Cost of Laser Hair Removal

The two questions people ask most when the topic of laser hair removal is discussed are: what does laser facial hair removal cost? And does it hurt? The latter question is simple. Most patients report anything from a tingle to a soothing sensation, overall more pleasant than plucking, waxing or shaving. To answer the first question requires a little more detailed information of the patient and the situation they are in because the cost of laser hair removal is not the same for everyone and will be determined on a case by case basis.

There are several factors that play into the final cost of laser hair removal. First it depends on the region of the body. Some areas are hard to reach or difficult to work because of the skin sensitivity or whatever reason. The next factor is the size and amount of hair in that area of the body. More hair, larger area, or a combination of both will mean more time required to work the remove hair in its entirety. Most of the bill will be for the repeat sessions. Finally, the doctor will charge a rate for his work and varies in how his service is priced.

Clinics use a variety of ways to price patients. Generally, there are three common ways the final bill is determined. The patient can be billed by time, by region of the body, or per laser pulse. When entering the doctor's office for consultation on this hair removal procedure it is important that the estimate cost as well as how that price was determined is disclosed to the patient.

Fixed Rate

At places where pricing is determined solely by the area of the body to be treated with laser hair removal, the structure is fairly simple to understand. One fixed rate is predetermined for a particular region of the body. This rate stands regardless of the amount of hair in the region and the subsequent amount of work on the doctor's part to complete the hair removal process. Such a pricing method, as you can imagine, would be beneficial to those with larger amounts of hair in the desired area to be treated.

Time Based

The second pricing method used by some clinics is to charge by time. With this method, patients are usually billed in increments of 15 minutes and disregard the number of repeat sessions since the amount of time can be summed up. The effect of this pricing method depends on the speed of the doctor performing the service, the speed of the equipment being used, and the amount of the hair to be removed.

Per Pulse

The other way that the cost of laser hair removal is determined is by the number of pulses. A pulse is a single firing of the laser beam and usually will penetrate one hundred hair follicles. Clinics that use this pricing method will charge a minimum number of pulses and once the procedure exceeds the minimum pulses, each proceeding pulse is charged usually around one dollar per pulse. Most patients will go over the minimum number of pulses and are happy to find that subsequent or continued treatment of the same area become much more economical over the course of several sessions because the amount of hair remaining gets fewer and fewer requiring fewer pulses.

While there are many factors that play into the final cost of all cosmetic surgery procedures, the two are time and risks. Time is a straight forward factor. There is the amount of preparatory time required before the procedure; this includes searching for a doctor, consultation, and any habit alternations to prepare for the procedure. The latter is usually applicable to more serious procedures such as surgeries. Then the actual time during the procedure as well as the recovery time all need to be taken into consideration.

When it comes to the time cost of laser hair removal, there is little preparation except to avoid waxing or plucking before the procedure because hair follicles are hard to target when the hair has been pulled out by the root. The sessions themselves are usually 30 to 45 minutes long and repeat sessions are typically a month apart and recur for 2 to 8 months or more.

The risk involved are minimal during laser hair removal since the laser beam only penetrates the outer layer of the skin there is little danger to other parts of the body. The most common symptom is very mild and appears as pale patches of the skin. This is very temporary and typically goes away with time. Some particularly sensitive skins might not react too well to the heat generated by the laser and overheating of the skin can cause blistering and, on rare occasions, scarring.

The biggest risks are around the eyes during facial hair removal and as long as proper precautions are practice, there is very little risk of endangerment. Goggles are worn whenever the procedure pertains to facial hair. Also, anyone with a wound or infection in the area to be treated will be disqualified until the wound is healed and the infection is taken care of.

Really the only other cost to undergo laser hair removal is that the procedure is not permanent. After a number of years hairs do begin to show in the area. However, it is usually very thin and repeat sessions for a previously treated area are priced at a lower rate than it would be for brand new patients.