The laser light used in laser hair removal is fired as a very brief flash and passes safely through the skin. It is absorbed by dark hair follicles and is turned into heat, damaging the cells at the root of the hair, thus preventing further hair growth - the hairs fall after a week or two and any subsequent regrowth is finer and sparser .

Hair growth phases
Hair follicles go through 3 different growth phases:

1. Active growth phase (called the anagen phase). At any given time, the majority (85%) of our body hair is in this phase. During anagen, the hair has an abundance of melanin.
2. Regressive phase (catagen phase), which lasts about two weeks, during which the hair stops growing but is not yet shed. About 3 - 4% of our body hair is in this phase at any given time.
3. Resting phase (telogen phase), which lasts 5 - 6 weeks, at the end of which the hair falls out and a new hair begins to form. Approximately 10-13% of our body hair is in this phase at any one time.

Laser hair removal treatment only works in the active growth phase. Because different follicles can be in different phases, several treatments are necessary to achieve a lasting result - typically 6 or 8 treatments are required in a white skin and maybe 8 or 10 in a darker skin.

The flashes are repeated every second, so hundreds of follicles can be treated in one session. Sessions typically last 15-45 mins, depending on the area being treated.

Laser hair removal treatment can be used on any area of the body, including the face, legs, stomach and bikini line.

Who is suitable for laser hair removal?

The short answer is that nowadays, almost anybody can have laser hair removal.
Because the laser light needs to pass through the skin, and be absorbed by the hair follicles, the best results are obtained when there is a large difference between the colour of the hair and the skin colour, e.g. black hair on fair skin.

It used to be that people with darker skin pigments were not suitable candidates as the dark skin pigment absorbs too much laser energy, causing damage to the skin. However, laser hair removal treatments have developed, and having dark skin is no longer a barrier to achieving that smooth, hairfree look. Hair removal clinics using NdYAG laser or IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) equipment are the ones to look out for.

Darker skin may need more sessions at a lower power to prevent skin damage, but improvements are being made all the time so check out a few clinics  to see what they can offer.

Fair Hair

Blonde or grey hair was originally impossible to treat using laser hair removal, due to the lack of melanin in the hair to absorb the energy from the laser beam. Recent developments however mean that even this obstacle can now be overcome with the use of Meladine.

If you know of a clinic that should be listed here, please use the comments section at the bottom of the page to add it (all comments are checked before being published)

Cornwall Laser Clinic
Unit5 Briston Orchard
St Mellion
Saltash
Cornwall
PL12 6RQ
Tel: 0844 800 8839

Bodyworks
12 Parade Street
Penzance
Cornwall
TR18 4BU
Tel: 01736 361288

Stannary Clinic at Craig Chapman Concept Salon
4 Southgate Street
Launceston Cornwall
PL15 9DP
Tel: 01566 775777

If you know of a clinic that should be listed here, please use the comments section at the bottom of the page to add it (all comments are checked before being published)

Sk:n Clinics
James Cook University Hospital,
Marton Road,
Middlesbrough,
Cleveland
TS4 3BW
Tel: 0800 028 7222

If you know of a clinic that should be listed here, please use the comments section at the bottom of the page to add it (all comments are checked before being published)

Cheshire Skin Clinic
89 Dingleway
Warrington,
WA4 3AG
Tel: 01925 263 660

The Brookdale Clinic
Brookdale Centre,
Manchester Road
Knutsford
WA16 0SR
Tel: 01565 651832

SkinGenesis
At 10 Bridge Clinic
Chester Road
Bridge Trafford
Chester
CH2 4JT
tel: 01244 303 464

Court House Clinic
39 St Petersgate
Stockport
Cheshire
SK1 1DH
Tel: 0845 555 5050

Dunham Consulting
2 Charcoal Woods
Charcoal Road
Bowdon
Cheshire
WA14 4RU
Tel: 0161 928 3425

Cottage Surgery Cosmeticare
50 Church Street
Marple
Stockport
Cheshire
SK6 6BW
Tel. 0161 426 1807 / 1804

Cosmeticare Wilmslow
Kenmore Medical Centre
60-62 Alderley Road
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK91PA
Tel. 0161 426 1807 / 1804

Cheshire Image Clinic
1 Canal Street
Chester
CH1 4EJ
Tel: 01244 321696

Cristianos
Bank Chambers
2 The Downs
Altrincham
WA14 2PU
Tel: 0161 929 5560

Looking for a laser hair removal clinic in Cambridgeshire? You should always get quotes from several clinics, and make sure the equipment they use is suitable for you - remember that different clinics may use different equipment and procedures which may be suited to particular hair/skin types.

If you know of a laser air removal clinic in Cambridgeshire that is not listed here, please use the comments section to send the details.

Body Laser Clinic
Essex House,
71 Regent Street,
Cambridge
CB2 1AB
Tel: 01223 464171

Body Laser Clinic
58 Broadway
Peterborough
PE1 1SU
Tel: 01733 555200

Cambridge Skin & Laser Clinic
7 Brooklands Avenue
Cambridge
CB2 2BB
Tel: 01223 362226

Woodford Medical Aesthetics
1a Langford Arch
London Rd
Sawston
Cambridgeshire
CB22 3FX

How is this possible? The key to this improvement in laser hair removal treatment is a remarkable product called Meladine™.

