Tired of shaving every other day? Sick of dealing with razor burn, ingrown hairs, or expensive waxing appointments that only last a few weeks?
You’re not alone. Living in Fort Lauderdale means beach trips, pool days, and outdoor activities year-round. The last thing you want to worry about is unwanted hair.
Laser hair removal at Manhattan Laser Spa gives you the freedom to stop constantly managing body hair. Imagine waking up with smooth skin without having to do anything. No more last-minute panic shaving before heading to Fort Lauderdale Beach or Las Olas.
Here’s what happens during treatment. The laser sends pulses of light energy into your skin. This light gets absorbed by the melanin (dark pigment) in your hair. The energy travels down the hair shaft to the follicle at the root.
Once it reaches the follicle, the heat damages it enough to stop or slow down future hair growth. The surrounding skin doesn’t get damaged because the laser specifically targets the pigment in the hair.
Here’s the thing, though. Hair grows in cycles. At any given time, only about 20-30% of your hair is actively growing. The laser can only affect hair that’s in the active growth phase (called anagen). That’s why you need multiple treatments spaced several weeks apart to catch all the hair as it cycles through growth phases.
Most people need 6-8 sessions to see their best results. Sometimes more for hormonal areas like the face or bikini line.
Pretty much anywhere you have unwanted hair. We treat everything from small spots like your upper lip to large areas like your full legs or back.
Popular treatment areas include:
Face: Upper lip, chin, sideburns, full face, neck
Body: Underarms, arms (full or just forearms), hands and fingers
Legs: Full legs, lower legs only, upper thighs
Bikini Area: Bikini line, Brazilian (everything), extended bikini
Men’s Areas: Chest, back, shoulders, abdomen, neck
Other Spots: Feet and toes, buttocks, ears (external only)
The areas people choose most often in Fort Lauderdale? Underarms, legs, and bikini. Makes sense when you’re in a swimsuit half the year.
Most people can get laser hair removal, but results vary depending on your hair and skin type.
You’ll probably get great results if you have:
Modern lasers can treat darker skin tones safely. We use dual-wavelength technology that works on all Fitzpatrick skin types (that’s the scale dermatologists use to classify skin tones). The Nd:YAG wavelength (1064nm) is specifically designed for darker skin.
That said, laser hair removal works by targeting dark pigment. If you have very light blonde, red, gray, or white hair, the laser won’t have enough pigment to target effectively. The results won’t be as good.
You might not be a candidate right now if you:
During your consultation at our Fort Lauderdale location, we’ll assess your skin and hair type and create a treatment plan that’s safe and effective for you.
Let’s walk through what actually happens so there are no surprises.
Before Your First Session:
You’ll come in for a free consultation. We’ll look at your skin type, hair color and thickness, and talk about which areas you want treated. We’ll also review your medical history and any medications you’re taking.
We’ll create a personalized treatment plan and give you specific prep instructions.
Preparing for Treatment:
Shave the area 24 hours before your appointment. This might seem backwards, but the laser needs to target the hair follicle under the skin, not the hair on the surface. Shaving removes surface hair while leaving the root intact.
Don’t wax, pluck, or thread for at least 4-6 weeks before treatment. These methods pull the hair out by the root, and the laser needs that root to be there.
Avoid sun exposure and tanning for 4-6 weeks before treatment. Tanned skin has more melanin, which means higher risk of burns or pigmentation changes.
During the Treatment:
You’ll put on protective eyewear (the laser can damage your eyes).
We’ll clean the treatment area and might apply a cooling gel to keep you comfortable.
The laser handpiece gets pressed against your skin and delivers quick pulses of light. You’ll feel each pulse. Most people describe it as a rubber band snapping against the skin. Some areas are more sensitive than others. The upper lip and bikini area tend to hurt more than legs or arms.
Treatment time depends on the area. Your upper lip might take 5 minutes. Full legs could take 45-60 minutes.
After Treatment:
The treated area will be red and might feel like a mild sunburn for a few hours. This is totally normal. You can go right back to your normal activities. Just avoid hot showers, saunas, and intense workouts for 24 hours.
Let’s be honest. It’s not painless, but it’s not terrible either.
The sensation varies by person and body area. Most people say it feels like a rubber band snap with some heat. Quick and sharp, but over fast.
More sensitive areas (bikini line, upper lip, underarms) hurt more than less sensitive areas (legs, arms, back). Your first treatment usually feels worse because there’s more hair. As you progress through sessions and the hair thins out, it gets more comfortable.
