Alexandrite
Laser Hair Removal in Dubai

Upper lip, chin and face

The face is where the difference between hair removal methods shows most. Waxing and threading the upper lip every two weeks irritates the skin and can leave it darker. Alexandrite treats the upper lip in about 10 minutes, with the hair shedding over the following two weeks. Facial hair has a short growth cycle, so we book face sessions 4 to 6 weeks apart and expect 8 to 10 in total.

Chin and jaw hair in women is often hormonal, linked to polycystic ovary syndrome or the years around menopause. The laser destroys the follicles that exist, but hormones can activate new ones, so maintenance sessions two or three times a year are normal for this area. If hair on the chin appeared suddenly or is thickening quickly, we recommend a blood test with your doctor before starting a course.

Underarms and bikini

Underarms and bikini are the two areas where patients notice the biggest change in daily life: no more shaving rash, no ingrown hairs, no dark shadow the day after shaving. Both areas have coarse, dark hair on skin that rarely sees the sun, which is exactly the contrast the 755 nm wavelength needs. They also respond fastest: most patients see a clear reduction after two or three sessions.

The bikini line covers the hair outside the underwear line. Full bikini covers the whole area including the labia and the strip between the legs. The skin here is darker than on the thighs, so we lower the energy and use a smaller spot size for the inner area.

Legs and arms

Legs and arms have the largest surface, so speed matters. The Smartrion zoom handpiece changes spot size without swapping cartridges and fires 3 pulses per second; full legs take 30 to 45 minutes. Hair on the lower legs is coarser than on the thighs and clears faster. Arms often have finer, lighter hair that needs the higher energy Alexandrite can deliver; hair that is naturally blonde on the forearms will not respond.

Legs are the area where a summer tan most often interrupts a course. If you are treating legs from October to April you can keep 6 to 8 week gaps; in summer, stay out of the sun for 2 weeks before each session or switch to Soprano.

Men: beard, neck, back and chest

Men most often book the beard contour and neckline, to stop ingrown hairs and keep a sharp edge without daily shaving, and the back and shoulders.

A full beard removal is close to permanent. We discuss the shape carefully at the first visit because hair does not grow back in a treated area. Chest and abdomen hair sits close to the nipples and navel, where the skin is darker; we treat around them at lower settings.

Half body and full body sessions

Full body for women adds arms, upper legs and abdomen. Full body for men includes chest and back.

A full body session is long, so we book it as a single appointment with breaks between areas. The whole course keeps the same 6 to 8 week rhythm, and every area is reassessed at each visit rather than treated at the previous settings.

Why 755 nm suits light skin and dark hair

Every hair removal laser works the same way: the pigment melanin absorbs the light, turns it into heat and the heat destroys the follicle. The wavelength decides how selective that is. Melanin absorbs 755 nm light much more strongly than 1064 nm light, so an Alexandrite laser puts more energy into a dark hair with each pulse and clears it in fewer sessions. The same strong absorption is the risk: skin contains melanin too. On pale skin there is little competing pigment and the hair takes almost all the energy. On brown skin the surface absorbs enough 755 nm light to burn before the hair is destroyed.

The Fitzpatrick scale in practice

Dermatologists grade skin by how it reacts to sun, not by ethnicity:

• Type I and II: very fair, burns easily, tans little or not at all. Ideal for Alexandrite at full energy.
• Type III: light olive, sometimes burns, tans gradually. Ideal for Alexandrite.
• Type IV: medium brown, rarely burns, tans easily. Alexandrite at reduced energy after a test patch, or Soprano.
• Type V and VI: brown to dark brown, very rarely burns. Alexandrite is not used; we use the 1064 nm Nd:YAG wavelength on Soprano Titanium, which passes through skin pigment and heats the follicle deeper down.

A tan moves you up the scale temporarily. A type II patient back from a beach holiday can behave like a type IV for several weeks, which is why we look at your skin on the day and not at your last visit.

Hair colour and hormones

The laser needs pigment in the hair. Black and dark brown hair responds best, medium brown well, light brown partially. Blonde, grey, white and red hair contain little or no eumelanin and do not respond to any hair removal laser; for those hairs we offer laser hair bleaching, which lightens the hair instead of removing it.