Meladine

Laser hair removal works by selectively heating and damaging the hair follicles. The laser light passes through the skin and is absorbed by the dark pigment melanin which is present in the hair follicles. Unfortunately, fair hair has little or no melanin to absorb the energy from the laser and so isn’t affected.

Meladine solves this problem. When sprayed on the desired area, Meladine™ deposits natural melanin directly into the hair follicle. The clever bit is that Meledine’s™ patented delivey system only deposits the melanin in the hair follicle - none is absorbed by the hair shaft or the skin.

This is important because the area has to be treated for up to 6 weeks before each laser treatment. The hair above the surface of the skin will not be darkened, the only darkening will occur under the skin within the hair follicle itself . The last thing you would want is to make the offending hair more visble!

Similarly, there is no darkening or staining of the skin, so no problems there with either appearance or increasing the risk of the laser burning the skin.

The Meladine is applied by spray every morning and night, and works best if the area has been shaved. Coarse hair will need treating for 4-6 weeks, while fine, vellus hair will only need treating for 2 weeks prior to the treatment. Your clinic will advise you on how to apply it and how long you need to do it for.

Most laser hair removal clinics should now be able to offer this - in fact if they don’t, it’s probably only because they haven’t heard of it yet.

So don’t let your hair colour hold you back - now there is nothing to stop you getting laser hair removal.

Lets start with the first question. Laser hair removal works by the intense light passing through the skin and heating up the dark pigment(melanin) in the hair follicles, causing them to be damaged.

The darker the skin, the more light is absorbed by the skin instead of the hair follicle, causing the skin to heat up. This causes increased discomfort and possible scarring. Because of this, darker skin has to be treated at a lower power, and so needs more sessions to achieve the desired results.

So anything that makes the skin darker, whether it’s sun-tanning/sunbed or a tanning cream must be avoided before starting laser hair removal treatment. Of course, tanning by the sun not only makes the skin darker, but can also cause heat damage to the skin, so it’s even more important to avoid it before laser hair treatment.

Before Treatment

If you have got a tan and want laser hair removal, you really need to let the tan fade completely before the treatment starts - usually at least 4-6 weeks. During this time you need to avoid exposure of the area you want treating to the sun, and use a sunscreen with a protection factor of at least SPF15, preferably higher.

During Treatment

Of course, the same rules apply during your course of treatment - so, depending on the area you are having treated, you’ll probably have to resign yourself to being “pale and interesting” for a while.

Remember, these are only general guidelines - you will be given advice by your clinic during the initial consultation which will take into account your particular circumstances and treatment.

After Treatment

OK, so what about after the treatment - you want to show off your new, smooth, hairfree skin don’t you? After all, that is the point of having laser hair removal. Well, you need to avoid exposure of the treated area to the sun/sunbeds for a couple of weeks at least and use a sunscreen - again your clinic will give you specific advice which you should follow.

If you know of a clinic that should be listed here, please use the comments section at the bottom of the page to add it (all comments are checked before being published)

sk:n clinics Newcastle
76 Grey Street,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE1 6AF
tel: 0191 261 0011

nu-age medical spa
51 St James Boulevard
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4AU
tel: 08450 36 24 36

Laserase Newcastle
Freeman Hospital
Freeman Road
High Heaton
Newcastle
NE7 7DN
tel: 0191 2130666

Aesthetic Beauty Centre
4 Grainger Park Road
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE4 8DP
tel: 0845 600-7546

If you know of a clinic that should be listed here, please use the comments section at the bottom of the page to add it (all comments are checked before being published)

SkinGenesis
2nd Floor Duncan House
14 16 Duncan St.
Leeds
LS1 6DL
tel: 0113 244 8999

Beauty at The Woodhouse Clinic
2 Woodhouse Cliff
Leeds
LS6 2HF
tel: 0113 275 3692

The Temple Practice
2 Harrogate Road
Chapel Allerton
Leeds
LS7 4LA
tel: 0113 262 2349

Alison Walker Health & Beauty
15 Headingley Lane
Headingley
Leeds
LS6 1BL
tel: 0113 278 9123

Laser Beauty Clinic
52-54 New Briggate
Leeds
LS1 6NU
tel: 0113 245 0060

Sk:n Clinics (Leeds)
52 Street Lane,
Roundhay,
Leeds,
LS8 2ET
tel: 0113 268 1000

The Northern Cosmetic Laser Practice
Windsor House Surgery
2 Corporation Street
Morley
Leeds
LS27 9NB
tel: 0113 238 1594

You should always try to get quotes from several clinics, and make sure the technique they use is suitable for you- remember that different clinics may use different equipment and procedures which may be suited to particular hair/skin types. (See “types of laser used for hair removal“)

sk:n clinics Edinburgh
91 Hanover St
Edinburgh
EH2 1DJ
tel: 0844 800 0317

Zen Lifestyle
9 Bruntsfield Place
Edinburgh
EH10 4HN
tel:0131 477 3535

Smoothies Beauty
13 Ormidale Terrace
Murrayfield
Edinburgh, EH12 6DY
tel: 0131 347 8677

Laserase Scotland
Leith Walk Surgery
60 Leith Walk
EDINBURGH
EH6 5HB
tel: 0131 555 6822

Medicalternative
Waterside House
19 Hawthornbank Lane
Edinburgh
EH4 3BH
tel: 0131 225 5656