Consider asking the following questions to your laser hair removal specialist. Asking these questions will help to set your mind at ease with the entire process, and should show you that the specialist is there to help you to get rid of your unwanted hair. Hopefully you’ll see that they are professional and they’ll answer your questions confidently and enthusiastically.

How many patients have you seen?

The answer to this question is a great way to quickly get to the heart of your concerns: “have you done this before?”. Nobody wants to be the guinea pig. Ideally your laser hair removal specialist should say “hundreds” or “thousands”. Anything less than that and the specialist may not be as skilled with the laser as they should be.

How many sessions will it take to see results?

Since the cost is going to differ depending on how many sessions it will take, we want to know how many sessions we should expect. We have a handy chart on the home page to show you how many sessions it should take, depending on the body part being treated.

Do you own your own laser?

The ideal answer is “yes”. Sometimes locations will rent the laser since they’re quite expensive. If the specialist owns the laser though, you can be sure that that location is committed to doing laser hair removals for a long time to come.

Does laser hair removal hurt?

The answer should be “no”, with an explanation. The specialist will apply a lotion to numb the area, which should more than cover the possibility of pain or irritation to the area. Note that some people are extremely sensitive, so it’s possible that the cream is not enough. If you think this applies to you, please let your specialist know!

We offer more detailed information about pain associated with laser hair removal.

Armed with these questions, you should have all you need to become comfortable with any particular laser hair removal location. Be sure to listen to their answers, making sure that they are knowledgeable and that they do a good job of making you comfortable.

Be certain to schedule a free consultation at first and don’t be pressured into anything. If a spa or clinic does not offer a free consultation we don’t recommend visiting them in the first place.

Laser hair removal is an option for facial hair, for both women and men. Before starting any particular regimen to remove facial hair, it’s important to consult a doctor or qualified physician. Excessive facial hair can be a hormone issue, and if it is it’s important to treat that problem before addressing the facial hair issue. Otherwise, you’ll spend time and money treating a problem that will simply come back, and that’s never a good idea.

Avoiding Tweezers

The first solution women often have for removing facial hair is to simply pluck it out with tweezers. Typically speaking, this is not a great solution — often the area can become irritated.

What you should Expect to Pay for Facial Hair Removal

The face is usually one of the easier areas of the body to have hair removed from. If you have fair skin with darker hair you are a good candidate for laser hair removal. The process can still work for darker-skinned women, but it will be more delicate work.

Blonde or especially light colored hair does not like the laser hair removal process and is generally not recommended.

The cost breakdown for the face:

It’s a common question, but one worth asking. If you plan on paying good money for laser hair removal it makes sense to find out how much it costs before you step foot in an expensive salon.

Let’s take a look at the national averages.
Average cost of laser hair removal session: $352
Average number of sessions necessary: 5
Total average cost of laser hair removal: $1,760

Determining the Specific Cost

National averages are a great way to get a rough estimate, but you need to know exactly how much it will cost you. Pricing will vary, based mostly on where in the country you are and what area of the body you’re having hair removed from. If you live in Manhattan, you shouldn’t expect to pay the same amount as people in Dallas.

There are many options to consider, but the following chart of costs of laser hair removal provides a great starting point.

We also offer more information about removing facial hair.

As you can see the greater the surface area the more expensive the hair removal process can become, which certainly makes sense. Additionally, some body areas (like the face) will not require as many hair removal treatments, thus making it less expensive. The hair typically found on the face is generally not as heavy as underarm or leg hair, for example. It should thus be an easier task to force unwanted hair out of your life forever, on your own body at least.

Factors that Determine Laser Hair Removal Cost

Geography is a key factor in figuring out the cost of laser hair removal. If you live in a big city like Los Angeles or New York you might expect to pay less since you’re going to have access to more facilities than if you lived in the Midwest. However, the demand in those cities will likely be greater, as will the running costs of the doctor or spa that performs laser hair removal. You should expect to pay more in a big city.

