Laser Hair Removal

What laser hair removal actually does

Laser hair removal works by aiming light at the pigment in your hair. The pigment absorbs that light and converts it to heat, the heat travels down the hair shaft to the follicle, and a follicle heated enough stops producing hair. The surrounding skin, which holds far less pigment than a dark hair, is left largely unaffected — and on the FEMME 4D it is actively chilled at the same moment.

Two things follow from that, and they explain almost every question people ask.

It is a course, not an appointment. The laser can only affect a follicle that is in its active growth phase at the moment of treatment. At any given time only a portion of your hair is in that phase; the rest is dormant and will not respond no matter how good the device is. That is why sessions are spaced four to six weeks apart, and why anyone promising permanent results from one visit is selling you something. Our guide to how many sessions you need covers the arithmetic.

It works on contrast. The bigger the difference between the pigment in the hair and the pigment in the skin, the more precisely the energy lands where it should. Dark, coarse hair responds best. Fine, blonde, red or grey hair holds little melanin and responds poorly — which is a limitation of the physics, not of the machine, and we would rather say so at consultation than take your money for a course that will disappoint you.

What the treatment produces is permanent hair reduction rather than permanent removal — which is why the clinical literature usually calls it laser hair reduction rather than removal, and why we do too when precision matters. Most people finish a full course keeping eighty to ninety percent fewer hairs, with what regrows coming back finer and slower. How long results last goes into the maintenance side.

How to choose a laser hair removal clinic

Most of what separates a good clinic from a bad one is invisible from the outside, so these are the questions worth asking before you hand over money — of us or of anyone else.

• What device, and what wavelengths? If the answer is IPL rather than a laser, it is a different technology with different results. If it is a single-wavelength laser and you have deeper skin, ask specifically whether it offers 1064 nm.
• Will you assess my skin before treating it? A Fitzpatrick assessment and a patch test should happen before your first full session, not after something goes wrong.
• Are prices published? Clinics that quote only after a consultation are usually quoting you, not a price list. Ours are on the site.
• Is the price the same at every branch? For a chain, it often is not.
• Who is actually treating me? A named technician who sees you through the course beats a rotating pool.
• What happens if it does not work? A clinic willing to tell you that your hair is too fine or too light for good results is a clinic worth trusting.

Femme is a women’s clinic with twelve locations, one national price list, and the same Health Canada approved device in every room. We would rather turn away a course that will not work than sell it.

How many sessions, and what changes when

Six to ten sessions covers most people, with coarse or dense hair sitting at the upper end and facial hair often needing more because it cycles faster. Spaced four to six weeks apart, that is a commitment of roughly six to twelve months from first appointment to last.

What people notice, and roughly when:

• After one to two sessions — shedding. Treated hairs work their way out over the following two weeks, which can look like brief regrowth. It is not.
• By session three — density drops visibly. Most people find they are shaving occasionally rather than constantly, and this is usually the point at which it starts to feel worth it.
• Sessions four to six — regrowth turns patchy and noticeably finer. Sessions also become more comfortable, because there is less pigment left to absorb energy.
• After a full course — eighty to ninety percent lasting reduction for most people, then an occasional maintenance session rather than an ongoing course.

Timing matters more than people expect. Because treated skin should stay out of the sun, and because a tan changes what settings are safe, starting in autumn or winter means finishing before the following summer instead of spending that summer mid-course.

What people actually come in for

Convenience is the obvious reason, and for plenty of clients it is the only one. But two problems bring people to us more often than a wish to stop shaving.

Ingrown hairs. Every temporary method — shaving, waxing, epilating, creams — leaves a hair that must regrow through a disrupted follicle, which is the entire mechanism behind an ingrown hair. Reducing the number of follicles producing hair is the only approach that addresses the cause rather than managing it, and most people notice ingrowns dropping off sharply by the third or fourth session. Our guide to stopping ingrown hairs covers what to do in the meantime.

Hormonal hair growth. Conditions such as PCOS raise androgen levels and convert fine hair to coarse terminal hair on the chin, jaw, neck and stomach. Laser treats that hair effectively, because it is exactly the dark coarse type the wavelength suits — but the hormonal driver continues, so the plan looks different: more sessions than average and ongoing maintenance rather than a course that finishes. Laser hair removal and PCOS sets out what to expect honestly.

Femme is a women’s clinic. Facial and body hair is one of the most common things we treat and nobody here needs it explained apologetically.

Pricing

Prices are published rather than quoted on the day, and they are identical at every clinic — your nearest location is never the more expensive one. Single sessions start from $25, and every six-session package is priced below the cost of six individual visits. Consultations and patch tests are not charged for.

The full list, area by area, is on the pricing page.