Laser hair removal runs on one physical principle, and nearly every “can I” question is really asking the same thing: will something get in the laser’s way of seeing the hair. Once you understand the principle, tanning, shaving, and “can I just speed this up” all answer themselves.
How the laser tells hair from skin
RE/FACE runs hair removal on the Capello Luxe diode laser—808 nm, the gold standard for the method. Its energy is absorbed by melanin inside the hair follicle and destroys it without damaging the skin around it. That only works while the laser has one clear target—the hair. Add more melanin to the skin itself, say from a tan, and precision suffers. Nearly every restriction below traces back to that one fact.
Can I tan—before or after
No, and it is best to skip tanning and self-tanner ahead of time too. The logic is simple: the laser is tuned to find melanin in the follicle, and a fresh tan adds melanin to the skin around the hair as well. The line between “target” and “background” blurs, and the laser cannot fire as precisely. This is not a clinic preference—it follows directly from how the method works.
The pulse width is adjustable across a 2–100 ms range, which gives your doctor room to tailor settings to different skin types—so the real question is not “can darker skin do this at all” but which settings are safe for you specifically. That is decided at the exam, not by a blanket rule.
Can I shave between sessions—and can I wax?
Shaving is fine, encouraged even: it is the only way to deal with regrowth between sessions without touching the root. Anything that removes hair at the root—waxing, sugaring, tweezing, epilators—is off-limits for the whole course. The reason is the mirror image of the tanning rule: the laser works through the root inside the follicle, and if the root is physically gone, there is nothing to target. One session lost to a plucked hair is a missed cycle, and that follicle will not be back in reach until it re-enters its active phase.
Can I skip the course
No—and this is the one answer that has nothing to do with the device and everything to do with the hair. It grows in cycles: at any given time, some follicles are active and visible to the laser, others are dormant and out of reach. A single session only treats the active ones, so hair removal always runs as a course with intervals—to catch the rest once their turn comes.
Can I pick just a few areas instead of the full body
Yes—the RE/FACE price list sells areas both individually and as packages. For women, underarms start from ₽950, lower legs from ₽2,900, deep bikini from ₽2,900, and the Full Body package (underarms + deep bikini + full legs + full arms) starts from ₽10,000 per session. Men follow the same logic: individual areas up to the Maxi package (underarms + full back + full legs), from ₽9,900. A package is almost always cheaper than the same areas bought separately, but which areas you treat is your call, not a default bundle.
Common questions
Can I get laser hair removal if I have a tan?
Better to skip tanning and self-tanner before your session. The 808 nm diode laser targets melanin inside the hair follicle—and a fresh tan adds melanin to the skin around it too, making it harder for the laser to tell hair from skin. Your doctor will give you exact guidance for your case at the consultation.
Can I shave between sessions?
Yes—shaving between sessions is fine, and it is the only way to deal with regrowth without touching the root. Waxing, sugaring, tweezing, and epilators, though, are off-limits for the whole course: they pull the hair out by the root, and the laser works through that same root inside the follicle. No root, nothing to target.
Can I skip the course and just do one session?
No—and that is down to hair biology, not sales. Hair grows in cycles: some follicles are active and visible to the laser, others are dormant and out of its reach. One visit only reaches the active ones, so the treatment runs as a course with intervals to catch the rest once they enter their active phase. The exact number of sessions and the gaps between them depend on the area, skin type, and hair coarseness—your doctor sets them at the consultation.
Can I get laser hair removal on darker skin?
The Capello Luxe’s pulse width is adjustable across a 2–100 ms range, and your doctor tailors it to your skin type and hair coarseness—that is what makes work across different skin types possible. The final call is still your doctor’s, made after an exam, not a blanket rule.
Does it hurt—can I just tough it out without numbing?
You will not need numbing for this one. The Capello Luxe runs three cooling circuits—water, Peltier, and air—and brings skin temperature down to −10 °C during the pulse itself. Most patients describe it as warm tingling. Before the course, your doctor fires a test pulse so you know how it feels going in, instead of guessing from someone else’s review.