Laser Hair Removal Q&A
70%
WORTH IT RATING
"Worth It Rating" shows the % of consumer reviewers that stated the procedure was "Worth It" or not. See more RealSelf Worth It Ratings or Add Your Review
236 Reviews
Laser Hair Removalbefore & after photos
View Before and Afters

Average Laser Hair Removal Cost: $1,649

Learn about Laser Hair Removal

989 people and 239 doctors are talking about Laser Hair Removal

Get Free Email Updates

What's the Best Laser Hair Removal Machine?

asked 4 years ago by anon
Latest answer by David Shafer, MD
Question viewed 157,835 times
Tags: best, machine, technique

The clinics near me offer a number of different laser machines. names like Light Sheer, IPL, Yag, Duet, Cool Glide.  What do the medical expert here think works best in laser hair removal?  --Julie

22 answers to What's the Best Laser Hair Removal Machine?

+11

Laser for Hair Removal in Raleigh: Selecting the Best Laser for your skin type

Laser hair removal has come a long way since the first laser for hair removal received FDA clearance in the mid 1990’s. Older generation lasers were slow, very painful and worked only on individuals with very dark hair and very light skin. Today, lasers can work on all skin colors and some lasers are even safe for treating tanned skinned. Lasers for hair removal can be performed on any (yes, any) area of the body. When considering a hair removal laser treatment, consumers should... more
Michael Law, MD

Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon

michaellawmd.com

+6

LightSheer Duet is the best laser for hair removal

We obtained a new LightSheer Duet laser  about 6 months ago, to replace our regular LightSheer Diode. The Duet is a huge leap forward for laser hair removal. Not only is it five times faster but the comfort level is significantly better. Not a single patient has complained of pain or discomfort with this laser. The results have been excellent on all skin types and many patients who were reluctant to treat large areas, such as the legs, chest and back, have gone ahead with this... more
Arie Benchetrit, MD

Montreal Plastic Surgeon
+6

The answer to this question is more complicated than one...

The answer to this question is more complicated than one would at first think. There is not a single “best” laser for hair removal on all patients. The list of machines available for laser hair removal includes the diode, ruby, alexandrite, and Nd:YAG laser, as well as intense pulsed light devices. Many different variations of these lasers are available from numerous manufacturers. The best laser for laser hair removal for each person depends on his or her skin color. In... more
Arash Akhavan, M.D.

Manhattan Dermatologic Surgeon
+6

The gold standard in laser hair removal is the...

The gold standard in laser hair removal is the LightSheer laser. In broad strokes, you need monthly treatments for four to six and then two to four treatments a year to maintain a hair-free state. The darker the hair, the better it works. This is the premier laser for hair removal. I have access to all kinds of hair removal lasers, and this is the one that I use on my wife, myself, and my family.
Charles Crutchfield, MD

Minneapolis Dermatologic Surgeon
+4

Best laser for hair removal

The answer to this question most certainly depends on your skin type. One practitioner above claims that the long pulsed ND:Yg is the best laser while another claims it is the Lightsheer. In fact we agree with both of them. The long pulsed Nd:Yg laser is best for darker skin types and the Lightsheer (Diode) is best for lighter skin types. One other laser that was not mentioned is the alexandrite laser. This is an excellent laser for light skinned hair removal. One thing that is important to... more
Harold J. Kaplan, MD

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon
+3

We chose the Cutera CoolGlide Laser for our patients after much research.

Great for: all skin types Not for: Blonde, white, red or grey hair Cutera CoolGlide Yag Laser uses a sophisticated light energy source for permanent hair reduction. The light is absorbed by the pigment in your hair, which effectively disables the hair follicle. The CoolGlide technology is considered the gold standard in the laser industry because of its long history of safety and effectiveness on all skin types—even on tanned skin, which is a nice benefit to patients in the... more
David B. Reath, MD

Knoxville Plastic Surgeon
+2

Laser Hair Removal - Ideal Device

Hi,   As noted by the other physicians above, there are several effective devices for laser hair removal (differing in both wavelength used to target the hair follicle as well as the manufacturer). After having had experience with various lasers for hair removal, I liked the Alexandrite 755 nm (Cyanosure, I believe) laser. However, by far, my favorite laser for hair removal is the Lumenis Light Sheer Duet. It is considerably less painful - the vacuum/suction component of the... more
Monika Kiripolsky, MD

San Diego Dermatologic Surgeon
+2

Laser hair removal can be done by many different machines

There are many systems available for laser hair removal and I don't think it is necessary to shop specifically by laser brand name.  The effectiveness of any laser hair removal treatment depends on the patient's skin color, hair color and on the abilities of the person providing the treatment.  Be cautious about franchise centers in the mall. Choose a practitioner with a lot of experience.  Know that hair must have pigment to be well treated, grey and blond hair... more
Elizabeth Lee, MD

Bay Area Plastic Surgeon

artfulsurgery.com

+2

LightSheer Duet Gets My Vote as Most Effective, Most Comfortable, and Fastest System Overall. 5 out of 5 Stars.

