Laser Hair Removal

At Azalea Beauty Salon, we use the Primelase HR Laser Hair Removal machine, a medical-grade diode machine built for real results rather than marketing claims. If you've tried laser before and it didn't work the way you hoped, or you've never tried it because nobody's properly explained what actually happens, this is everything you need to know before you book.

The Primelase HR

Not every machine sold as "laser hair removal" is the same. Ours is medical-grade: FDA cleared, CE medical marked, and manufactured to ISO 13485, the standard for medical devices. It runs at 4,800W, well above the 1,200 to 1,600W which is typical of many salon machines, and treats in one smooth pass rather than the repeated back-and-forth passes IPL needs, because IPL isn't actually a laser at all.

The tip stays at a constant five degrees throughout, cooling your skin at the exact moment the laser fires. That's most of what makes the treatment manageable, and it means we can treat every skin tone, all year round.

Will it hurt?

We won't tell you it's painless, because you'll likely feel something. Most people describe it as prickly, a quick needling sensation, over in a fraction of a second. That's different from the "elastic band snap" most laser websites describe, and our honest hunch is that description has more to do with IPL, an older technology, than the diode laser we use, based on how our own clients describe it to us.

The cooling tip takes most of the edge off, and treatments are genuinely fast.

We're not medically trained, so we can't advise on medication before your appointment. If that's on your mind, a pharmacist or your GP is the right person to ask.

How it works, start to finish

Everyone starts with a patch test, no exceptions, even if you've had laser somewhere else before. It's a 30 minute appointment, £25, which comes off your first treatment. We go through a consultation form and your medical history with you, work out your Fitzpatrick skin type (a scale that tells us how your skin reacts to the sun, not how it looks), and test every area you're considering, all in the same appointment. If laser isn't right for you, medically or simply your hair and skin combination, we'll tell you honestly and won't charge you for the consultation.

Before you leave, we book your first treatment in for you, at least 48 hours later. You don't need to do anything else, and your patch test stays valid for 6 months.

In the room, every treatment starts with a quick check that nothing's changed since we last saw you, and a consent form, every time, not just your first visit. You'll wear glasses that block the laser light, we apply a cooling gel, and the treatment itself is quick: appointment times are diary blocks, not laser-firing time, so the actual lasering is over far sooner than the time on the booking. Afterwards, we wipe off the gel, apply aloe vera, and write up exactly what was done and at what settings.

A little redness for a few hours afterwards is completely normal.

What to expect from your course

6 treatments is the protocol the machine is built around, not a number we picked to sell you more. Sessions are spaced differently depending on the area: face runs 4-6 weeks apart, underarms and bikini 6-8 and legs 6-10. We book your next treatment in before you leave so the timing stays on track.

Your hair won't disappear overnight. In the first three weeks it can look like it's still growing, it isn't, it's shedding, which is completely normal and easily mistaken for the treatment not working. Around session three it can look like more hair has turned up all at once, that's your growth cycle synchronising, and it's a good sign, it means more follicles arrive together, so we catch more of them in a single appointment.

Most clients see a real improvement after 2 or 3 treatments. After 6, most people are around 90% hair free, permanently, for the follicles we've treated. What's left tends to be finer, fairer and slower growing, and most people stop noticing it at all.

After that, the odd top-up, once or twice a year, catches any dormant follicles that wake up over time. It isn't the treatment wearing off.

Before your appointment

Shave the area the day before an early appointment, or the morning of an afternoon one, to give your skin a bit of time to calm before your treatment. Shaving right before your appointment leaves skin more sensitive, so the treatment feels sharper than it needs to. Leaving it too long, or skipping it, means hair sitting above the skin, which doesn't treat as well and can smell singed when it's lasered. Please don't wax, pluck or thread the area beforehand, that removes the hair from the root we're actually treating.

Avoid sun and sunbeds for four weeks before treatment, and fake tan for two. Active tanning makes your skin more prone to burning. It's also exactly why autumn and winter are the sensible time to start a course. If you do have a holiday coming up let us know so we can adjust your treatments to fit.