Lasers & Hair Removal
Long-term hair reduction across face and body, with settings matched to your skin type and hair texture.
Laser hair removal targets the pigment in the hair follicle with light, damaging the follicle so it produces less hair over a course of treatments. We perform it at our Boca Raton med spa, patch test before your first full session, and plan the series around your hair and skin type. Book a consultation or see the full lasers and hair removal range.
Hair grows in cycles, and the laser only affects follicles that are in the active growth phase on the day you are treated. At any given moment only part of the hair in an area is in that phase, which is why one session cannot clear a region no matter how good the device is. Sessions are spaced to catch successive waves of growth. Skipping appointments or stretching the gaps out does not just delay the result, it costs you sessions.
The laser finds the hair by its pigment. Dark hair on lighter skin gives the clearest target, and that combination has always been the easiest to treat. Modern devices handle a much wider range of skin tones than early lasers did, using longer wavelengths and cooling to protect the surrounding skin. What has not changed is that gray, white, red and very fine blonde hair contain little or no usable pigment, so laser does very little for them. If that is your hair, waxing is the more honest option and we will tell you so rather than sell you a package.
This is the single instruction people most often ignore and it matters most here. Tanned skin holds extra pigment, and extra pigment competes with the hair for the laser's energy. That raises the risk of burns, blistering and pigment change. A spray tan causes the same problem. In South Florida the practical version of this rule is not seasonal: it means covering the treatment area or keeping it out of direct sun for a couple of weeks before each session and after it, all year. If you have been on the water or the course and picked up color, tell us and we will move the appointment.
Performed or supervised by our medical director, Marc L. Epstein, M.D.
The laser needs the follicle intact, and waxing, threading and plucking pull it out. Shaving leaves the follicle in place while removing the hair above the surface, which is exactly what is wanted. Shave the area the day before your appointment unless told otherwise.
What suits you is decided at consultation, from your skin and your history. Consultations are complimentary.
You will have a patch test before your first full session so your skin's response can be checked. On treatment day you wear protective eyewear and the handpiece is passed over the area. Most people describe each pulse as a hot elastic band snap, with cooling between. Sessions run from a few minutes for a small area to around an hour for a large one. Afterward the area looks pink and slightly bumpy at the follicles, similar to mild razor burn, and that settles over hours to a day. Treated hair pushes out over the following one to three weeks, which looks like regrowth but is shedding.
More than one, and the number depends on the area, your hair color and thickness, and your hormones. Because only follicles in the active growth phase respond, sessions have to be spaced to catch successive cycles. Your provider will plan the course at consultation.
It is a permanent reduction rather than permanent removal. Most people are left with far less hair, finer and lighter than before, and top-up sessions maintain it. Hormonal changes can prompt new growth later, which is not a failure of the treatment.
Poorly, because the laser finds hair by its pigment and those hairs have little to target. We will tell you that at consultation rather than sell you a package that cannot work.
No, and this includes spray tans. Tanned skin competes with the hair for the laser's energy and raises the risk of burns and pigment change. Tell us if you have caught the sun and we will reschedule rather than treat.
Waxing pulls out the follicle, and the follicle is the target. Shaving removes the hair at the surface and leaves the target in place, so shaving is what to do between appointments.
Most people compare each pulse to a hot elastic band snap. Modern devices cool the skin as they work, which makes a real difference. Sensitive areas feel sharper than large flat ones.
Medical aesthetic treatments at Salon Oasis Med Spa are performed or supervised by our medical director, Marc L. Epstein, M.D. This page is general information, not medical advice. Individual results vary and suitability is determined at consultation based on your health history.
Consultations are complimentary. Tell us the result you have in mind and we will personalize the treatment that gets you there, whether that is this one or something gentler.
