This is the point where it is most tempting to be vague, because saying no loses a sale. We would rather be clear: the laser does not work on every hair, and colour is the deciding factor.
Why colour decides everything
The principle of laser hair removal fits in one sentence: it emits light that melanin absorbs, that energy becomes heat, and the heat destroys the follicle.
Melanin is what gives hair its colour. Black hair is saturated with it: it captures a great deal of energy and the follicle is reached efficiently. Very light blonde hair contains little. White or grey hair contains none at all.
Without melanin, there is nothing to heat. This is not a question of device power: raising the fluence does not create a target that does not exist, it only stresses the skin.
What to expect, colour by colour
- Black, dark brown — the ideal case. Fast response, often visible from the first sessions.
- Mid to light brown — very good response, sometimes one extra session.
- Dark blonde — a decent but slower response. Expect more sessions, and a result that will be a strong reduction rather than disappearance.
- Light blonde, red — partial and unpredictable. Red hair contains pheomelanin, which the laser captures poorly. Some thinning is possible, rarely more.
- White, grey — no response. No laser, no brand, no setting changes that.
The particular case of fine down
Down — those very fine, often light hairs on the cheeks, forearms or lower back — poses a double problem: it is fine (little material to heat) and often barely pigmented.
It is also worth knowing that down does not become thick hair because you shaved it: that belief is persistent but false. On hormone-dependent areas, however, down can turn into terminal hair under hormonal influence — the subject of our article on laser hair removal and hormones. And paradoxically, down that has become thick and dark then responds very well to the laser.
What we will tell you at the assessment
We look closely at your hair, on the area concerned — not at your hair colour, which says nothing about body hair. Depending on what we see, the answer will be:
- “Let us go ahead”: sufficiently pigmented hair, normal protocol.
- “We can try, with this reservation”: we then propose a few sessions, assess the result together, and you decide whether to continue. We prefer that to a package paid up front.
- “The laser will not do what you are hoping for”: rare, but it happens, and we say so.
Alternatives when the laser is not right
Only one method works regardless of colour: electrolysis, which destroys the follicle with a current, hair by hair. It is the only real option on white or red hair.
Its drawback is time: on a few chin hairs it is perfectly suited; on whole legs it would take dozens of hours. We do not practise electrolysis, and we do not offer IPL either — which has exactly the same limit as the laser on this point, with less precision. The full comparison is in this article.
An argument for not waiting too long
If your hair is starting to turn white, the window in which the laser is effective is closing. That is especially true on the face and the beard, where the first white hairs often appear early. Treating while the hair is still dark means tackling the problem at the right moment.
The assessment is free: come and have your hair looked at rather than relying on an article. Uccle, Etterbeek, Watermael-Boitsfort. Book an appointment
