Philadelphia, PA
Laser Hair Removal
What is laser hair removal?
Laser hair removal uses focused light to heat the pigment inside a hair follicle until that follicle can no longer grow hair. At PhillyMedClub it is performed by licensed medical aestheticians in a physician-owned practice, on treatment protocols set by our physicians, with a physician on site during treatment hours. That last part matters more than it sounds — if your skin reacts unexpectedly, or you are taking a medication that changes how we should treat you, a doctor is in the building rather than on the end of a phone.
The target is melanin, which is concentrated in the hair follicle and not in the surrounding dermis. That difference is what allows the laser to disable the follicle without injuring the skin around it.
Which laser do you use?
The Candela GentleMax Pro. It is a dual-wavelength platform — a 755 nm alexandrite laser and a 1064 nm Nd:YAG in a single system — which is the reason we can treat every skin type rather than turning patients away. It is not IPL. IPL devices scatter broadband light across a range of wavelengths; a laser delivers one wavelength at a controlled pulse duration, which is what makes the energy predictable enough to use safely on deeper skin tones.
The system also fires a burst of cryogen onto the skin milliseconds before each pulse, cooling the surface while the energy reaches the follicle underneath. That is most of the reason modern treatment is tolerable without numbing cream.
We use the same platform for spider vein treatment — the 1064 nm wavelength targets hemoglobin in superficial vessels the same way it targets melanin in follicles.
Is laser hair removal permanent?
It produces permanent reduction, not permanent removal — and that distinction is the FDA's, not marketing hedging. Devices sold in the United States are cleared for permanent hair reduction, which the FDA defines as a long-term, stable reduction in the number of hairs regrowing, measured at 6, 9 and 12 months after a completed treatment regime.
In practice, most of the hair in a treated area stops coming back for good. Some follicles that were dormant during your series can activate later — pregnancy, hormonal shifts and aging all do this — and a minority of treated follicles recover and produce finer, lighter hair.
On how much reduction to expect, we would rather give you the real state of the evidence than a number from a brochure. A systematic review that looked specifically for trials following patients beyond a full hair growth cycle found only five that qualified, covering 223 patients between them. Across those trials, average long-term reduction ranged from about 30% to 84% depending on which laser was used — roughly 30–74% for Nd:YAG and 35–84% for alexandrite, the two wavelengths on our platform. The authors' own conclusion is worth repeating: these devices are widely used, and the long-term evidence behind them is thinner than that popularity suggests.
Your own result depends on your hair colour and coarseness, the area treated and how many sessions you complete. Facial areas cycle faster than body areas and need more maintenance. Any clinic promising to remove 100% of your hair forever is either describing electrolysis or describing nothing.
How many sessions will I need?
Six to eight for most body areas, spaced four to eight weeks apart. The reason is biological rather than commercial: a laser can only disable a follicle while that hair is in its active growth phase, and at any given moment only a fraction of your follicles are in that phase. Each session catches a different fraction, which is why efficacy improves with repeated treatments. Most patients see a visible difference after the second or third session. Facial areas cycle faster and usually need more sessions plus occasional maintenance afterward.
What if I have had laser hair removal before?
If you finished a series and have a few patches coming back, you do not need to start over and you should not be sold a new package. We offer a 10-minute touch-up for exactly this situation — a short, targeted session on the spots that returned, rather than a full treatment of the whole area.
Touch-ups are open to patients who had their original series somewhere else, not just our own. Bring what you know about the device and settings that were used if you have it. If you don't, we will assess the area and tell you honestly whether a touch-up will do it or whether that area needs a fuller course.
Does laser hair removal work on darker skin tones?
Yes — and this is where device choice stops being a technicality. The burns and hyperpigmentation that gave laser hair removal a bad reputation on brown and Black skin happen when a wavelength that is too short, or an energy setting that is too high, gets absorbed by pigment in the epidermis instead of the follicle. The 1064 nm Nd:YAG wavelength penetrates past the epidermis with far less absorption by surface melanin, which is why it is the standard for Fitzpatrick IV–VI.
The GentleMax Pro is FDA-cleared for permanent hair reduction across skin types I through VI. We assess your skin and hair before selecting the wavelength and settings — the 755 nm alexandrite generally performs better on lighter skin and finer hair, the 1064 nm on deeper skin tones. If a clinic runs every patient on the same wavelength at the same energy, that is the thing to ask about.
