Laser Hair Removal on the Face: Upper Lip, Chin and Cost

Hair-removal lasers are FDA-cleared devices, cleared through the 510(k) pathway, and the cleared claim is 'permanent hair reduction' — the long-term, stable reduction in the number of hairs regrowing, measured at 6, 9 and 12 months after a treatment course. 'Permanent' in that labeling does not mean all hair is gone for good, and the cleared claim is not 'permanent hair removal'.

Does it work on the face?

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) lists the areas laser hair removal can treat as armpits, back, bikini area, chest, face — especially the upper lip and chin — legs, neck and shoulders.

It comes with limits the same source is blunt about.

AAD says laser hair removal works best for people with light skin and dark hair, because the laser targets melanin in the hair follicle.

Advances now let people with dark skin, and people with light hair and light skin, be treated, but AAD says it 'must be performed very carefully' in these patients.

Common hair-removal lasers are alexandrite (755 nm), Nd:YAG (1064 nm) and diode (for example, 810 nm) systems; Candela's GentleMax Pro Plus, for example, combines the 755 nm and 1064 nm wavelengths in one system.

Many of these lasers' cleared labels list use on all Fitzpatrick skin types I–VI, including tanned skin, but the label alone does not make every setting or device equally safe for dark skin.

In a 2020 meta-analysis of 12 comparative trials in skin types III–VI, long-pulsed Nd:YAG was linked with less post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation than IPL, and alexandrite was superior to IPL for hair-count reduction.

This page covers women's facial hair; men's beard reduction is a different goal to raise with a provider separately.

If you are new to the treatment, our laser hair removal guide covers devices, candidacy and sessions in depth.

AAD's list names two facial areas specifically — the upper lip and the chin.

The published trials compare broad areas (face versus legs) rather than facial sub-areas, so there is no chin-versus-upper-lip comparison to quote from these trials.

What the sources do give for the face is time.

AAD says the upper lip takes minutes, while large areas like the back or legs can take more than an hour, and a numbing gel takes about 30 to 60 minutes to work before treatment.

During the session, AAD says many patients describe the laser pulses as warm pinpricks or a rubber band snapping against the skin.

Treated skin is red and swollen right afterward, often like a mild sunburn, and most people return to everyday activities.

On results, the face sits at the bottom of the range: in a 2022 review of 5 randomized trials with 223 patients, long-term hair reduction averaged 30–73.6% for Nd:YAG, 35–84.3% for alexandrite, 32.5–69.2% for diode and 27–52.7% for IPL, with the greatest reduction on the legs and the lowest on the face.

AAD's preparation advice applies to any facial session:

Expectations for one specific spot — chin, upper lip or whole face — are a question for a licensed provider who can see the hair and skin.

The session counts you will see quoted are general, not face-specific.

AAD's FAQ says most patients need 2 to 6 laser treatments, while its overview says removing unwanted hair can take 6 sessions or more.

AAD says most patients can have treatment once every 4 to 6 weeks and can expect a 10% to 25% reduction in hair after the first treatment.

The face is the harder case, and AAD names the reason: hormones.

Its overview says laser hair removal is permanent on most areas of the body, but due to hormones it is not permanent on a woman's face, and it can be repeated when hair regrows.

Hormonal conditions show up in the facial data too.

In one 2025 prospective study of women having alexandrite laser for facial hair in Jordan, 16.2% developed facial paradoxical hypertrichosis, and the higher rates were linked to PCOS, irregular periods, a family history of hirsutism, Fitzpatrick types III–IV and lack of regular sunblock use.

That is a single-center study of one device and one population — not a general rate.

We could not confirm a study counting how many sessions facial hair needs, or how a diagnosis like PCOS changes that count — questions for a licensed provider.

How results fade, and what maintenance looks like, is covered on our how long laser hair removal lasts page.

Laser hair removal is priced per session and per area, and chains sell it as multi-session packages.

LaserAway's pricing page, for example, advertised 70% off select laser hair removal packages on October 16, 2026 — headline chain prices are promotional and come with offer terms.

ASPS names what moves the number: the expertise and qualifications of the person performing the treatment, the type of procedure used, the time and effort required, and the office's geographic location.

The figure ASPS publishes is an average of $697 for 'laser skin treatments like laser hair removal', excluding related expenses.

It is a plastic-surgeon fee rather than a med spa price, ASPS's page does not say whether it is per session, and it is not specific to the face.

We could not confirm a reliable national price for the upper lip, the chin or the full face — our research found no tier-1 or tier-2 source with per-area national prices for laser hair removal.

Treat any single per-area number you find as unverified, and price your face with the providers you consult.

Budget note from the same AAD page that lists the face as a treatable area: insurance does not cover laser hair removal.

Per-session, per-area and package figures — and why chain prices look the way they do — are broken down in our laser hair removal cost guide.

The most common side effects are the minor ones: AAD lists discomfort, swelling and redness that last 1 to 3 days.

Rarer effects include blistering, cold sore outbreaks, infection, scarring and skin lightening or darkening, and some skin color changes are permanent.

The risk this page is named for is paradoxical hypertrichosis — new or thicker hair growing after laser or IPL hair removal.

A 2021 meta-analysis of 22 studies and 9,733 patients found it in a pooled 3% of patients, mostly on the face or neck.

Away from the face and neck it occurred in only 0.08% of cases, and in 3 of 4 studies it improved with continued treatment.

On the face, rates can run higher.

The 2025 Jordan study above found facial paradoxical hypertrichosis in 16.2% of women treated with alexandrite for facial hair — a single-center rate far above the pooled 3% — with PCOS, irregular periods, family history of hirsutism, Fitzpatrick types III–IV and no regular sunblock linked to higher rates.

Different populations and designs make the two figures a measured range, not a prediction.

A 2023 review of laser and IPL hair-removal adverse events adds the rest of the list: burns, pigment change, paradoxical hair growth and herpes flares on the skin, and eye injuries including uveitis, iris damage, pupil distortion and cataract.

It ties most complications to skin type, body area, device and settings, and says most are avoidable with proper training and eye protection.

None of these figures predict one person's result.

Whoever treats your face should be able to talk through your hair color, skin type and medical history before you book a course.