Last Updated on March 21, 2023
Written by CPA Alec Pow | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker
You surely understand the multiple advantages of removing your hair by using laser treatment, but how much will laser hair removal cost you? Well, it usually depends on the body part that you want to get laser beamed.
Although it is considered a common cosmetic procedure on the entire planet, a lot of people haven’t used it yet. For those of you that don’t know what this procedure does, it is used to remove any undesirable hair from your arm, bikini line, face, leg, underarm, or even your back.
What Is Laser Hair Removal?
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The laser hair removal treatment will use a true laser for better targeting of the pigment, according to experts. As this laser heats up, it will damage your hair follicles. The tissue around the hair bulb will also be damaged subtly, which will prevent it from ever growing new hairs. Based on multiple studies that have been made over time, laser hair removal is one of the most effective ways of getting rid of body hair for good.
How Much Does Laser Hair Removal Cost?
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The usual laser hair removal treatment session will cost somewhere between $100 and $900 depending on several factors like the expertise of the person performing the treatment, your geographical location, the time to perform the procedure, your body hair type, and the body area needing to be treated.
The average cost of laser hair removal services in 2022 was $420, based on studies done by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
So let’s go over the average costs for the treatment done on certain areas of the body. We will list either the price per treatment or the full price of the procedure, but keep in mind that you will usually need up to six treatments overall for the best results.
How much does full-body laser hair removal cost?
This is a treatment usually needed by professional models that are required to remove all of the unwanted hair before gigs. This is where the price will greatly differ for each salon and will depend on how thick your hair is and what body parts are covered by unwanted hair.
You might also like our articles on the cost of LaserAway.
When you compare prices for different professionals or salons, also look at their reputation and reviews of past clients, because, in the end, this is a medical procedure that should be done by professionals. As for the price, you can easily end up spending $7,000 or more on full-body laser hair removal.
Average Cost of Laser Hair Removal for Large Areas
As you’d expect, it will be cheaper to remove hair from a smaller treatment area than using the laser hair removal treatment for a larger area of your body, like the legs or your back. As a general rule, you will spend somewhere around $650 or more per treatment for large areas like the legs or your back.
What is the laser hair removal pricing for your legs?
Many women choose laser treatment to remove hair from their legs. Because of the large area that will need to be cleared, the cost of laser treatment for your legs can go as high as $600 – $900 per treatment. If you want to make sure that the hair will not reappear too quickly on your legs, you should go to multiple sessions of laser treatment.
For the best results, most people will opt for 4 to 6 laser treatments over a 4 to 8 weeks period. This could take the final price of laser hair removal to around $2,400 to $5,400.
What about the laser hair removal cost for your back?
Many men and a few women that have hairy backs will use laser treatments to remove unwanted hair. Usually, models, men, and women will have problems if they have a hairy back or chest. Although it is a big surface, the cost for back hair removal using laser treatment won’t cost more than $500 – $700 per session, but you will be required to take around 8 sessions for the best results.
This takes the final price for the treatment to around $4,000 – $5,600.
How much does laser hair removal cost for your face?
Many people use laser treatment to remove hair from their faces. Prominent facial hair is a big issue, especially for women, that use this treatment to improve their looks.
Although they will spend around $200 per session and will require around 6 sessions for the best results, many women will use this technique, because it takes longer for new hair to reappear, as opposed to any other hair removal technique. This means that if you want to remove your facial hair using laser treatment, you should be prepared to pay up to $1,200.
Average Cost of Laser Hair Removal for Small Areas
As the areas needing treatment become smaller, they also become less expensive. This includes anything from facial areas like sideburns, lips, and chins, to underarms or your bikini line.
As for the bikini line, expect prices between $250 and $400 per treatment, depending on whether you’re going for a normal v-shaped bikini area or a Brazilian. As for the chin and other lower face areas, these will have an average price per treatment of about $250. Underarm hair removal treatments will range between $175 to $225 per treatment.
How much does laser hair removal cost for the upper lip?
