There is a simple reason clinics disagree about this: a studio with one device recommends that device. That is not dishonesty, it is just what is available. But it means the recommendation you get is often about the room you are standing in rather than the hair on your body. So here is how to think about it before you walk into any room, including ours.

Laser needs something to aim at

A hair removal laser works by sending light into the skin that is absorbed by pigment. Dark hair absorbs it, heats up, and the follicle is damaged enough to stop producing hair or to produce it much more finely. The important word is pigment. If the hair is light, grey, white, red or very fine, there is not enough melanin for the laser to find, and it passes straight through. No amount of sessions changes that.

Laser is also efficient. A handpiece treats an area of skin in one pass, so underarms take a quarter of an hour and legs take under an hour. That efficiency is why laser is the right first step for most body areas with dark hair, and why it is priced by area rather than by time.

Electrolysis does not care what colour your hair is

Electrolysis works differently. A very fine probe is inserted into each individual follicle and a small current destroys the growth cells directly. No pigment required, which is why it works on grey, blonde and red hair, on the fine facial hair that laser cannot see, and on the stubborn hairs that survive a full laser course. It is the only method the FDA permits to be described as permanent hair removal.

The trade-off is speed. One follicle at a time means it is priced by the hour and suited to smaller areas — the chin, the upper lip, the jawline, a brow edge — rather than a full leg. It is exact, and it is slow, and those two facts are the same fact.

The four questions that decide it

• What colour is the hair? Dark: laser is on the table. Light, grey or red: electrolysis, full stop.
• How large is the area? Large areas favour laser. Small, precise areas favour electrolysis.
• What is driving the growth? Hormonally driven facial hair keeps returning, and usually needs electrolysis as part of an ongoing plan rather than a laser course with a finish line.
• What has already been tried? If you have completed laser somewhere and hair remains, what is left is very often hair laser was never going to catch. That is an electrolysis job, not a reason to buy more laser.

For a lot of people, it is both

The most common plan we write for facial hair is laser first, to reduce the dark, dense growth quickly, followed by electrolysis to clear what remains permanently. On the body it is usually laser alone, with a few electrolysis sessions at the end if anything stubborn is left. Neither method is better. They do different jobs, and the plan is about sequencing them for your hair rather than choosing a favourite.

That is what the consultation is for. Bring what you know about your hair, what you have already tried, and any medication you take, and we will tell you which method — or which order — actually fits. If the answer is that you are not a candidate for laser at all, we will say so.