Care matched to your skin
Your skin tone changes which lasers and treatments make sense, and how gently to start. So every plan here begins with your skin, not with a machine. If you’ve been told “you’re not a candidate” somewhere else, we’d like to take a look.
What changes with your skin tone
Pick the tone closest to yours. Here’s what changes, and what we check in person.
Fair: Burns easily, rarely tans
The most options. For hair removal, your hair color matters more than your skin tone.
- Laser hair removal
- We choose the approach for your hair color and thickness. Very light, gray, or red hair doesn’t respond well to any laser.
- IPL photofacial
- Can reduce the look of sun spots and redness.
- Laser resurfacing
- Planned for rough texture and fine lines. Not offered yet.
- Dark spots and melasma
- Sun spots and melasma need different care. Melasma starts with sun protection and skincare, not a laser or light device. Heat can make it worse.
- HydraFacial
- Designed to exfoliate the upper layers of the skin. We confirm it suits your skin at your visit.
- What we check in person
- Recent sun, and any medicine that makes your skin more sensitive to light.
Light: Often burns, tans a little
Recent sun is the main thing that changes the plan. A fresh tan can mean waiting.
- Laser hair removal
- We choose the approach for your hair color and thickness. Very light, gray, or red hair doesn’t respond well to any laser.
- IPL photofacial
- Can reduce the look of sun spots and redness.
- Laser resurfacing
- Planned for rough texture and fine lines. Not offered yet.
- Dark spots and melasma
- Sun spots and melasma need different care. Melasma starts with sun protection and skincare, not a laser or light device. Heat can make it worse.
- HydraFacial
- Designed to exfoliate the upper layers of the skin. We confirm it suits your skin at your visit.
- What we check in person
- How recently you’ve been in the sun, and any medicine that makes your skin more sensitive to light.
Medium: Sometimes burns, tans slowly
A recent tan can change how your skin responds, so we check where you are on the day.
- Laser hair removal
- We choose the approach at your first visit, with a test spot if your skin calls for one.
- IPL photofacial
- Can reduce the look of sun spots and redness.
- Laser resurfacing
- Planned for rough texture and fine lines. Not offered yet.
- Dark spots and melasma
- Some medium skin gets dark marks after irritation. Melasma starts with sun protection and skincare, not a laser or light device. Heat can make it worse.
- HydraFacial
- Designed to exfoliate the upper layers of the skin. We confirm it suits your skin at your visit.
- What we check in person
- How you tan, and how your skin has reacted to irritation before.
Olive: Rarely burns, tans easily
Where the plan changes most. IPL is considered only after a test spot, and hair removal may move to a laser suited to darker skin.
- Laser hair removal
- We choose the approach at your first visit. A test spot comes first.
- IPL photofacial
- Considered only after a skin check and a test spot. If it isn’t right for your skin, we’ll say so and suggest another option.
- Laser resurfacing
- Not where we’d start. If it’s ever right for you, it begins with a careful conversation and a test spot. Not offered yet.
- Dark spots and melasma
- Olive skin can get dark marks left behind after irritation or a breakout. Melasma starts with sun protection and skincare, not a laser or light device. Heat can make it worse.
- HydraFacial
- Designed to exfoliate the upper layers of the skin. We confirm it suits your skin at your visit.
- What we check in person
- Any dark marks after past irritation, and whether a recent tan has changed your usual tone.
Brown: Very rarely burns, tans deeply
Our hair-removal laser was chosen with your skin in mind. IPL isn’t used.
- Laser hair removal
- Our hair-removal laser is labeled for hair removal on all skin types, including dark skin. We try a test spot first, then start gently and adjust as your skin responds.
- IPL photofacial
- IPL isn’t the right choice for brown or deeper skin tones. If that’s you, we’ll recommend a different option.
- Laser resurfacing
- Not where we’d start. If it’s ever right for you, it begins with a careful conversation and a test spot. Not offered yet.
