This article can help you learn about the important variables that affect the quality of your Laser Hair Removal (LHR) treatments. Better educated consumers like you will understand how to make more informed decisions about your treatment experience and anticipated results. After all, your final laser hair reduction results will affect your perception of the value received. The main point here is that treatment (package) pricing can vary substantially based on service quality and the areas you want to be treated.
For example, full legs, bikini, and underarms could be priced at $300 per treatment session and require 6 total treatments at 6-8 week intervals for $1800. Higher quality services performed by better-trained staff with higher performance laser devices are likely to lead to higher quality results, and in addition, they tend to be faster, more comfortable treatments that can provide 90% or greater hair reduction after only 5 or 6 treatments. There are lower quality treatment experiences and less reliable results being offered nearby, and if you are willing to endure more inconvenience, pain, and extra treatments (for additional fees) during your hair removal journey, that is your choice to make.
Important questions to ask your nearby providers are:
Do they have a laser wavelength that is appropriate and safe for your skin type?
Important to have 755nm or 810nm for lighter skin types (I-III), and 1064nm for darker skin types (IV-VI)
How is patient comfort managed?
Real-time cryogen spray just before each laser pulse (best), cool air (ok), numbing cream (time-consuming), gel with cool handpiece tip (messy & gross, prep and clean up adds time)
Do they have newer short pulse durations 1ms, 2ms, and 3ms to ensure they can remove the finer-sized hairs that are typically the most challenging after the first 2-3 treatments? Very few devices have the short pulse width setting needed to remove the finer hairs and especially thin facial hairs and this is key to achieving complete hair removal – so keep this in mind when considering what you pay for the service and what you are seeking in terms of LHR service expectations.
Do they have a modern digital power supply (inside their LHR system) that enables the use of larger spot sizes with high repetition rates so the treatment can be performed 2-3 times as fast as older devices?Are you there for 35-60 minutes, or can you be done within 15-20 minutes?
Is there any guarantee of my satisfaction after 6 treatments, and what are the steps taken if I’m not thrilled with my expected results? What reputation does the practice have and what is reflected in the online reviews? Even if some practices are willing to discount extra sessions, are you willing to invest your valuable time and money – waiting several more months for satisfying results that may not be achievable due to older devices and less experienced staff?Do you need to have complete results before your beach vacation, or is it ok if you only see 70% hair reduction still requiring regular shaving – and now what…
What laser hair removal maintenance typically might be expected, and how often needed?This is important to ask – because some lower-end practices might not fully reveal the kind of continued effort often required to maintain even mediocre results. Some may suggest you need to come back for touch-ups every 1-2 years. So, are these follow-ups free? Or will they cost more money? Will follow-up visits be convenient? Will they be successful in removing the fine hairs remaining, or not?
What patient tips are recommended before and after laser hair removal to help achieve the best results?Important to know and follow these recommendations so you can optimize your experience and minimize the risk of side effects (e.g.: use UV sun protection regularly to avoid skin irritation/reaction).
Let’s get back to the pricing of treatments and packages…
You may notice that most aesthetic practices have “special package pricing” and “promotional discounts” almost all the time, so don’t be fooled into thinking you are getting a $5000 value for $2000. Instead, simply compare the final price you will pay for what should be 5-6 total treatments on average. Determine the price per treatment, and how many treatments your provider anticipates will be required for ~90% hair reduction. Why 90% and not 100% you ask? This is a typical industry-average expectation that 90% hair reduction is achievable in most cases. Less experienced providers using lesser quality devices can obviously lead to lower quality results such as 50-80% reduction – this is life… Being prepared to ask these questions and thoughtfully consider your priorities when evaluating Laser Hair Removal options is a smart approach. In the end, it can help you match your value expectations to the aesthetic services that make sense for you and your budget.
Going back to the example of full legs, bikini area, and underarms, assuming that $300 per treatment is an average price and that you should plan for 6 treatments totaling $1800 for 90% hair reduction.
Often, you will see pricing out there that could suggest $1000 – $1200 for what appears to be the same service. Beware of less experienced staff, older equipment, uncomfortable, long treatment times, risk of side effects, and perhaps only 65% hair reduction when complete… (Don’t throw away your razor if this is your scenario.) What are you willing to compromise if anything to save money on laser hair removal?
On the other end of the spectrum, there will be higher-end aesthetic practices run by plastic surgeons or dermatologists with experienced staff, and they can charge more for their service level and the increased likelihood of more successful 90% hair reduction after 5-6 treatments. They may or may not have the most modernized device, but often they will perform well and help you achieve higher quality results. So, you need to be prepared to judge the trade-off in pricing and value. These practices could be charging a total of $2200-$2800 for the same areas due to higher expenses and practice brand value. It really comes down to your judgment about the expected value gained based on your personal preferences.
Key message – be informed and take action:
Do your homework to reduce the stress of making the wrong choice for your laser hair removal needs. Ask your potential providers the questions above and use their responses to inform your preferences for the best value within your budget. Remember, the lowest treatment price often indicates the lowest quality service and results. And, planning for 5-6 laser hair removal treatments spread out every 6-8 weeks, can take 10 months to complete the process – so be patient, and really think about the importance of achieving the results you desire after all that effort, time, and investment. Picture yourself on that vacation beach!
Find a Clarity II laser hair removal provider near you:
Since the Lutronic Clarity II has several superior laser hair removal features which enable higher value patient benefits, it is important for you to check if these providers could best address your needs.
Click here to determine which nearby Clarity II providers could help you with laser hair removal that meets your needs, and likely will exceed your expectations.
Lutronic Clarity II™ is the only digitally powered dual-wavelength (755nm & 1064nm) laser designed to provide fast, consistent, safe laser hair removal in patients of all skin types (lighter to darker).
This digital power supply enables treatments that are 2-3 times faster than what older devices can do, making the Clarity II laser hair removal experience more comfortable and convenient for the patient. It also enables the very short (1ms – 3ms) pulse widths that lead to a much higher quality reduction of finer sized hairs which everyone has – especially after the first 2-3 treatments. This is key if you want to achieve the >90% reduction expectation. Only Clarity II has the 1, 2, and 3ms setting – no one else has this capability – so you should prioritize this in your search for the optimal laser hair removal practice. And the Clarity II has a capability called IntelliTrak™ that helps to ensure more complete and consistent coverage of large areas (like legs), so that you don’t need to rely on perfect hand-eye coordination of the provider trying to manually stamp every square inch of your legs – even the highly skilled providers miss areas. And this affects the quality of results and delays laser hair removal completion expectations.
Lastly, but still important, Clarity II has the most advanced cryogen spray cooling solution in the industry. This is the most comfortable approach (without needing messy gel applications and clean-up) so that your skin is protected AND your treatment experience is more comfortable. This cryogen spray precedes the laser pulse by a small fraction of a second to protect and cool the skin surface. It effectively covers the laser-treated area and makes the procedure very tolerable.
