If you’re tired of the endless cycle of shaving, tweezing, or waxing, you’re probably not alone in wondering whether laser hair removal is worth it. In the video below, I sit down with nurse Anna to perform a live laser hair removal treatment and answer some of the questions we hear most often from patients. Watch the video, and keep scrolling as we cover candidacy, what to expect during treatment, recovery, and more.
How Often Should I Schedule Laser Hair Removal?
How often you come in depends on the area being treated. Facial treatments are typically scheduled every 4 to 6 weeks, while treatments for body areas are scheduled every 6 to 8 weeks. Hair grows in cycles, and laser energy can only affect follicles that are in their active growth phase — so spacing sessions out this way ensures more follicles are caught in that phase over time.
Can Laser Hair Removal Stop My Hair Growth Permanently?
Laser hair removal significantly reduces hair growth over a series of treatments, though results build gradually rather than all at once. After a single session, most patients see about a 10% to 20% reduction in hair growth, along with slower regrowth and some patchiness. Because hair follicles cycle through active, dormant, shedding, and resting phases, and laser energy only affects follicles in the active phase, multiple sessions are needed to treat as many follicles as possible.
How Do I Prepare for My Laser Hair Removal Treatment?
We provide detailed pre-treatment instructions covering everything you need to know beforehand. In general, the treatment area is trimmed before your appointment, and some patients choose to apply a numbing cream about 45 minutes prior. We can provide a prescription for that if you’d like one.
Does Laser Hair Removal Hurt?
Most patients experience only minimal discomfort. We use the GentleLase Pro-U system, which includes a Dynamic Cooling Device to improve comfort throughout the treatment. As mentioned above, for patients who are more sensitive, a numbing cream applied beforehand can help further.
Which Areas of the Body Is It Most Effective On?
Laser hair removal works on body and facial areas, including the underarms, bikini line, forearms, legs, back, brows, chin, upper lip, and cheeks. Patients with dark, coarse hair and lighter skin tend to see the most dramatic results, since the laser targets melanin (pigment) in the hair. That said, advances in laser technology mean patients with darker skin tones can still achieve successful results. Those with very fine, blonde, or red hair are often better suited to other hair removal methods, like waxing.
What Should I Expect After Laser Hair Removal Treatment?
It’s common to experience redness and swelling immediately after treatment, which usually resolves within 1 to 3 days, along with a sensation similar to mild sunburn. The treated hair doesn’t fall out right away. Instead, it sheds gradually over the following 1 to 2 weeks, so it may look like hair is still growing even though the follicles have been treated. Avoiding sun exposure and wearing SPF 35+ afterward helps prevent discoloration, and it’s best to wait a few hours before applying makeup to the treated area.
What’s Next?
If you’re considering laser hair removal or laser tattoo removal in the Los Angeles area, I encourage you to request a consultation at our Burbank practice or call (818) 500-0823 to schedule an appointment.
This blog post was originally published in February 2017 and updated in September 2026.
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