You saw six to eight sessions and closed the booking page. Here is what each laser hair removal visit changes, area by area, with course prices for three and six sessions at our Summertown clinic.
Halfway through the online booking form, thumb over the button, you read the words six to eight sessions and closed the tab. Laser hair removal sessions at Cannelle Skin Clinic in Oxford make far more sense once you see what each visit is doing. The change also shows on your skin much sooner than that number suggests.
| Performed by | Course | Downtime | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our skin specialists, after a patch test | Six to eight sessions, a few weeks apart | None, mild redness for a few hours | Long-term hair reduction |
The number sounds like a long road. It rarely feels like one. Sessions get a little quicker as the course goes on, and the hair that greets you after each visit is thinner than the time before, so the progress is right there on your legs.
What surprises people is the reason behind the number. The course length has nothing to do with a weak laser and everything to do with how hair grows. Once that clicks, counting sessions stops feeling like a chore. It starts to look like a plan with a smooth finish.
Every follicle on the body keeps its own rhythm. It grows, pauses and then rests before it grows again. The Soprano Titanium sends light that the pigment in a growing hair absorbs and turns into warmth, and that warmth disables the follicle. A follicle resting on the day simply waits for the next visit.
So each session clears the follicles that are awake. The gap of a few weeks lets the next group come up into growth, and six to eight visits give every follicle in the area its turn under the light. Between sessions, the only change in your routine is putting the razor away a little more often.
The evidence for a course holding up is reassuring. In one split-leg study of in-motion diode lasers, hair counts six months after a course of five sessions matched the counts taken at eighteen months, which is why a finished course reads as long-lasting hair reduction rather than a short reprieve.
After the first session the treated hairs loosen and shed over the following one to two weeks. Someone who has shaved her legs every other morning since school usually notices the first thing by the end of that fortnight: the stubble comes back patchy, with smooth gaps where there used to be shadow.
By the third visit the gaps have joined up. Regrowth is finer and lighter, and the skin feels softer when you run a hand along the shin. The rough, bumpy texture that shaving leaves behind starts to settle. Our page on smoothing textured skin covers the wider picture if that roughness has bothered you for years.
Later sessions are about the stragglers. The hairs that remain are the ones that were resting earlier in the course, and they tend to be softer and sparser than the original growth. Appointments get shorter too, since there is simply less for the light to find. The skin looks clear for longer between each one.
Comfort stays the same throughout. The handpiece glides over the area with built-in cooling, so the sensation is warmth rather than a sharp snap. No anaesthetic is needed. Any pinkness settles within a few hours, and you can walk straight back into your day with sun protection on the area.
Most areas sit within the six to eight range, and the differences come from hair, skin and hormones rather than from the size of the area. A few patterns help you picture your own course before you arrive.
The handpiece glides over the area with built-in cooling, so the sensation is warmth rather than a sharp snap.
Hair type first. Dark, coarse hair carries plenty of pigment, so the light finds it easily and the Soprano Titanium handles dense growth well. Softer, finer brown hair responds too. It can simply take the full course to fade, so a fine-haired forearm and a coarse shin may finish at different points.
Legs and underarms. Thick, dark hair on the legs and underarms responds readily, because there is plenty of pigment for the light to find. The early change is often striking here. Once the shaving rash fades, the skin itself looks visibly smoother.
Bikini, Brazilian and Hollywood. Coarse hair in the bikini area responds beautifully too. Ingrown hairs and the prickle of regrowth under swimwear ease as the course goes on. A swimsuit starts to feel like something you can simply put on.
Face, chin and upper lip. Facial hair is more closely tied to hormones, so it can need the full course and the occasional top-up afterwards. For women with polycystic ovary syndrome, a JAMA Dermatology review found that laser treatment eased both the hair and its emotional weight. Gentle maintenance keeps that result in place.
Because nearly everyone needs a run of visits, the clinic prices courses as well as single sessions. An upper lip is £55 a session, £140 for three or £230 for six. Underarms are £80, £205 or £335, and a bikini line is £90, £230 or £380.
Larger areas follow the same shape. Lower legs are £150 a session or £630 for six. Full legs are £230, or £965 for six. A Brazilian or Hollywood is £140, or £590 for six. A full back is £190 a session, or £800 for a course of six. Every area sits on our prices page.
If you are treating several areas, full body treatment is £500 a session, £1,275 for three or £2,100 for six. Many people pair a course with our membership, which keeps skin appointments gently ticking over through the year.
