Laser Hair Removal

Westlake Dermatology's Houston clinic provides medically supervised laser hair removal on the face, body, and sensitive areas using laser platforms calibrated for safe, effective treatment across a range of skin tones. Laser energy is selectively absorbed by melanin in the hair follicle, thermally disabling the follicle's growth structures with minimal effect on surrounding tissue. Multiple sessions are required to target follicles across their natural growth cycle stages. Treatment areas include the upper lip, chin, underarms, bikini and Brazilian zone, legs, back, chest, abdomen, and arms. A physician-led clinical environment ensures appropriate device selection and settings for each patient's Fitzpatrick skin type.

Laser hair removal at Westlake Dermatology West University Houston is administered under physician oversight using the principle of selective photothermolysis — delivering laser energy at wavelengths and pulse durations chosen to maximise absorption by melanin (the chromophore in the hair shaft and follicular bulge and bulb) while protecting the surrounding dermis and epidermis from non-selective thermal injury. The mechanism disrupts the hair follicle's stem cells in the bulge region and the dermal papilla, the structures responsible for initiating and sustaining hair growth, through controlled thermal damage. The fundamental constraint of laser hair removal is the growth cycle: only follicles actively in the anagen (growth) phase have an intact, pigment-containing hair shaft extending from the follicle to the skin surface, which is necessary to conduct laser energy from the skin surface into the follicular structures. Since only 15–25% of follicles in any anatomical area are in anagen at any given moment — the remainder being in catagen (transition) or telogen (resting) — a minimum of six to eight treatment sessions, spaced four to eight weeks apart depending on the body area, is necessary to progressively target the full follicle population across their asynchronous cycles. The clinic selects laser parameters — wavelength, fluence, pulse duration, and spot size — based on the patient's Fitzpatrick skin type and hair characteristics. Longer-wavelength devices (1064 nm Nd:YAG) are safer for patients with Fitzpatrick types IV–VI, as the reduced relative epidermal melanin absorption at this wavelength minimises the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or epidermal burns. The clinic's device portfolio and physician-led parameter selection allow treatment of a diverse Houston patient population including patients of South Asian, East Asian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic, and African-American descent. All patients are counselled to avoid sun exposure and tanning products for four to six weeks before and between sessions, to shave (not wax or pluck) the area 24 hours before each appointment, and to apply sunscreen diligently during the treatment course to minimise pigmentation risk.