- Dark spots and melasma
- Deeper skin tones are more likely to get dark marks after irritation or a breakout, so any work on dark spots starts gently. Melasma starts with sun protection and skincare, not a laser or light device. Heat can make it worse.
- HydraFacial
- Designed to exfoliate the upper layers of the skin. We confirm it suits your skin at your visit.
- What we check in person
- Any dark marks or raised (keloid) scars after injury, and your hair color and thickness.
Deep brown: Almost never burns
Our hair-removal laser was chosen with your skin in mind. IPL isn’t used.
- Laser hair removal
- Our hair-removal laser is labeled for hair removal on all skin types, including dark skin. We try a test spot first, then start gently and adjust as your skin responds.
- IPL photofacial
- IPL isn’t the right choice for brown or deeper skin tones. If that’s you, we’ll recommend a different option.
- Laser resurfacing
- Not where we’d start. If it’s ever right for you, it begins with a careful conversation and a test spot. Not offered yet.
- Dark spots and melasma
- Deeper skin tones are more likely to get dark marks after irritation or a breakout, so any work on dark spots starts gently. Melasma starts with sun protection and skincare, not a laser or light device. Heat can make it worse.
- HydraFacial
- Designed to exfoliate the upper layers of the skin. We confirm it suits your skin at your visit.
- What we check in person
- Any dark marks or raised (keloid) scars after injury, and your hair color and thickness.
Skin tone here means how your skin reacts to sun, not only its color. We confirm yours at your first visit.
Why skin tone matters to a laser
Lasers and light work by sending energy into a target. For hair removal, the target is the pigment in the hair. For redness, it’s the blood in small vessels. For a dark spot, it’s the extra pigment in the spot.
Your skin has pigment of its own, called melanin. The more your skin has, the more of that energy it soaks up before it reaches the target. That’s why the wrong laser or setting can leave brown or deeper skin with burns or dark marks, and why so many people with darker skin hear “you’re not a candidate.”
For many people, the answer is a different tool and a gentler start. We learn your skin first, then choose the treatment and settings for it.
What happens at your first visit
Before any laser or light treatment, we go through this together:
- Your skin tone. Whether you tan or burn, and whether your skin darkens after a breakout, cut or irritation.
- Your history. Medicines and skincare that make skin more sensitive to light, recent sun, and any past laser or light treatments.
- The area itself. We look at the exact skin being treated, not just your overall tone.
- Photos. Same angles and lighting at every visit, so we can see how your skin responds.
- A written plan. What we suggest and why, what the first session involves, and what we’ll look for before doing more.
How we choose the treatment
Once we know your skin, the choice follows:
- Laser hair removal. Our hair-removal laser is labeled for hair removal on all skin types, including dark skin. It’s the one we use for brown and deep brown skin.Laser hair removal for dark skin.
- IPL. For light to olive skin. IPL isn’t the right choice for brown or deeper skin tones. If that’s you, we’ll recommend a different option.
- Laser resurfacing. Designed for light to olive skin. On brown or deeper skin, it’s a careful conversation that starts with a test spot, never a first step.
- Pigment and tattoo laser. The most conservative laser choice for pigment work in darker skin, which is why we chose it.
- Every treatment. First sessions start gently, with cooling throughout. We build up across visits as your skin responds, never all at once.
Test spots come first
When we’re not sure how your skin will respond, and always before IPL on olive skin, we treat a small spot first and check it before treating the whole area.
It takes a little extra time. In return, you see how your own skin responds before a whole area is treated.
Melasma and dark marks need a different start
Some pigment problems get worse with heat. Melasma is the clearest example, so its care starts with sun protection and skincare, not lasers. Dark marks left behind after irritation or a breakout need the same caution, because a harsh treatment is one more irritation.
For both, we begin with skincare, sun protection and photos to track change over time.How we approach melasma
Our promises
Four promises guide every visit: light matched to your skin tone, a gentle start on deeper skin, patience with melasma, and no packages before we’ve seen your skin. If something else will serve your skin better, we’ll tell you.