What does “full body” actually include?
This is one of the most common sources of confusion in laser pricing. “Full body” is not a regulated term, and what is included can vary wildly between clinics, which is exactly why we do not sell one at our St. Albans clinic.
At The Skin to Love Clinic, we do not have a fixed full body package. “We have found, over many years of clinic experience, that rarely do two patients want exactly the same combination of areas. Some prioritise legs, underarms, and bikini; some want underarms, legs and upper lip; some want everything except the lower back.” Laser hair removal specialist, Nikki, explains. “A pre-set “full body” almost always ends up including something the patient does not want and excluding something they do.”
So, we build your course bespoke to you. You tell us, at consultation, exactly which areas you would like treated. We design a course around those areas and apply a 20% overall discount to the bespoke package. It is, in our experience, the fairer way of doing it and it stops patients paying for treatments they never wanted in the first place.
How many sessions of full body laser hair removal will I need?
“There are factors that can influence how you respond to laser hair, such as hormones and genetics. For most patients, a course of eight sessions delivers excellent long-term reduction.” Laser specialist Nikki says. Sessions are spaced four to six weeks apart, depending on the body area being treated.
The reason for this spacing is that hair grows in three phases: anagen (growing), catagen (transitioning) and telogen (resting). Laser is effective on hair currently in the active growing phase. But here’s the thing, not all of the hairs will be in the same phase at the same time. Each session captures the percentage of hair currently in anagen; spacing the course appropriately captures successive cycles.
Nikki adds, “Eight sessions has, in our clinical experience, become the most effective course length for the majority of body areas. It is a number we have arrived at over decades of laser practice, including Nurse Jane's, who has been treating patients with laser hair removal in the UK since the mid 1990s, when the technology first became available.”
Full body laser hair removal cost: an honest breakdown
This is what most patients are searching for, and we will not pretend otherwise.
We confirm pricing at your consultation, where we will have built your bespoke course around the areas you actually want treated and applied 20% off the overall package.
What we will not do is engage in penny-sales. If a clinic is offering “full body laser” at headline-low prices you may be having salon IPL or a lesser technology, possibly in inexperienced hands with no medical oversight. Excessively low prices are also a red flag to us that they could be using laser hair removal as a ‘loss leader’; so, they get you in for hair removal with the goal of upselling and hitting sales targets.
Cost isn’t always like-for-like; it’s worth researching what value you are getting within that price.
The long-term maths: laser vs waxing
Cost-conscious patients understandably ask: is laser worth it?
Here is a worked example using realistic UK 2026 salon prices. The average woman who waxes regularly typically spends:
- Brazilian wax: approximately £35 every five to six weeks
- Leg wax: approximately £40 every six weeks
- Underarm wax: approximately £15 every four weeks
That works out to around £800 to £900 per year on waxing three areas alone, on average, and most women begin waxing in their late teens and continue for thirty years or more. Over thirty years, the cumulative cost on those three areas exceeds £27,000, before factoring in time, ingrown hairs, discomfort, and the inconvenience of on-going appointments.
A bespoke laser course, by contrast, is typically delivered in eight sessions, with long-term reduction continuing thereafter. Most of our patients recoup the financial cost within a few years and gain back the time, the comfort, improved skin health, and the confidence and freedom of not thinking about it again.
| Cost factor | Regular salon waxing | Bespoke laser at The Skin to Love Clinic |
|---|
| Frequency | Every 4 to 6 weeks, indefinitely | Course of 8 sessions over 8 to 12 months |
| Approx. annual cost (3 areas) | Around £800-900 per year | One-off bespoke course, then individualised |
| Approx. 30-year cost | £27,000+ | Cost of one course plus any individual maintenance if required |
| Long-term hair status | Continues to grow | Long-term reduction in treated areas with results often lasting years, often decades |
| Time investment | Approx. 13 appointments per year indefinitely | Course completed in under a year |
| Skin/hair management | Ongoing ingrown hairs, irritation, shaving bumps and cuts | Reduced over time as growth is reduced |
Why medical-grade laser hair removal matters
This is where the difference between clinics is most significant, and most invisible, to the patient before treatment begins. There are three things that genuinely separate medical-grade laser hair removal at The Skin to Love Clinic from a salon experience.
The expertise
Our laser hair removal service is medically led, with full medical oversight. Nurse Jane joined the laser hair removal field in the mid 1990s, when the technology first arrived in the UK meaning she has been involved with it for near the entirety of laser's commercial history in this country. That depth of experienced support matters: in choosing the right settings, recognising the rare complications early, and tailoring a plan precisely to your skin and hair.
And because, at our clinic, you would be with the same practitioner throughout your course they will be following your progress and having discussions about your progress at every session to ensure you are getting the outcome we expect at every stage.
The technology
We use a medical-grade diode laser. Diode wavelengths (around 810 nanometres) penetrate deeper and are more targeted than IPL. It is particularly effective on coarser, darker hair, while remaining safe across a broad range of skin and hair types. The only hair colours it is not effective on is those without sufficient pigment, such as white or very blonde, as they lack the melanin that the laser targets. It is a workhorse technology, used extensively in clinical settings worldwide, with decades of supporting safety data.
The setting
The Skin to Love Clinic is a CQC-registered, medically led clinic. That means your laser treatment sits within a wider medical framework; clinical assessment, full medical history review, appropriate aftercare, feedback on your results requested throughout your course, and the ability to intervene properly if anything unexpected occurs. Most patients only learn this matters when something goes wrong.
What does the treatment feel like?
“Most patients describe each laser pulse as a quick, hot snap, similar to the flick of a warm elastic band against the skin.” Says Nurse Jane. “Modern diode systems, such as ours, incorporate cooling technology that significantly reduces discomfort.”
A bespoke session at our St Albans clinic typically takes between thirty and ninety minutes, depending on the areas you have included. There is typically little to no downtime: mild warmth and pinkness can persist for a few hours, but you can return to work, the school run or normal life immediately. The gym, hot baths and direct sun exposure are best avoided for 24 hours afterwards.
Maintenance: an honest position
This is where we tend to differ from clinics that promise tidy answers. Maintenance is genuinely individual.
“Some of our patients, after a full course, never need to come back. Others come in once a year for a single top-up and some may need a few more treatments at the end of their course. We always say, this treatment is not an exact science and there may be internal factors influencing results.” Laser specialist Nikki explains. “Patients with hormonal conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or those going through perimenopausal hormonal shifts, may need a quite different long-term plan because the hormonal drivers of hair growth continue regardless of how effectively prior hair was treated.”
We will not pretend to know what your maintenance pattern will be before we have treated you. We review it together at your follow-up appointment and build a plan that reflects what your body is actually doing, not a generic schedule.
Who is full body laser hair removal suitable for?
Laser hair removal is suitable for the vast majority of adults across all skin tones, when the right technology is selected and the practitioner is appropriately trained. It is particularly worth considering if you:
- Wax, shave or epilate regularly and are tired of it
- Suffer from ingrown hairs, folliculitis or razor irritation
- Have hormonal hair growth (PCOS, perimenopausal hormone changes)
- Want to invest in a long-term solution rather than a recurring monthly cost
It is not suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding, amongst some other contraindications. These will be discussed with you fully during a consultation.