Which areas do you treat?
- Underarms, arms and hands
- Full legs, half legs and feet
- Bikini line and Brazilian
- Face, upper lip, chin and neck
- Back, chest, shoulders and abdomen
Sessions run from about 15 minutes for a small area to 90 minutes for full legs or a full back.
What should I do before my appointment?
Shave the treatment area the day before, or the morning of at the latest. Shaving clears the hair above the skin so the laser's energy goes into the follicle instead of scorching surface hair, and it meaningfully reduces irritation afterward. It also leaves the root — the target — exactly where it needs to be.
If you would rather not shave it yourself, add shave and trim when you book — it appears as an option with the current price shown. Doing it yourself the day before is still the better option: your skin is calmer and your appointment stays on time. Come with the area clean, without lotion, deodorant or makeup.
What should I avoid before my appointment?
No sunbathing, tanning beds or self-tanner for at least two weeks. A fresh tan raises the melanin in your skin, which competes with the melanin in the follicle for the laser's energy — that means treating you at reduced settings, or rescheduling you.
No waxing, plucking, threading or epilating for four weeks. These pull the hair out at the root, and the root is what the laser is aiming at.
What happens during treatment?
Most people describe a warm snapping sensation. The cryogen cooling makes numbing cream unnecessary for nearly everyone. Afterward the area may look pink and feel like a mild sunburn for a few hours. There is no downtime and you can return to work immediately.
What should I do after my appointment?
Do not shave the treated area for the first 48 hours — the skin is sensitive and a razor over it invites irritation. After that, shaving is fine, and it is the method we recommend for managing regrowth between sessions.
Let the treated hairs shed on their own over the following one to three weeks. What looks like regrowth in that window is usually hairs working their way out.
Do not wax or pluck at any point during your series. Avoid sun exposure, hot tubs, saunas and heavy sweating for 24 to 48 hours, and use sunscreen on treated areas throughout.
Further reading
Why choose PhillyMedClub for laser hair removal in Philadelphia?
We treat on the Candela GentleMax Pro, a dual-wavelength platform carrying both a 755 nm alexandrite and a 1064 nm Nd:YAG, which is why we can treat every skin type rather than turning patients away. It is a laser, not IPL — one wavelength at a controlled pulse duration rather than broadband light scattered across a range. Treatment is performed by licensed medical aestheticians in a physician-owned practice, on protocols set by our physicians, with a physician on site during treatment hours. We are straight about the limits: gray, white, blonde and red hair have little or no melanin for the laser to find, and we would rather tell you that than take your money. Most body areas need six to eight sessions. From $20 a session in Fishtown, Philadelphia.
Back, chest, shoulders, neck and beard line are the most requested areas for male patients. Male hair is coarser and denser, so it generally takes a few more sessions than comparable areas on female patients — see our dedicated men's page for the detail.
Our highest-volume service. We treat all body areas including full legs, underarms, Brazilian, and facial hair. All skin types welcome — the Candela GentleMax Pro's dual wavelengths cover every Fitzpatrick type, including deeper skin tones. Series pricing makes treatment highly affordable over the full package.
Frequently asked questions
Does laser hair removal work on blonde, grey or red hair?
Poorly, and we would rather tell you that than take your money. The laser finds the follicle by targeting melanin, the pigment that makes hair dark. Grey and white hair has essentially none, so there is nothing there to absorb the energy. Blonde and red hair have some, but far less, and results are unreliable. If your hair is in one of those categories, electrolysis is the treatment that actually works on it — it destroys the follicle electrically and does not care about pigment. It is slower and more tedious, and it is the honest recommendation.
How much does laser hair removal cost in Philadelphia?
It depends on the area, and on the fact that this is a course rather than a single appointment. Most body areas need six to eight sessions, so the number that matters is the series rather than the visit — series pricing is how nearly everyone books, and current pricing is shown when you book. Facial areas need more sessions plus occasional maintenance, because facial follicles cycle faster. If you finished a series elsewhere and have a few patches returning, ask about our 10-minute touch-up rather than paying for a whole new package.
Is it painful?
Most patients describe a warm snapping sensation. The GentleMax Pro sprays a burst of cryogen onto the skin milliseconds before each pulse, cooling the surface as the energy is delivered — nearly everyone tolerates treatment without numbing cream.
Laser Hair Removal
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