We have cooling systems built into our lasers that help numb the sensation. For more sensitive areas, we can apply numbing cream 30-45 minutes before treatment.
Here’s what helps: don’t schedule treatments right before your period if you’re treating sensitive areas. Pain tolerance drops during that time. Also, avoid caffeine on treatment day. It can make you more sensitive.
This is the question everyone asks, and the answer is always “it depends.”
Most people need 6-8 sessions for significant hair reduction. But several factors affect this:
Hair color and thickness: Dark, coarse hair responds faster than fine hair. Hormonal hair (face, bikini) is often more stubborn and might need more sessions.
Treatment area: Legs usually respond well with 6-8 sessions. Hormonal areas like the face or bikini might need 8-10 or more.
Hair growth cycle: Remember, we can only treat hair in the active growth phase. Different body areas have different growth cycles.
Hormonal factors: If you have PCOS or other hormonal conditions that cause excess hair growth, you might need more sessions.
Skin and hair contrast: The more contrast between your hair color and skin tone, the better the laser can target the hair.
Sessions are spaced 4-8 weeks apart depending on the area and how your hair responds. Facial hair grows faster, so those sessions are closer together. Leg hair grows slower, so you can space those out more.
After your initial series, you might need occasional maintenance sessions (once or twice a year) to catch any new growth.
Let’s set realistic expectations because there’s a lot of misinformation out there.
Laser hair removal provides permanent hair reduction, not complete permanent removal. You’ll see 70-90% reduction in hair growth, but you probably won’t be 100% hair-free forever.
Here’s what happens after each treatment:
Days 1-3: Nothing obvious. Your hair is still there.
Days 7-14: The treated hair starts “shedding.” This isn’t new growth. It’s the dead hair being pushed out of the follicle. You can help this along by gently exfoliating.
Weeks 3-4: You’ll notice less hair in the treated area. What does grow back will be finer and lighter.
After each subsequent treatment, you’ll see progressively less regrowth.
Full results take 6-12 months to see because you need to complete your entire treatment series and give the hair growth cycles time to catch up.
Aftercare is straightforward but important.
For the first 24-48 hours:
For the first 2 weeks:
Between sessions:
Throughout your treatment series:
Cost varies based on treatment area size and how many sessions you need.
Typical pricing ranges:
Small areas (upper lip, chin, underarms): $50-150 per session
Medium areas (bikini, forearms, half legs): $150-300 per session
Large areas (full legs, back, chest): $300-600 per session
Most places (including us) offer package deals for multiple sessions, which brings the per-session cost down significantly. Buying a package of 6-8 treatments upfront usually saves you 15-30% compared to paying per session.
When you calculate the cost, think about what you currently spend on waxing, razors, shaving cream, and waxing appointments. If you wax your legs and bikini area every 4-6 weeks at $75-100 per visit, that’s $900-1,200 per year. Laser hair removal pays for itself in a few years and then you’re done.
During your consultation, we’ll give you an exact quote for your specific needs and discuss payment options.
Here’s what makes us different from other med spas in Fort Lauderdale:
Medical Expertise: All treatments are performed under physician supervision. We’re not just a day spa with a laser. We’re a medical facility with proper oversight and safety protocols.
Advanced Dual-Wavelength Technology: We use lasers with both Alexandrite (755nm) and Nd:YAG (1064nm) wavelengths. This means we can safely and effectively treat all skin types, including darker skin tones that many older lasers can’t handle.
Experienced Laser Technicians: Our staff is trained and certified in laser safety and treatment protocols. They’ve performed thousands of treatments and know how to adjust settings for your specific skin and hair type.
Honest Expectations: We won’t promise you’ll never have hair again. We’ll tell you realistically what to expect based on your hair and skin type.
Personalized Treatment Plans: Your skin and hair are unique. We don’t use the same settings for everyone. We assess your individual needs and adjust treatment accordingly.
Comfortable Environment: Our Fort Lauderdale location is clean, professional, and comfortable. No judgment, no high-pressure sales, just straightforward medical care.
Whether you’re coming from Las Olas, Victoria Park, Coral Ridge, or anywhere else in Broward County, we’re here to help you get the smooth, hair-free skin you want.
Yes, with the right laser. Older laser technology wasn’t safe for darker skin tones because it couldn’t differentiate between the melanin in your hair and the melanin in your skin. This led to burns and pigmentation changes.
