Laser hair removal can reduce PCOS-related facial and body hair growth — typically 50–70% reduction over a longer course of 10–12 sessions, with one or two maintenance visits a year afterwards.

In polycystic ovary syndrome, raised androgen levels convert fine vellus hairs into thicker, darker terminal hairs in a male-pattern distribution — chin, jawline, sideburns, upper lip, neck, chest, lower abdomen, inner thighs. Around 70–80% of women with PCOS experience this pattern (referred to clinically as hirsutism).

The follicle itself is what changes — not just the hair you see. That’s why tweezing, plucking and threading don’t reduce the pattern over time: the follicle stays androgen-active, and the next hair grows back. To meaningfully reduce regrowth, the follicle has to be disrupted at the root. That’s what laser does.

PCOS hair is also typically more resistant than non-hormonal hair: coarser, with deeper-anchored follicles and a longer growth cycle. That’s the reason your course is 10–12 sessions where a non-PCOS client might finish at 6–8 — the hair isn’t different; the underlying environment is. Honest framing matters: a 12-session course is realistic. A 6-session promise from a chain clinic is not.

PCOS hair growth often appears on areas with sensitive or darker skin — the chin, jawline, sideburns, upper neck. Older Alexandrite-only lasers (the standard at most City chains) struggle with both at once. The 800nm diode wavelength was developed specifically to address this.

It's preferentially absorbed by hair melanin over skin melanin — which means it can deliver enough energy to disrupt a hormonally-active follicle without burning skin around it. That's the technical reason it works for PCOS. The practical reason is: you can have facial laser without your jawline being red for a week.