Your first visit starts with a look at hair colour, thickness and skin tone, followed by a small patch test so the settings are confirmed on your own skin. Treatment is carried out by our experienced therapists, including Senior Therapist Svitlana Riabokin, under the medical oversight of Dr Mattia Parducci (GMC 7635663), our Lead Aesthetic Doctor.
Most areas need six to eight sessions, and occasional top-ups afterwards keep things smooth. Fair, grey and blonde hair carries too little pigment for the light, so for those hairs the team will suggest waxing as a lovely alternative. Your consultation gives the real number for you, area by area.
Before each session, shave the area the day before and arrive with clean skin, with no fake tan. Waxing and plucking pause for the whole course, because the root has to be in place for the light to reach it. Shaving in between keeps you tidy without slowing anything down.
The clinic is in Summertown, an easy hop for anyone coming across from Headington or Botley, and a straightforward drive in from Cowley along the ring road. Patients join us from all over Oxfordshire, and most areas fit comfortably into a lunch break once the course is under way.
Ready to see your own number written down? Look through the laser hair removal treatment page for areas and timings, or contact the clinic and we will book your patch test and first session.
Book a first visit and patch test in Summertown, with care overseen by Dr Mattia, and leave with a clear plan for every area you want to treat. Call 01865 537885 or message us on WhatsApp to choose a time.
These are the questions people ask once the number six to eight is on the table. The full price list sits on the treatment page, and the team will gladly go through your own plan.
Most areas need a course of six to eight sessions, spaced a few weeks apart, because hair grows in cycles and each visit clears the follicles that are growing at the time. Occasional top-ups then keep the area smooth. Your own number depends on your hair, skin and hormones, and is set at your first appointment.
On any given day only some of your follicles are actively growing, and those are the ones the light can reach through the pigment in the hair. The rest are resting and come up into growth over the following weeks. Spacing the sessions lets each group take its turn, which is exactly why a course works so well.
The treated hairs shed over the one to two weeks after your first session, and many people see patchy, slower regrowth within that first fortnight. By the third visit the hair is usually finer and lighter. The later sessions gather up the stragglers, leaving the skin smoother and clearer for longer between appointments.
Yes. Underarms are £80 a session or £335 for six, which works out at under £56 a visit. An upper lip is £55 a session or £230 for six, and lower legs are £150 a session or £630 for six. Courses of three are also available for every area on the price list.
Facial hair is more closely linked to hormones, so it can need the full course and the odd top-up afterwards to stay smooth. Hair connected to polycystic ovary syndrome or hormonal change responds well to laser, and your therapist plans gentle maintenance into the course so the result keeps looking fresh over the years.
Laser hair removal gives long-lasting hair reduction. Most of the treated hair stays reduced, and whatever returns comes through finer and sparser than before. Hormones can prompt new growth over time, particularly on the face, which is why occasional top-up sessions are part of keeping an area smooth after the main course is finished.
Your sessions are carried out by our experienced therapists, including Senior Therapist Svitlana Riabokin, and you stay with the same therapist through the course. Dr Mattia Parducci, our Lead Aesthetic Doctor, provides medical oversight, so the settings for your skin and hair are chosen to a doctor-led standard from the very first patch test.
Anything from about fifteen minutes for a small area such as the upper lip to around an hour for a larger area or full body. Sessions often get quicker as the course goes on, because there are fewer hairs for the light to find. There is no downtime, so you can go straight back to your day.
Our clinic is located in Summertown, Oxford, just north of the city centre in one of Oxford’s most sought-after neighbourhoods. Discreet and easy to reach, we offer a premium setting for bespoke skin, aesthetic and wellness care.
We welcome patients from across Oxford city and Oxfordshire, including Summertown, Headington, Kidlington, Abingdon, Bicester, Witney and the surrounding towns and villages. Whether you’re coming for routine skin-health treatments or specialist aesthetic consultations, our location is well connected and simple to access.
Our clinic, Cannelle Skin Clinic, is just minutes from Oxford city centre and easily reached by car, bus or rail. Oxford’s mainline stations Oxford Station and Oxford Parkway are a short taxi or bus ride away, and regular services link to London, Reading, Didcot, Banbury and beyond.
By car, we’re conveniently accessed via key local routes with nearby parking options; by public transport, frequent bus routes along Banbury Road drop you within a short stroll of the clinic.
Whether you’re travelling from within Oxfordshire, further afield in the UK or internationally, our clinic offers a calm, personalised and professional environment for your visit.
