Arm laser hair removal
upper arms, forearms and hands

The split is anatomical and unambiguous:

Forearm hair is, in most people, lighter and finer than on the legs, so before a series we always check whether it contains enough melanin for the laser to act on at all. This is the one area where we send some people away with the information that the result will be modest — and we would rather say it before the treatment than after the fourth session.

The second difference is sun exposure. Forearms and hands are uncovered all year, including winter driving. That means a real risk the skin is darker than it seems, requiring more careful parameters.

The third thing concerns the reason for the visit: with arms it is rarely about smoothness as with legs — more often about hair that is too dark against fair skin. In other words, reducing visibility, not complete removal.

Position and coverage. Sitting or lying, with the arm resting on a support. We work in segments around the circumference.

Sensation. One of the gentler areas. More distinct only on the inner forearm, where the skin is thinner.

At Velvet Skin Clinic we plan a series of 6–8 sessions in this area, every 6–8 weeks.

With finer, lighter hair the reduction progresses more slowly than on the legs or underarms — a matter of melanin in the hair shaft, not the number of sessions. The range is our clinic's protocol.

There is one reason a single session is never enough: the laser only affects follicles in their growth phase (anagen). At any given moment only part of the follicles in an area are in that phase — the rest are in catagen or telogen and do not respond to light. That is why sessions are repeated at intervals, to catch successive groups of follicles as they enter anagen (Natarelli et al., 2023, PMID 36769541).

We do not use one laser for everything. The device for this area is chosen at your consultation, after assessing your skin phototype and the thickness and colour of the hair. For phototypes IV–VI, the choice of wavelength is a matter of safety, not convenience (Lee et al., 2026, PMID 41884758).

Prices apply at both clinics. The longer the series, the lower the price per session. When treating several areas at once, package prices from the full price list apply.

Laser hair removal works over a series, not from one session to the next — below is what you can realistically see at each stage in this particular area. Results are individual and depend on hair colour and thickness, skin phototype, and hormonal factors.

Why you will find no before & after photos here

Because in laser hair removal such a photo would prove nothing. You arrive at the session shaved — a condition without which the laser cannot work properly. A "before" photo would therefore show shaved skin, and an "after" photo hair-free skin. Both look the same; the difference only appears two to three weeks later, when one of them does not grow back.

It is more honest to describe what changes and when — and to show reviews from people who completed a full series. Before-and-after photos make sense for treatments with immediately visible results, and we publish them in those categories.

Below are situations specific to this area. Contraindications common to all laser treatments — photosensitising medication, photosensitive epilepsy, cancer under active treatment, recent procedures in the area — are discussed during your consultation. Complications after laser treatments and how to manage them are described in a 2026 review (Nguyen et al., PMID 41797616).