Laser Hair Removal Cooling Options (Pain Management)

The first question people usually want to know about laser hair removal is the price. The second question is regarding how much pain is involved. Laser hair removal does hurt but it’s not torture and often the described pain is a bit overstated by people that are being a bit dramatic.

The good news is that over time, laser hair removal safety features are increasingly being built into modern laser devices to cool and soothe the skin during hair removal treatment.

Modern laser machines utilize cooling technology such as cryogen spray and contact cooling as well as flowing air chilled as low as -32° C to soothe the skin during laser hair removal treatment. Research has shown that cooling features minimize pain normally caused by laser treatment and may improve treatment effectiveness.

Common laser hair removal cooling methods

Increasingly, a number of cooling devices are used in conjunction with laser hair removal to cool the skin before, during and after treatment in a way that doesn’t negatively impact the result but lessens the pain.

Here are common cooling mechanisms that you can inquire about when you visit laser hair removal clinics to ask about the machines and technologies they use. I’ve also listed common laser models that utilize each cooling method.

Cooling air for laser hair removal

German company Zimmer produces a machine called Cyro 6 which is a cold air device used for various skin applications including laser hair removal. Used in conjunction and attached to the laser hair removal head, it provides a stream of cold air down to -32 ° C before, during and after each laser pulse on your skin. It cools the skin being treated for unwanted hair while not affecting the laser results in any way.

How does it work? The cold air blown onto your skin during the entire laser treatment has the effect of keeping your skin temperature down even while it is being hit with the energy from the laser while increasing patient tolerance during the treatment.

The result? Research from Zimmer shows that specific laser applications to the face for example produced less pain with the cold air treatment using Cryo 6. Energy of the laser may be increased for better results since the patient’s tolerance is higher due to the cooling effects. It can also reduce treatment time. Speaking from experience, Intense Pulse Light treatment and some laser treatments involve use of a protective gel applied to the skin which adds to the time involved. So there is no messy gel to clean up after treatment with Cryo 6 either.

This sort of technology is added to an existing laser hair removal machine. I recall midway through my IPL treatment that the clinic I visited added an air cooling machine too but continued using the gel, too.

One side effect that has been noted with forced continuous refrigerated air cooling like this is hyperpigmentation of skin in some cases.

Contact cooling for laser hair removal

Contact cooling is a term used by laser hair removal machine manufacturers who build cooling technology right into the design of the laser hand piece wand that cools skin directly before each flash.

How does it work? An example of this is the MeDioStar NeXT PRO laser hair removal machine that has its laser handpiece fitted with a system that treats the skin with cooling immediately before being zapped with the laser. The unit features Peltier cooling elements coated with aluminum and additional sapphire cooling elements that draw heat from the skin prior to the laser pulse. Sapphire has long been used for heat dispersion with laser technology.

The result? Sapphire and copper-tipped laser heads have been used for cooling for decades so it’s an established technology. Research has shown that the tip reads 4° before the laser pulse, 0° during and 4° after the pulse. They don’t cool nearly as well as the more modern Cryo 6 machine mentioned above but they are integrated into the laser machine itself rather than being a standalone unit purchased separately like the Cryo 6.

Cryogen spray for laser hair removal

In this instance, a cryogen spray is applied to the skin directly before each laser pulse either from an integrated or built in feature. Measured results show that skin temperature may be reduced to 5°C and −9°C making temperature reduction twice as low as that achieved through contact cooling.

How does it work? Cryogen liquid is sprayed in a short and consistent spurt directly onto the skin prior to each laser pulse. The cryogen spray commonly used is the refrigerant gas R-134a which is sprayed in coordination with the laser pulse as set by the clinician operating the machine. Candela-brand lasers such as the GentleLase, GentleMax, GentlePro and GentleYAG family use cryogen liquid cooling among others.

The result? The cryogen spray method does reduce temperature and pain particularly for dark-skinned patients of Skin Type V according to research. Results show that the cooling is consistent and even with each laser pulse. This also allows high fluences (ie. higher laser energy setting) to be used to achieve better hair removal treatment.

Ice packs applied before laser hair removal

This is a low tech method that is exactly what you might think it is: Applying ice to the skin being treated about 10-15 minutes before laser hair removal is done and/or afterwards to cool the skin and keep the temperature down.

How does it work? An ice pack is applied by the laser technician to the area being treated about 10-15 minutes prior to treatment so there is extra time and work involved which is not good for either the laser clinic (ie. they spend more time with each patient) or the patient (ie. they spend more time doing laser hair removal).

The result? It’s a time-consuming, low tech and outdated method that you shouldn’t experience because if you do, it undoubtedly means the clinic you’re visiting uses very old machines.

Cooling gel

Typically used with Intense Pulsed Light and some older lasers, the gel is stored in a fridge and then applied directly to the skin being treated shortly before treatment.

How does it work? The refrigerated gel does cool the skin and also acts a barrier between your skin and the wand of the IPL or laser machine which is held directly onto the gel. It will slightly lower the temperature of your skin. From experience, the gel is very uncomfortable and cold when initially applied to your back and other sensitive areas!

The result? Having experienced 16 IPL treatments with gel usage, I recall having a number of treatments where certain parts of my body like the back of my neck and shoulders area stinging and feeling sensitive after treatment even with the gel used. It is messy and time-consuming for both the clinician applying the gel and then the patients helping to wipe it off before putting your clothes back on. Plus, it’s not as effective as newer technologies like a Cryo 6 air cooling machine.

I have heard that some IPL machines now use a cooling tip on the wand similar to some lasers rather than cooling gel.

Summary

Laser hair removal does hurt but modern machines have built in cooling features that help to soothe your skin and make the pain less noticeable. It also depends on which body part(s) you are treating as some areas are more sensitive than others.

Currently it appears that the Cyro 6 style of cooling may be the most effective and modern but other air cooling and cryogen methods also offer benefits over nothing at all.

If you’d like to learn more about how much laser hair removal actually hurts by body part, check out this article I wrote to learn more about different areas of your body and the pain you can expect to feel relative to one another.