Modern dual-wavelength lasers changed that. The Nd:YAG wavelength (1064nm) penetrates deeper and bypasses skin melanin to target the hair follicle. It’s specifically designed for Fitzpatrick skin types IV-VI (medium to very dark skin).
We’ve successfully treated all skin tones at our Fort Lauderdale location. During your consultation, we’ll assess your skin type and might do a test spot on a small area first to make sure your skin responds well.
The key is having an experienced provider who knows how to adjust laser settings for darker skin. We’re conservative with energy levels and build up gradually to avoid complications.
Good question, because a lot of places blur the lines between these two treatments.
Laser hair removal uses a single wavelength of concentrated light that specifically targets the melanin in hair follicles. It’s more precise and penetrates deeper.
IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) uses a broad spectrum of light wavelengths. It’s less focused and doesn’t penetrate as deeply. It works for some people but generally isn’t as effective as true laser technology, especially for darker skin tones.
At Manhattan Laser Spa, we use medical-grade laser systems, not IPL. The results are better and more consistent.
We recommend waiting until after you’re done breastfeeding. Here’s why:
There’s no solid research showing laser hair removal harms pregnancy or breastfeeding, but there’s also no research proving it’s completely safe. Because of that, most medical providers (including us) take the cautious approach and suggest waiting.
Pregnancy also causes hormonal changes that can affect hair growth. You might develop new hair growth in weird places (thanks, hormones). Treating during pregnancy might not give you accurate results since your hormones will shift back after delivery.
If you’re already partway through a treatment series and discover you’re pregnant, just pause your sessions. We’ll pick up where you left off after you deliver and finish breastfeeding.
This part’s tricky. Laser hair removal works by targeting the dark pigment (melanin) in your hair. Blonde, red, gray, and white hair have very little melanin, which means the laser doesn’t have much to target.
Very dark blonde hair might respond somewhat, but lighter blonde, strawberry blonde, and platinum blonde typically don’t respond well to laser treatment.
The only type of hair removal that works on all hair colors is electrolysis. It’s more time-consuming and treats one hair follicle at a time, but it can work on light-colored hair.
During your consultation, we’ll look at your specific hair color and be honest about whether laser treatment will give you good results or if electrolysis would be a better option.
Yes! This is actually one of the best reasons to get laser hair removal.
Ingrown hairs happen when cut or shaved hair curls back and grows into the skin. They’re painful, unsightly, and can cause scarring. People with coarse, curly hair (especially in the bikini area and on the neck for men) get them the worst.
Laser hair removal solves this by permanently reducing the number of hairs that grow. Fewer hairs mean fewer ingrown hairs. Many of our Fort Lauderdale clients with pseudofolliculitis barbae (chronic razor bumps) see dramatic improvement after laser treatment.
You’ll notice the difference within a few sessions as the hair thins out and there’s less irritation from shaving.
Don’t schedule your first treatment right before a big beach vacation or event. Here’s why:
Your skin will be red and sensitive for 24-48 hours after treatment. It’s not a big deal, but you probably don’t want to show up to your friend’s wedding or a beach photoshoot with red, irritated skin.
Also, you need to avoid sun exposure after treatment. If you’re planning a week at Fort Lauderdale Beach or taking a Caribbean cruise, that’s going to be tough.
The best timing is to start your treatment series several months before any major events or vacations. That way you’re a few sessions in and already seeing results by the time your event rolls around.
If you have something coming up in the next 2-3 weeks, we’d recommend waiting until after that event to start treatment.
Life happens. You get busy, you go on vacation, or something comes up and you can’t make your appointment.
Missing a session or extending the time between treatments won’t ruin your results. It just means you might need an extra session or two to catch all the hair.
The spacing between sessions is designed to catch hair as it cycles into the active growth phase. If you wait too long, you might miss that window for some follicles, and they’ll need to be treated in a future session.
Try to stick to your scheduled intervals (usually 4-8 weeks depending on the area), but don’t stress if you need to push back an appointment. Just reschedule as soon as you can.
If you’re done dealing with razors, waxing appointments, and ingrown hairs, it’s time to try laser hair removal.
Manhattan Laser Spa makes it easy to get smooth, hair-free skin. We’ll create a personalized treatment plan for your skin type, hair color, and the areas you want treated.
Schedule your free consultation today. We’ll answer all your questions, show you what results to expect, and give you an honest assessment of whether laser hair removal is right for you.
Call us or fill out our online form to book your appointment. Your razor-free life starts here.