I started with Laser Hair Removal(LHR) almost 20 years ago!  My first machine was a Ruby Laser that cost me a ton of money and ended up being a very expensive door stop- I eventually sold it for parts.  I invested in various technologies over the years, but for the last several years we have depended on the LightSheer Diode Laser.  Last year we upgraded to the latest model, the LightSheer Duet, the Ferrari of the Hair Removal Systems.    By far it is the fastest... more
Claudio DeLorenzi, MD

Toronto Plastic Surgeon
+2

Best results depend on your skin type, laser type, and practitioner

I am a big fan of: alexandrite laser for light skinned people (cynosure apogee elite, candela gentlelase are examples of alexandrite lasers) nd yag for darker skinned folks (cynosure apogee elite, candela gentleyag) I think diode lasers (lightsheer) is also a good one, although I prefer individualized lasers mentioned above. Not a big fan of IPL for laser hair removal...I used IPL for a while but gave it up in favor of above technologies.
Marwan R. Khalifeh, MD

Chevy Chase Plastic Surgeon
+2

ALEXANDRITE and YAG are the best

The best lasers for laser hair removal are the Alexandrite and Yag lasers. The absorption of light by melanin (which is the pigment found in hair) is closest to the wavelength of the Alexandrite laser. This laser is by far the best for people with fair skin. The NdYag laser is better for darker skin individuals and is also the deepest penetrating laser. The Diode laser doesn't penetrate deep enough to kill all of the hair follicles and may just damage them causing them to fall out,... more
Daniel P. Markmann, MD

Baltimore Plastic Surgeon
+2

What determines the ideal laser or IPL (Intense Pulsed...

What determines the ideal laser or IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) for hair removal is determined by the skin color of the person, as well as the color, thickness, and location of the hair. Choosing the correct device and the correct setting requires a great deal of experience on the part of the person performing the treatment. The most popular lasers for hair removal, in the order of efficacy, include: IPL with filters of 645 nm, 695 nm, and 755 nm (such as the Lumenis Epilight or... more
Sam Naficy, MD

Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

The most effective lasers are the Lightshear,...

The most effective lasers are the Lightshear, Alexandrite, and Intense Pulsed Light. The Long pulsed 1064nm Nd:YAG is, at best, only half as effective and requires many more treatments but is best for dark-skin types. Laser hair-removal works best on dark hair and works very poorly, if at all on blond or grey hair.
Mitchel Goldman, MD

San Diego Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Best Laser Hair Removal

At our office, we use the Cynosure Elite machine for hair removal. The treatments are quick and with use of the cooling device, relatively pain-free. What is most amazing is how effective this laser is. I can tell you from personal experience having treatments with several different lasers that the Elite machine is the most effective that I have seen. It accomplishes in one treatment what other machines took three or four treatments. For instance, I experienced... more
David Shafer, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon
+1

Best in Laser Hair Removal

Our office has seen the best results with Luminous Light Sheer and Syneron Elos Technology.
Mark A. Codner, MD

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
+1

Laser Hair Removal

I like the Candela hair removal machine very well. I think the Cynosure is also very good. The Cutera, Cynosure, and Candela 1064 are gold standards for 1064 machines, but 1064 does not do everything so a 755 Alex or 810 diode are needed for lighter hair. I find IPL to be only average in removal of hair. The Lightsheer is good, the Coolglide is good, and studies have shown that on receptive hair, the Alex 755, 1064, and 810 all performed very similar and that the user... more
Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD

San Francisco Dermatologic Surgeon

www.elitemdspa.com

+1

Many Devices Effective

In order for good hair removal, you need a good target-- which is pigmented hair.  Most physicians consider the "gold standard" of laser hair removal to be the Long-Pulsed Alexandrite laser-- since it has the greatest pigment absorption with sufficient depth of penetration to treat hair.  This is an excellent, and my preferred laser, for most lighter skin types.  Because of its excellent absorption by pigment, darker skin types should be treated more cautiously and I... more
Jeffrey C. Poole, MD

Metairie Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Best Laser for hair removal is patient dependent

This is a question that really doesn't have one correct answer.  The skin type, hair color and desired result of the patient must be taken into consideration to determine the appropriate, or best, laser device.  In my opinion, the best device for any particular patient is the one that delivers the best cosmetic result with the lowest potential for side effects.
Corey L. Hartman, MD

Birmingham Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Best hair laser

I personally would recommend the Gentlemax Candela laser as it incorporates both the yag and alexandrite to treat all skin types...GL
Michael K. Kim, MD

Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon
+1

Most Advanced Laser Hair Removal Technology is the Long Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser

One of the most advanced laser hair removal technology is the long pulsed Nd:YAG laser an example of which is the GentleYAG by candela. The Nd:YAG laser delivers laser in the 1064 wavelength which is absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicle. GentleYAG laser hair removal is used for any area of the skin which has unwanted hair, including the face, neck, chest, back, bikini area, underarms, arms and legs. Because of the favorable wavelength and the long pulse deliver, the GentleYag... more
Sanusi Umar, MD

Redondo Beach Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

The best laser for laser hair removal

From my personal experience, the ND:Yag laser has an extremely good safety and efficacy profile with minimal exposure to risk.  The single best laser is thus the ND:Yag.
Raffy Karamanoukian, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

Best laser for Laser Hair Removal

There are a number of quality lasers out there that can do a good job for the majority of laser hair removal patients.
Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS

West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon

Ask a question