Hormones can keep producing new hair after a course, most often on a woman's chin, jaw and lower abdomen. The treated follicles stay destroyed, but new ones can be activated, so those areas need maintenance sessions rather than a one-off course.

Alexandrite, diode and Nd:YAG compared

• Alexandrite, 755 nm (Smartrion): strongest hair absorption, fastest results, best for skin types I to III with dark hair. High-energy single pulses with contact cooling.
• Diode, 810 nm and blended (Soprano Titanium): absorption between the two, delivered as low-energy pulses in a gliding motion that heats the follicles gradually. Comfortable, usable on types I to VI and on lightly tanned skin. Usually more sessions than Alexandrite on light skin.
• Nd:YAG, 1064 nm: weakest melanin absorption, so it is the safe choice for types V and VI and the only choice for very dark skin. Needs more energy and more sessions on lighter skin.

A randomised study of leg hair found that Alexandrite and Nd:YAG each gave lasting reduction, and that combining them in one session added pain and pigment reactions without improving the result. More wavelengths at once are not better; the right wavelength for your skin is. Our guides on Alexandrite versus Soprano and Alexandrite versus Nd:YAG for your skin tone go into more detail.

The Smartrion device

Smartrion is made by IDS in South Korea. Our unit is an original device bought from the official UAE distributor, and we can show you the paperwork. It fires 755 nm pulses with a flat, uniform beam profile, so every part of the spot gets the same energy and there are no hot centres that cause burns. The zoom handpiece changes spot size without changing cartridges, and the built-in cooling protects the skin surface before each pulse.

Before your session

Shave the area 12 to 24 hours before. Hair above the skin would absorb the laser and burn the surface, while a freshly shaved area keeps the energy in the follicle. Do not wax, pluck, thread or epilate for 4 weeks before a session or between sessions; these remove the root the laser needs.

Keep the area out of the sun for 2 to 4 weeks and do not use self-tanner. Stop retinoids, glycolic or salicylic acid and scrubs on the area 5 days before. If you take antibiotics such as doxycycline, or St John's wort, tell us; they make the skin light-sensitive and we postpone the session until 2 weeks after the course. If you have taken isotretinoin in the past 6 months we wait, because the skin heals poorly. A history of cold sores in the area means we ask you to take your antiviral before a facial session.

After your session

Redness and small bumps around each follicle are normal and settle within a few hours, sometimes by the next morning. Cool the skin with a cold compress if it feels hot and use a plain fragrance-free moisturiser. For 24 hours avoid hot baths, saunas, steam rooms, hard exercise and swimming pools; for 3 to 5 days do not exfoliate or use retinoids or acids on the area.

Treated hairs shed over one to three weeks and can look like regrowth as they push out. Do not pluck them; shaving is fine. Use SPF 30 or higher on any treated area exposed to sun for 2 weeks; sun on freshly treated skin is the main cause of dark marks after laser.

Side effects and when to contact us

Expected effects are redness, follicle swelling and mild stinging for a few hours. Uncommon effects are blistering, crusting, a darker or lighter patch that can last months, infection of a blistered area and, rarely, scarring. These are far more likely on tanned or darker skin treated at the wrong setting, which is why the skin check comes first. Very rarely, laser on fine facial or neck hair in darker skin can trigger thicker hair growth nearby, called paradoxical hypertrichosis; we watch for it and change the approach if it appears.

Contact us the same day if you have blisters, pain that gets worse instead of better, or skin that looks infected. Do not treat over a reaction and tell us about any colour change before your next session, even if the area no longer hurts.

Who should not have Alexandrite laser hair removal

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding; we postpone the course. - Skin types V and VI, and any tanned skin; we use Soprano instead or wait. - Active infection, open wounds, eczema or psoriasis flares in the area. - Isotretinoin in the last 6 months, or light-sensitising medicines that cannot be paused. - Tattoos and permanent makeup are never lasered over; we mark them and treat around them. - A history of keloid scars, light-triggered epilepsy, or a suspicious mole or skin cancer in the area; these need a doctor's assessment first.

Our care standards

Evolution Aesthetics Clinic holds DHA Polyclinic License 6000514. Our laser practitioners are DHA-licensed and work within their approved scope. The Smartrion is an original device from the official UAE distributor, serviced according to the manufacturer's schedule, and we are happy to show the paperwork. Our side effects and safe preparation guide covers these points in more detail.