I was inspired to write this article by a visit from a longtime client. Eight years ago we did two rounds of laser hair removal together, after which the client became pregnant and we paused the series. She recently came back, but first she was tempted, on a friend's recommendation, by a treatment advertised as painless elsewhere. She completed a full series and came back with two pieces of feedback: it hurt, and the results were nonexistent. That's what prompted me to write this article, because many clinics advertise laser hair removal as completely painless, and the truth is more complex than the marketing slogan.
Laser hair removal works on the principle of selective photothermolysis. The laser light beam hits the melanin contained in the hair follicle, converts into heat, and raises the temperature enough to permanently damage the structure responsible for hair regrowth. That moment of rapid heating of the follicle bulb is precisely the source of the discomfort felt. The more effectively the laser acts on the follicle, the stronger the thermal effect, and consequently, the more clearly a client may feel a sting or burning sensation during the treatment.
Clinics advertising treatments as painless most often rely on a few technical solutions that do reduce perceived pain, but at the cost of effectiveness. One of these is working with low fluence and high pulse frequency, sometimes known as the in-motion technique. Instead of one strong pulse concentrated on the follicle, the laser emits a series of very weak pulses while the handpiece is moved across the skin. The skin heats up gradually, without abrupt coagulation, so the sensation of pain is minimal. The problem is that this gentle, time-distributed energy often doesn't reach the threshold needed for permanent follicle damage, so the effect tends to be short-lived or nonexistent altogether.
A second solution is intensive skin cooling during the treatment, for example contact cooling of the handpiece. Lower epidermal temperature reduces stimulation of pain receptors near the skin's surface, while the follicle bulb itself, located deeper, continues to heat up. A similar effect comes from using wavelengths less absorbed by melanin, as in Nd:YAG lasers. The treatment subjectively feels gentler, but to effectively act on the follicle it requires higher energy parameters, which tend to be felt anyway, while lower settings simply don't produce a lasting effect.
It's also worth remembering that on light skin, in areas with very little melanin in the follicle, the laser may feel almost painless. This isn't thanks to the technology, though — it's simply because the beam has nothing much to act on, and the treatment then has minimal effectiveness.
The truth is that effective laser hair removal, carried out with parameters properly matched to hair color and thickness and skin tone, always involves a certain level of discomfort during the pulse itself. This isn't a flaw of the treatment — it's confirmation that the laser is actually reaching its target and effectively destroying the follicle. Even the manufacturer of our own laser, a diode device, describes it in its materials as painless hair removal equipment. In reality that isn't the case, and this description is a typical marketing tactic manufacturers use to stand out from the competition. We don't use this claim in our advertising, because honesty toward our clients matters more to us than a catchy slogan. Clients often go by the word "painless" alone, forgetting that it isn't the same as "effective." At our clinic, we prioritize client comfort through proper skin preparation, precise parameter selection, and, in more sensitive areas, the use of a numbing cream — rather than through a promise of zero sensation.
If you come across laser hair removal advertised as completely painless, it's worth asking the clinic what technology and parameters they use. A truly effective treatment is one that balances client comfort with effective action on the hair follicle, not one that promises an absence of any sensation at the cost of real results.
Katarzyna Gwizdal, MSc, cosmetologist, Skin Laser