Laser hair removal for men

Men are taking more care of their appearance, and male aesthetic treatments are getting ever more popular. We see many male patients at the Clinic who are looking for various treatments, and one of the most popular is laser hair removal for men.

Men are opting for laser hair removal for a number of reasons:

• Skin health – it will prevent razor rash and ingrown hairs
• No more stubble – stubble in the affected area will be a thing of the past
• Maintenance – it saves a lot of trouble trying to shave areas of the body that are inaccessible, e.g. the back
• Confidence – the removal of hair from some parts of the body helps men with their body confidence
• Skincare – with the hair gone, it will be easier to establish a skincare routine
• Less painful than waxing – waxing involves the hair being ripped from the skin which can be painful! Laser hair removal can be uncomfortable and has been described as having an elastic band pinged against the skin, although some people claim it is pain-free
• Frequency – after the initial treatments, you can be hair-free for a while, possibly years; whereas shaving or waxing must be done on a regular basis

Treatment does not work on all types of hair

However, not every man will benefit from laser hair removal because of the nature of the treatment. The laser targets pigmentation in the hair, and so will be more effective on hairs that contain more pigment – dark pigments absorb the light from the laser helping the energy to reach the base of the hair follicle and destroys the hair bulb or the dermal papilla which supplies blood and nourishment to the growing hair. We do not suggest laser hair treatment if your hairs have all turned white or are very fair.

Why will I need so many sessions for treatment to be effective?

The treatment will only work on hairs that are at a certain stage of development (the anagen phase, which is the first stage of the hair’s growth), which means that each treatment will only be successful on between 10% and 15% of total body hair. So, try to ensure that all the hairs in the area have been removed, you will need a course of around eight treatments at regular intervals. However, this varies from individual to individual as laser hair removal is not an exact science, and is something we will discuss with you in your initial consultation.

Soprano Ice

We use Soprano Ice laser hair removal as it can be used on the majority of skin and hair types (although unfortunately it cannot help remove white hair which lacks the melanin needed to attract the laser light). It can also be used on tanned skin, which is not the case with some other laser treatment options.

If you have ingrown hairs, this laser treatment can help by slowing down hair growth, reducing or even removing the cause of the problem.

If you have questions about laser hair treatment

We will never treat you without an initial consultation with your medical practitioner, during which we will sit down and explain how the procedure works and go through the possible side effects. If we feel that laser hair treatment is not appropriate, we will let you know and discuss alternative treatments. We will also do a patch test during this treatment, this is for your safety before starting your treatment.

For more information, read our blog on what you need to know before starting laser hair removal.