Treatments · Oct–Mar · from $385

October through March.

Every laser and light treatment here happens in the cooler half of the year. It is a clinical constraint rather than a seasonal promotion, and it is the single most consequential thing about doing this work in Tucson.

Cedar & Glow / Laser & IPL

The window Oct — Mar
only

Tucson gets
~350 sunny
days a year

UV before or
after treatment
causes pigment
problems

Consults
year round

Why the calendar is clinical

Light-based treatments work by delivering energy into pigment or water in the skin. Skin that has recently seen a lot of ultraviolet has more melanin in it and more active melanocytes, which means it absorbs more of that energy than the settings assumed and burns more easily.

Afterwards, the skin is temporarily more photosensitive, and ultraviolet on treated skin in that window is the direct cause of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation: patchy brown discolouration that can take six months to a year to fade and occasionally does not.

Tucson has somewhere around three hundred and fifty sunny days a year, with a UV index that regularly runs above ten from May to September. Running a laser practice through that summer means either a meaningful rate of pigment complications or pretending patients will stay indoors. Neither is acceptable, so the window is October to March, and we schedule consults year-round so people are ready when it opens.

What that means for you

Four weeks of no deliberate sun before treatment. Daily broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, which you should be wearing here anyway. And a genuine commitment to staying out of it for two weeks afterwards, which in January is easy and is the whole reason the window is when it is.

If you are going somewhere sunny in the four weeks after a treatment, say so at the consult and we will move it. This happens most Januaries and nobody has ever regretted the rescheduling.

The three devices.

Broadband light

BBL Hero

Intense pulsed light rather than a laser. Targets brown and red: sun damage, freckling, rosacea, diffuse redness. Minimal downtime, and the brown spots darken for about a week and then flake off.

Usually three sessions a month apart. The most-booked light treatment here and the obvious first one for desert sun damage.

from $385

Hybrid fractional

Halo

Ablative and non-ablative wavelengths in one pass. For texture, pore size, deeper pigment and overall skin quality. Real downtime: three to five days of looking sunburned and about a week of sandpaper texture.

One to two treatments. The heaviest thing on this list and the one that changes a face most.

from $750

Non-ablative

ResurFX

Fractional without ablation. For fine lines, scarring and texture with much less downtime than Halo: a day or two of redness rather than a week.

Three to four sessions. The right answer for anybody who cannot take a week off.

from $550

Asked often.

Why can you only do laser in winter?

Ultraviolet exposure before treatment makes skin absorb more energy than the settings assume, and exposure afterwards causes post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that can take a year to fade. Tucson has around three hundred and fifty sunny days a year, so the safe window is October to March.

What is the difference between BBL and Halo?

BBL is intense pulsed light targeting brown and red pigment with almost no downtime. Halo is a hybrid fractional laser that resurfaces texture and pore size, with three to five days of looking sunburned. They solve different problems.

How many laser sessions will I need?

Usually three BBL sessions a month apart, one to two Halo treatments, or three to four ResurFX. You get the number at the consult rather than being sold a package.

Can I have laser if I am going somewhere sunny?

Not within four weeks either side. Tell us at the consult and we will move the appointment, which happens most Januaries and nobody has ever regretted.

Does laser work on darker skin tones?

It depends entirely on the device and the setting. ResurFX is the safest of the three at higher Fitzpatrick types, BBL is the most cautious, and we will say plainly at the consult if a treatment is not appropriate for your skin.

Consults all year.

Treatment October through March. Come in during the summer and be ready when the window opens.

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