, like an elastic band snapping, especially on areas of thick hair such as the bikini line or underarms. The cooled handpiece makes the session quite bearable. Inner areas and places over bone are the most uncomfortable.
Before and after
Before you come
- Shave the area the day before or the same day, with a razor. Without shaving we cannot work
- No waxing, tweezing or epilator: those pull out the root and leave the laser with no target
- No sun, beach or sunbeds before the session, and no fake tan
- Come with no creams, deodorant or makeup on the area
- Tell us about any new medication since the last session
After the session
- Redness and small raised points around the follicle for the first few hours: that is the expected reaction
- No direct sun, and high sun protection on the area
- No sauna, pool, beach or gym the same day
- If the underarm has been treated, no deodorant or perfume on the area that day
- Between sessions: razor yes; wax and tweezers no
- It is normal for the treated hair to look as if it is growing in the following days: it is actually being expelled
When you see it
The reduction is progressive and shows between sessions: less hair, finer, taking longer to come through. How many sessions you need depends on your area, your hair type and your hormones, and it is assessed as we go rather than promised upfront.
What it does not do
- It is not one hundred per cent permanent hair removal: it is reduction, very high in many cases, and the honest word is reduction
- It does not work the same on grey, very fair blonde or red hair
- It cannot be done on tanned skin, and that shapes the diary in summer
- It does not stop a hormonal cause: if there is a hormonal imbalance behind it, the hair tends to come back and a doctor has to look at that
- It does not deliver if you skip sessions: the hair cycle does not wait
Also in Laser & hair removal
Hollywood Peel
Activated charcoal and Nd:YAG laser: cleaner pores and immediate glow, with no recovery. The "look good today" treatment.
Laser · nail fungus
Laser inside the nail plate as cosmetic support for diagnosed onychomycosis. The diagnosis is your doctor’s, and so is the prescription.