You may have even seen advertisements for destination spas that specialize in laser hair removal. While not exactly the most romatic getaway weekend, there’s nothing wrong with destination spas for improving yourself. Just make sure your practitioner is well qualified to use the machinery. Laws and guidelines can be lax in other countries.

Another consideration for cost is whether or not laser hair removal is the primary offering of that spa or clinic. Typically the cost is higher when the procedure is performed at a doctor or plastic surgeon. You can usually find better deals at locations that specifically specialize in laser hair removal.

Some additional cost considerations:

• Hair density - thicker hair is more difficult to remove
• Number of pulses needed to complete the removal - more pulses will be more expensive
• How long does it take - some locations may charge by how long a session takes (be careful of dawdlers in such a place)

Free Consultations

Don’t be afraid to schedule a free consultation with your laser hair removal specialist. It’s their job to set your mind at ease, regarding both cost and any concerns you may have about the procedure. If the location you’re interested in doesn’t offer free consultation I implore you to turn around and walk out the door. You do not want to give them your business!

We offer more information on questions you should ask your laser hair removal specialist.

Complete List of Cost Considerations

To sum up, these are the factors that will ultimately determine the final cost for your laser hair removal:

• Your physical location: cities will be more expensive than rural areas.
• Your skin tone: darker skin requires a more sensitive machine.
• Thickness of your hair: thicker hair means that more sessions may be necessary.
• Qualifications of your treatment center: if you have the removal done at a location that focuses on laser hair removal, you should expect to pay less than at a plastic surgeon.

I hope that this information is helpful to you as you explore your options in laser hair removal.

We’ve discussed the monetary cost of laser hair removal, but what about pain? We’ve all had hair pulled out before (hopefully accidentally, but I know a bully or two that could use some payback), certainly there’s pain in those moments. Shouldn’t laser hair removal be just as painful?

I think the answer will pleasantly surprise you.

Laser hair removal should not hurt at all!

If you experience pain then your laser hair removal specialist isn’t doing it properly.

If your laser hair removal specialist were to start removing your hair straight away, you would know about it. There would be discomfort immediately, especially in tender areas like those around the face or bikini areas. Fortunately, science has stepped up once again to provide comfort where once there was none.

Numbing Cream

Your hair removal specialist should provide a harmless numbing cream before your session. Once applied, you’ll wait about 30 minutes for the numbing to take full effect. After that though, you will not feel much of the laser hair removal once it’s begun. No pulling, no tugging, just the gentle pressure of the specialist as they work to remove your unwanted hair.

It’s possible that you will still feel some minor discomfort, especially around the face if the cream is not able to take full effect. Even then, the pain should not be any worse than a small mosquito bite.

Does it Hurt Afterwards?

After the session, and once the cream has worn off, you may feel some lingering discomfort in the area that had the hair removed. This should pass within no more than a couple of hours, though it has been reported that people were feeling discomfort up to two days later.

I wonder if these people were simply getting used to not having hair in those particular places. But I digress.

Extreme pain is rare, but it can happen. In the hands of a professional laser hair removal specialist you are perfectly safe. Just one more reason to be sure to use a qualified professional!

Laser hair removal is not as frightening as it first sounds. A technician will use a device to target your hair follicles with a laser, destroying them at the root where they grow. The process is not difficult, and in the hands of a trained professional you should not feel much (if any) discomfort.

It should be noted that a single laser hair removal session will slow the growth of hair follicles, but will not completely remove the hair.  For that multiple laser hair removal sessions will be necessary, the specific number depending on the nature of your skin and thickness of your hair. In future articles we will absolutely go more into the specifics of how to determine exactly how many laser hair removal sessions you should plan on. Please head here for more information on facial hair removal for women.

For now, if you have any laser hair removal questions to be asked, please ask them in the comments below. It’s our goal to become a source of quality information for laser hair removal, so that the public has a place to go to hopefully answer all of their question and alleviate any fears they may have.