The Laser We Use: Candela GentleMax Pro Plus

How a laser removes hair in the first place

Laser hair removal works by selective photothermolysis, which is a precise idea wearing a technical name. The laser emits light at a wavelength that pigment absorbs. The melanin in a hair follicle absorbs that light, converts it to heat, and the heat disables the follicle's ability to grow hair. The goal is for the hair to absorb the energy while the surrounding skin does not.

That last part is the entire engineering problem. Skin contains melanin too. The deeper your skin tone, the more melanin sits in the skin itself, competing with the follicle for the laser's energy. Choosing the right wavelength for the person in the chair is how a practice keeps the energy going where it belongs.

Why two wavelengths, plainly

The Candela GentleMax Pro Plus carries two distinct lasers in one platform. The 755 nm Alexandrite wavelength is absorbed readily by melanin, which makes it efficient for lighter skin tones, Fitzpatrick types I through III, where the skin holds little competing pigment. The 1064 nm Nd:YAG wavelength penetrates deeper and is absorbed less aggressively by surface melanin, which makes it the clinically appropriate modality for deeper skin tones, Fitzpatrick types IV through VI, because it reduces the risk of the skin absorbing energy meant for the follicle.

Many hair removal chains standardize on a single-wavelength diode device instead. Diode lasers are legitimate, widely used technology. But a single wavelength is, by physics, a compromise across skin tones: settings get adjusted around one fixed wavelength rather than the wavelength itself being matched to the patient. A dual-wavelength platform lets the provider choose the tool, not just tune it. That is the difference between adapting a device to you and selecting the right device for you, and it is why we treat the full Fitzpatrick range with confidence rather than caveats.

One thing you will not read here is an absolute safety claim. No laser treatment on any device carries zero risk, and a practice that says otherwise is telling you something about its marketing rather than its medicine. The right wavelength, conservative settings, and a patch test before your series reduce risk. Your consultation is where those reductions get applied to your skin specifically. We wrote more about this at skin types and safety.

Cooling, and why sessions are tolerable

The GentleMax Pro Plus uses a cryogen cooling system that delivers a burst of cooling to the skin's surface with each pulse. The follicle still receives the heat; your skin's surface gets protected and the sensation gets noticeably blunted. Most people describe a session as quick snaps of warmth rather than something to brace for. It also allows the provider to treat at effective energy levels comfortably, which matters, because an underpowered session for the sake of comfort is how people end up with a series that did not work.

Settings are a medical decision here

A laser is only as good as the judgment behind its settings. Wavelength, energy level, pulse duration, and spot size all get selected for your skin type and the area being treated, and at Choosi those protocols run under the medical direction of Dr. Tiffany Hall, board-certified OB/GYN. Physician oversight means the treatment parameters trace to a clinical protocol rather than to habit, and every new patient's plan starts with a patch test that confirms the chosen settings on your skin before your series begins.

If you have been told in the past that your skin tone was not a candidate for laser hair removal, that answer was probably about the device in the room, not about you. It is a question worth asking again, of a practice equipped to answer it properly.