Hair reduction laser therapy can be used to treat unwanted hair in just about any site on the body. Commonly treated areas include the underarm area, bikini, leg, upper lip and chin. Hair that responds best to this treatment are dark hairs. Before treatment with this laser our patients at Northern Sydney Dermatology are advised to avoid the sun and sunless tanning products for 2 weeks prior to treatment and 2 weeks afterwards. This is because the laser can be absorbed by the melanin (pigment) in the skin.

 Who should not have Laser Hair Reduction?

Some people are not suitable for hair reduction laser. These include those with a history of herpes (cold sore), keloid scarring (thick scars) and some medications. Lasers should be avoided in pregnancy as well.

How many treatments are usually required?

Hair grows in cycles so only a few hairs can be targeted at each treatment. A number of treatments are thus needed and this is usually between 5-7.  Also the hair cycles are different for each area of the body, meaning that different regimes for treatment are needed.  So for the face the time between treatments is 4-6 weeks but for the legs it can be up to 10-12weeks.