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Laser hair removal in Buffalo Grove and Palatine: when to start so you’re done by pool season
We recommend starting in September. A full course is typically 6 sessions, up to 8 for hormonal areas, spaced 4 to 8 weeks apart, so a September start finishes by late spring, right as pool season opens. Because treated skin can’t be tanned, summer works well for maintenance sessions rather than for getting started.
Below is the checklist we review at your consult.
Six things to check before you book
If all six apply, September is a good time to start. If one doesn’t, it may mean adjusting your timing or choosing a different treatment. The laser hair removal page has the area-by-area detail, including the men’s areas, if you’d like to read that first.
- Your hair is dark. That matters because the laser pulse is absorbed by melanin in the hair shaft, so white, gray, blond, and red hair don’t respond, and fine peach fuzz barely does, per the American Academy of Dermatology.
- Your skin is untanned and can stay that way. That means avoiding sun, tanning beds, and self-tanner for two to four weeks before a session, then using sunscreen and keeping direct sun off the area for two weeks after. A tan raises burn risk, so we’ll postpone your session if the area is tanned.
- You haven’t waxed, tweezed, or threaded the area in four to six weeks. The follicle needs to be there for the laser to reach it. Shaving is fine, and you’ll shave the area within 24 hours before each session.
- You’re not pregnant and not on a photosensitizing medication. We also check that there’s no active cold sore or infection in the area and no keloid history, and we’ll cover any tattoos and dark moles. If you’ve recently taken isotretinoin, it’s no longer an automatic six-month wait for hair removal lasers, per the ASDS consensus, so your provider will make that call.
- Your calendar has room every four to eight weeks through spring. Facial hair grows fast, so it’s closer to four weeks there. Legs and bikini are six to eight.
- You know what to expect. The FDA’s definition of permanent hair reduction is a stable drop in the number of hairs regrowing at 6, 9, and 12 months after the course, per a hair removal clearance. It’s reduction rather than removal, and regrowth tends to be finer and sparser.
If your hair is light or fine, the dermaplaning page covers a better option, since a blade removes the light peach fuzz a laser can’t target.
Your laser hair removal calendar, September to Memorial Day
A laser hair removal course that finishes by pool season
- September Session 1, untanned skin, shaved the day before
- Late October Session 2, treated hairs from session 1 have shed
- December Session 3, thinning is usually visible by now
- Late January Session 4
- March Session 5
- Late April Session 6, the last for most areas
- Memorial Day weekend Course complete, with maintenance visits as needed
The AAD gives 2 to 6 sessions spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart. Candela’s patient page says sessions run about six to eight weeks apart. Patients on RealSelf describe 6 to 8 treatments every 4 to 8 weeks, per RealSelf’s laser hair removal page. We plan on six, and hormonal areas can take more.
Fall is a good time to start because summer brings the most sun exposure to legs and arms, including at the outdoor pools run by the Arlington Heights Park District. Because treatment can’t be done on tanned skin, a September start that finishes in late April leaves summer for a single maintenance visit.
Legs and bikini run on the longer spacing, so a September start can put session six in late May or early June. Underarms and face finish sooner. If you start in November, you’ll be covering the treated area into summer, or finishing after Labor Day.
What your laser hair removal session will be like here
The device is the Candela GentleMax Pro. It carries a 755 nm alexandrite laser for lighter skin and a 1064 nm Nd:YAG for darker skin in one machine, and it’s FDA-cleared for hair reduction on all skin types, Fitzpatrick I to VI, per the FDA clearance. Before every pulse, a Dynamic Cooling Device sprays the skin with a cryogen mist. That cold snap is the first thing you’ll feel, and the pulse itself is “similar to having an elastic band snapped against the skin,” per Candela’s patient page. You may also notice a faint sulfur smell from vaporized hair, which is normal.
An upper lip takes a few minutes, while full legs can take up to an hour. Candela puts the average session at about 20 minutes. Afterward, it’s normal for the area to be red and warm, “like it’s sunburned,” for a day or two, and treated hairs shed over the next one to three weeks. The AAD puts the reduction after a first treatment at 10 to 25 percent. After three sessions, the difference is usually noticeable, and after six, most of the reduction is in.
Parking is free, in the lot right outside the door. For current road work on Route 53 and nearby roads, check the Village of Arlington Heights website.
How to find us from Buffalo Grove and Palatine
We’re at 3375 N Arlington Heights Rd, Suite C, on the east side of Arlington Heights Road, about 200 yards south of Dundee Road (Route 68), a block and a half south of Buffalo Grove High School, on the Arlington Heights and Buffalo Grove border. Look for the single-story brown brick building and Suite C. There are several similar office complexes on this stretch, so it helps to double-check the address before you park. From Palatine, it’s a short drive east. The Arlington Heights office page has the map, hours, and parking details.
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Your questions, answered
Do you serve Buffalo Grove and Palatine?
Yes. Buffalo Grove High School is a block and a half north of our building on Arlington Heights Road, and we sit right on the border of the two towns. Palatine borders Arlington Heights too, and from there it’s a short drive east.
Can I start laser hair removal in summer if I don't tan?
Yes, as long as the area truly stays untanned. Underarms and bikini are easy to keep covered. Legs and arms are harder to keep untanned in summer, and a single afternoon of sun can mean postponing a session. The guideline is to avoid sun, tanning beds, and self-tanner for two to four weeks before a session, then protect the area from sun for two weeks after. The 1064 nm wavelength is the safer choice on skin that has seen sun.
Does the GentleMax Pro work on dark skin?
Yes. The machine is cleared for all skin types, I to VI. For darker skin, we use the 1064 nm Nd:YAG, which dermatologists call the best laser system for pigmented skin, per Gan and Graber’s review, while the 755 nm alexandrite is reserved for lighter skin. The cooling spray protects the surface either way.
How long is each laser hair removal visit?
It can be a few minutes for an upper lip and up to an hour for full legs, with Candela putting the average session at about 20 minutes. Your first visit takes a few extra minutes for the consult and skin check, and plan to keep the treated area covered from the sun on the way home.