A lot of women have a problem with unwanted upper lip hair and opt for laser hair removal for the best results. In many cultures and especially in the Western world, It is considered embarrassing for women to have facial hair, especially upper lip hair and it could even affect their private and/or professional life. The good news is that laser hair removal for this part of your body is usually cheaper and it could cost $50 – $100 per session. You still need 4 to 6 sessions for the best results but that will take the full cost of the treatment to a low of $200 – $600.
How much does laser hair removal cost for your eyebrows?
For people with very thick eyebrows, laser treatment could do wonders, taking away that angry look.
The final cost of laser treatment to make your eyebrows thinner can be anywhere from $100 up to $150 for every session for both eyes. Be prepared for up to 6 laser hair removal sessions for the best results. It won’t take more than 15 minutes and you won’t feel a thing.
What’s Included in the Cost of Laser Hair Removal?
Aside from the treatment itself, the cost of laser hair removal should also include things like the actual visit to the doctor’s office, topical anesthetic to numb the pain and its application on the treated areas, as well as soothing agents and sunscreen applied as post-care.
How Many Treatments of Laser Hair Removal are Required?
Although it will ultimately become a more permanent hair removal solution, keep in mind that laser hair removal isn’t as quick as you might expect in terms of results. Doing just one treatment might cause your hair to become thinner, finer, and lighter, but to have a hair-free treated area, you will have to go through the hair removal procedure four to six times.
With each laser treatment, the diameter and size of the hair will be reduced, placed into a type of remission, or even not affected at all. This is why multiple treatments will be used, with over four to six weeks intervals. The next few years after a full treatment you might still require touch-ups every year, just to make sure the results stick.
Does Insurance Cover Laser Hair Removal?
As laser hair removal is considered a cosmetic treatment, you are most likely not going to be covered by health insurance. Instead, there have been instances of people using spending accounts to cover these costs.
There are still some rare cases in which laser hair removal has been covered by insurance. This is the case of patients with certain conditions, like hidradenitis suppurativa or pilonidal cysts (both of them skin conditions being painful and treatable to some extent by laser hair removal. But even for people that need this treatment due to a medical reason, convincing insurance companies to cover the costs of laser hair removal will be a daunting process, to say the least.
You can always talk to the treatment office staff about flexible payment plans or package options to ensure you can afford the treatment.
The Pros of Laser Hair Removal
Although expensive, laser hair removal still comes with quite a few benefits. The most important of them are:
- No risk of ingrown hairs. Although ingrown hairs are very frequent with waxing and shaving, are almost a thing of the past when it comes to laser hair removal.
- Reduced time for removing body hair. As soon as the laser treatments are done, you won’t have to waste time shaving or waxing anymore. You won’t have to go through shaving, depilation, waxing, or any other methods that are bound to irritate the skin.
- Makes skin smooth and even. You will be able to alleviate some skin problems that are usually associated with hair growth, like discoloration or folliculitis. You will also be able to reduce problems associated with pigmentation due to unwanted hair.
- Helps you get rid of unwanted body hair. It is still one of the most permanent solutions when it comes to reducing or even removing body hair.
The Cons of Laser Hair Removal
Although there are a lot of benefits when it comes to laser hair removal, here are some bad aspects to consider as well:
- Potential for ineffectiveness: According to hair removal experts, this technique might prove to be ineffective, due to factors like nutrition, medications you take, or genetic predisposition. People under testosterone treatment for example might not see the results last for very long due to this medication.
- The time between treatments. hair removal requires you to allow your hair to grow back between treatments, without plucking it away or waxing it.
- Some inconvenience. You might have to postpone your vacations as you will be required to stay safe from sun rays and spas pre- and post-treatment.
- The out-of-pocket expense. It is one of the most expensive hair removal methods.
Is this a viable option for our average working Joe or Jane?
If you can afford it, you should think about using laser treatment to remove unwanted hair. It will improve your confidence and will make you look better. If you don’t have the necessary funds, there are always cheaper techniques to remove unwanted hair.
