Does laser hair removal have to hurt for it to be effective?

Question

This is anecdotally what I've heard but I just went in for legs, underarms, and Brazilian with a Cynosure Apogee Elite laser, and didn't feel much pain at all. Most areas I just felt the cool air blowing, and then I felt little pin pricks only on my shins, backs of knees, and bikini line. This surprised me as I thought it should hurt on every pulse. I also don't think I smelled any hair burning and don't see any redness. Should I ask the nurse to turn the settings up next time I go?

Laura A. Katz, MD · Answer

No, laser hair removal does not have to hurt to be effective.  WIth the proper settings and wavelength, the discomfort should not be anything more than a rubber band flinging at you.  Having said that, there are some lasers such as the gentlemax pro that offer a cryo cooling burst while removing the hair so it decreases the discomfort even further.

Yixiu Zheng, MD · Answer

No, hair removal doesn't have to hurt in order to be effective. The BBL ForeverBare motion is virtually painless and still effective. BBL ForeverBare targets only the color of the hair follicles sparing other tissues hence is virtually painless.

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Does laser hair removal have to hurt for it to be effective?

Answers (2)

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