The light passes through your skin and is absorbed by the hair. When the hair absorbs the light, the last energy becomes heat, which destroys the follicle. The laser selectively heats and destroys the hair without harming your skin. Most patients say the treatment feels like a series of pricks to the skin. Patients who have tried other treatments, such as electrolysis or waxing, report there is much less discomfort with the laser than with anything else they have used.
Most patients tolerate the sensation without any problems.
Any redness to the treatment area usually lasts less than 24 hours. More than one treatment is needed to obtain the best results. The number of treatments prescribed depends upon the area of the body being treated, and the percentage of hairs that are actively growing at the time of treatment. Since human hair grows in cycles, some hairs are actively growing while others are resting in a dormant phase. At the time of laser treatment, the laser will destroy the hairs that are in the active growing phase, but the dormant phase follicles will not be destroyed and may actually become active after the first treatment.