Hair removal with laser treatments is done with a laser beam that emits light energy to reduce excessive hair growth and with the aim of eventually eliminating it completely. The laser’s single-spectrum light produces heat in the melanin pigment in the hair shaft. Melanin is the substance that gives your hair and skin their color. The heat travels through the melanin to the hair follicle, a tiny sac inside the skin that grows hair. As the follicle inflames from the laser, it goes dormant and stops hair growth. Laser hair removal can last months or it can last years, as long as a series of treatments are performed.

Lasers are considered medical devices and should only be operated by a doctor or a nurse with special training. Lasers produce a single-color beam of focused light energy that can be trained on a precise target, such as a single hair. The lasers used for hair removal are hand-held devices. There are also laser-like devices used in hair removal, such as intense pulsed light (IPL) systems. These instruments use light from more than one color along the color spectrum and direct it at their target in brief bursts. The choice of whether to use laser or IPL therapy for hair removal is best made by the treating physician.

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