Laser Hair Removal: What "Permanent" Means

10 August 2026

A practical guide to laser hair removal on the Stellar M22 — the mechanism, why hair growth cycles make it a course rather than a single appointment, how skin and hair colour affect candidacy, and the important difference between "hair removal" and the defined endpoint called permanent hair reduction.

Laser hair removal is one of the more straightforward treatments on our menu and one of the most widely misdescribed. The physics is simple, the biology is not, and most of the confusion people arrive with comes from marketing language rather than from the treatment itself. Here is how it works, why it is done as a course, and what determines whether it is a sensible choice for you.

The mechanism is selective absorption. Hair is pigmented by melanin, and melanin absorbs light. When a pulse of light at the right wavelength and duration reaches the hair, that energy is absorbed along the shaft and converted to heat, which conducts to the structures at the base of the follicle responsible for producing hair. The intent is that those structures take on enough thermal damage to stop or slow production, while the surrounding skin — which absorbs far less of that light — is spared. At Minori this is delivered on the Lumenis Stellar M22, a multi-application platform with integrated cooling, across four area sizes: X-small for face and underarm, Small for the bikini area, Medium for arms, legs and body, and Large for full body. Larger areas take longer in the chair; the mechanism does not change.

Which brings us to why one session is never the plan. Hair does not grow continuously. Each follicle cycles independently through a growth phase, a transitional phase, and a resting phase, and only during active growth is the hair fully pigmented and firmly connected to the structures the laser is aiming at. A hair sitting in its resting phase is a poor target — there may be very little in the follicle to absorb energy at all. At any given moment only a proportion of the hairs in an area are in the responsive phase, and that proportion differs by body site: a face behaves differently from a lower leg. So sessions are spaced weeks apart rather than days, deliberately, to catch successive waves of follicles as they enter that phase. Treating more often does not accelerate this and mostly just treats skin.

Expect treated hairs to shed over the following days and weeks rather than vanishing on the table; that shedding is often mistaken for regrowth. Genuine regrowth from untreated follicles between sessions is also normal — it is the reason the course exists.

Candidacy comes down largely to contrast. Because the treatment targets pigment in the hair, dark coarse hair against lighter skin is the easiest case: the target is obvious and surrounding tissue is not competing for the same energy. Hair with little or no melanin — white, grey, most red hair, and very fine pale blonde — has no reliable target, and no amount of settings adjustment invents one. Deeper skin tones are treatable, but the margin between hair and skin narrows, so wavelength, energy, pulse duration and cooling have to be chosen with more care, and a patch test matters more. Recent sun exposure, a tan, or self-tanning product changes the skin's pigment and therefore changes the calculation, which is why appointments are sometimes rescheduled. Photosensitising medication, active skin infection in the area, pregnancy, and hormonal conditions that drive hair growth are all relevant and should be raised at consultation.

This is also where device labelling deserves precision, because two phrases that sound interchangeable are not. Devices in this category are cleared in the United States through the FDA's 510(k) route, and the M22's clearance distinguishes "hair removal" from "permanent hair reduction". Hair removal is the plain-language indication — using light to remove hair — and for the M22 it covers all skin types. Permanent hair reduction is not a description; it is a defined endpoint. It means a long-term, stable reduction in the number of hairs regrowing after a complete treatment regimen, assessed at 6, 9 and 12 months following that regimen — the timepoints chosen so that a result has to outlast a full growth cycle rather than merely look good for a month. For the M22, that indication is cleared for Fitzpatrick skin types I to V.

Two things follow from that, and we would rather say them plainly. First, permanent reduction is not permanent removal. The word attaches to the durability of a measured reduction in hair count, not to a guarantee that hair will never appear again; some regrowth, often finer and sparser, is a normal outcome rather than a failure. Second, the fact that an endpoint has been demonstrated in trials says nothing about where any individual will land. Results vary with hair colour, hair thickness, skin type, area, hormonal factors and how consistently a course is completed.

Practically: arrive shaved rather than waxed, threaded or plucked. The hair must be present in the follicle for there to be anything to treat, but absent above the skin so energy goes where it is useful rather than into surface hair. Sensation is usually described as a warm snap against the skin, moderated by cooling. Afterwards, mild redness and small raised bumps around the follicles are common and usually settle quickly. Heat, sun and aggressive exfoliation are best avoided for a short period, and daily sun protection on exposed areas is worth the habit regardless.

If you are unsure whether your hair and skin combination is a good fit, that is exactly what a consultation is for. We would rather tell you the response is likely to be limited than sell you a course that cannot deliver.