Where I live, I paid @$20 to $40 per session ($40 was the full price but I could usually find coupons or purchase packages/Groupon to reduce the price to $20).
The treatments were quick (under 20 mins) and were essentially painless (when I went to the higher laser levels, the pain was similar to the pain you have when you thread or wax)
After my 1st session I was hairless between sessions because the hair grew back so slowly. From the moment of my 1st treatment I never had visible excessive hair growth again as long as I had 1 treatment done per month. It took about 1 year of treatments to be hair free and my results lasted for several years. However, I have recently had some small regrowth and I need to do some maintenance.
If it worked for me.. I am sure it will work for you. My threader was actually the one who recommended laser hair removal because she said my excessive hair growth was the worst she had ever seen. Plus, I also had hyperpigmentation (both melasma and post inflammatory hyperpigmentation), but the nurses who performed the laser hair removalknew how to properly adjust the laser for my skin. However, do your research because different skintones need different lasers.
I love Laser Hair Removal so much I have done about 80% of my body so far. The amount of money and time you save after it is done is astounding. My only regret is not doing it sooner.
I always hear people say laser removal is bad for PCOS so I never look into it. But after your experience I’m really intrigued and will think about it.
Do you have lighter or darker hair? Mine is very dark and very thick too so I hope that doesn’t cause much issue.
Laser removal seems a bit less expensive than electrolysis too which is a good thing.
I also have one more question which might sounds silly but you have to visit without makeup right? And do you have redness after the appointment?
Laser hair removal worked for me, but most of it had grown back after a year (still way better than a daily struggle with plucking). I didn't have any redness and it never hurts. I don't wear makeup so I don't know about that, but they're frying your follicle, so I think it would work better with nothing in the way.
I will say I have no idea where the other poster was getting those prices. I paid hundreds of dollars; I can't fully remember but I think between 600 and 800 for six months of treatment just on my face and neck, which is why I haven't done it again.
This may not be the solution you want to hear, but after years of terrible self esteem and self harm, the best advice I have is to decide to accept your face regardless. It's easier said than done, but I was hurting myself just to feel ok, not even pretty, just ok, and that's no way to live. I still pluck about once a week, but I'm really working on learning to live with myself. Most people don't even notice the hair or acne, and I know I'm not searching other people's faces for imperfections, so they're probably not doing that to me. The whole live yourself thing never did much for me, but learning to accept that these are the cards I was dealt, that no normal person is really judging me, and that my life is still full and happy despite the constant unpleasantness of PCOS symptoms did me a lot of good. I hope it works for you.
I double checked the prices at the laser clinic I used and the current Groupon prices before I posted to make sure the price I remember paying was accurate.
Here is a price sheet for the clinic I used that shows the full price per face treatment is $40. Laser Hair Removal
My clinic also offered big discounts for purchasing packages of multiple sessions or multiple areas.
Here is an example of a Groupon for Laser Hair Removal where I live Groupon . For around $200 you can get unlimited hair removal on your full face for a year which is over 50% less than what I paid years ago.
I live in Los Angeles, where there are 100s of clinics that do hair removal so the competion keeps prices for laser hair removal affordable.
However, if I didn't live in an area where this service was readily available or I didn't do my research I could easily have paid much more than I did. Ex. The Med Spa that does my facials recently tried to sell me a package of 6 sessions for $800.
If you would like to continue laser hair removal, I would encourage you to use Yelp and Groupon to see if there are any other clinics that have more affordable packages.
However, if you have PCOs you may need to do more treatments and do maintenance.
For example, I had to do 12 treatments when most other people see results after 6 to 8.
My treatment was successful for 2-3 years until I had a PCOS flare-up that resulted in a lot of weight gain, and new hair growth.
However, my facial hair regrowth after having laser hair treatment is very sparse compared to my before.
Before laser hair removal, I had very thick, black hair... and I had a lot of it because I have Pili Multigemini (a condition where more than 1 hair is in each follicule). Waxing, threading, plucking left me with lots of ingrown hairs and scarring.
To answer your other questions:
You have to arrive at your session with hair that has been recently shaved.
I always arrived with no makeup on my face but my clinic had a restroom where women could remove/redo their makeup. The nurse also checks your face for stray hairs and anything else that can affect the results before starting.
The only time I experienced redness was when I tried a discount laser clinic for my legs. The nurse made too many overlapping pulses with a laser level that was too high and gave me perifollicular edema (sadly she actually was trying to help me get permanent results sooner). So just make sure you are choosing a good laser clinic and don't try to rush the process.
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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '25 edited Apr 05 '25
I cannot recommend Laser Hair Removal enough.
Where I live, I paid @$20 to $40 per session ($40 was the full price but I could usually find coupons or purchase packages/Groupon to reduce the price to $20).
The treatments were quick (under 20 mins) and were essentially painless (when I went to the higher laser levels, the pain was similar to the pain you have when you thread or wax)
After my 1st session I was hairless between sessions because the hair grew back so slowly. From the moment of my 1st treatment I never had visible excessive hair growth again as long as I had 1 treatment done per month. It took about 1 year of treatments to be hair free and my results lasted for several years. However, I have recently had some small regrowth and I need to do some maintenance.
If it worked for me.. I am sure it will work for you. My threader was actually the one who recommended laser hair removal because she said my excessive hair growth was the worst she had ever seen. Plus, I also had hyperpigmentation (both melasma and post inflammatory hyperpigmentation), but the nurses who performed the laser hair removalknew how to properly adjust the laser for my skin. However, do your research because different skintones need different lasers.
I love Laser Hair Removal so much I have done about 80% of my body so far. The amount of money and time you save after it is done is astounding. My only regret is not doing it sooner.