How long does the procedure take?

Laser hair removal usually takes only a few minutes to about an hour. It can be very brief if it is a small surface area, such as an upper lip. For a larger area like the entire leg and back, it lasts about 30 to 40 minutes, while treatments for the underarm or bikini line can take more time than an upper lip.

Each laser pulse will treat an area of 3/8 of an inch. Larger areas of the body such as the back, chest, shoulders, or legs take half hour or longer. Smaller areas, like the bikini line, upper lip, chin or the under arms, can take five to ten minutes. The average treatment time depends on the size of the area, how many areas are being treated during the same session, height and weight of the patient, the color, density, coarseness of hair, and even the skin color. Coarse dark hair on light skin is easiest to treat. Hair on darker skin is harder to treat. Finer hair is only sometimes affected. Many sessions are needed to destroy hair in all phases of growth.

The number and interval of treatments required differ on the severity of the condition and the scope of the perfection required. Generally, people need eight or more sessions to achieve results of about 80% hair reduction in the area treated. Spacing of four to six weeks between each session is necessary to avoid damaging the skin with continuous pulses of laser energy, and to enable hair growth after the hair-free period.

Dr. Ron Shelton is specifically trained in laser hair removal and helps others to feel more confident about their appearance and skin.

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