Refresh issues Florida laser hair removal safety guide as searches surge

Refresh - Aesthetics & Wellness has released a 2026 consumer safety guide after Florida search data ranked laser hair removal No. 2 among med spa treatments with about 148,000 monthly searches. The guide focuses on safety, skin tone, session count, provider selection and lesser-known risks as demand shifts toward medical spas.

Why it matters: - Florida consumers are searching for laser hair removal at scale, and the treatment now sits among the state’s most in-demand medical aesthetic services. - The safety guide is meant to help patients avoid unrealistic expectations and reduce risk when choosing a provider. - The topic matters beyond Florida because search behavior is shifting toward med spas, where clinical oversight can vary.

What happened: - Refresh - Aesthetics & Wellness released a 2026 consumer guide on laser hair removal in Florida. - RankMedSpa’s 2026 Florida treatment-demand data places laser hair removal No. 2 statewide at about 148,000 monthly Google searches. - The dataset covers the trailing 12 months from July 2025 through June 2026 and uses licensed DataForSEO search-volume data. - Florida generated an estimated 901,000 monthly Google searches across 26 tracked med spa treatments. - Laser hair removal outpaced reported search volume for red light therapy, Botox, IV therapy, lip filler and microneedling. - A peer-reviewed study in JMIR Dermatology, published in July 2026, found greater relative search interest for “laser hair removal” paired with “med spa” than with “dermatologist.”

The details: - The guide addresses five questions about laser hair removal and treatment planning. - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration uses the term “permanent reduction in hair regrowth” to describe a long-term reduction in the number of hairs that regrow after a treatment regimen. - Laser hair removal should not be framed as a guarantee that every treated hair will disappear permanently. - The American Academy of Dermatology says unwanted hair removal can take six or more sessions. - Results vary by treatment area and individual factors, and maintenance treatments may be needed when hair regrows. - Facial hair in women can be especially affected by hormones. - Skin tone matters because device selection, wavelength, treatment settings and operator experience all affect outcomes. - A systematic review and meta-analysis on laser hair reduction in skin of color found differences in safety profiles among light-based technologies. - Paradoxical hypertrichosis, a lesser-known adverse effect, has been reported after laser and intense pulsed light hair-removal treatments. - A systematic review and meta-analysis involving 9,733 patients estimated a pooled prevalence of 3%. - That review found the effect was concentrated mainly on the face and neck and was rarely reported outside those areas. - A separate retrospective study of 7,381 patients reported a rate of 0.34%. - The different estimates show how much study population and treatment setting can affect reported risk. - Burns, blistering, infection, scarring and pigment changes are among the potential complications associated with laser hair removal. - Refresh provides laser hair removal through a physician-led clinical model at nine Florida locations: Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Palm Harbor, Brandon, St. Petersburg, Wellington, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie and Vero Beach. - Refresh evaluates skin tone, hair characteristics, treatment area and relevant medical history before a treatment plan is set.

Between the lines: - The surge in search interest suggests more consumers are shopping for aesthetic procedures before they ever reach a clinic. - That creates a bigger premium on provider experience, individualized settings and clear counseling about what laser hair removal can and cannot do. - The study on med spa versus dermatologist searches points to a broader consumer shift toward convenience and aesthetics-driven care, which can raise oversight questions.

What’s next: - Patients are likely to keep turning to search results first, which makes consumer education and pre-treatment screening more important. - Providers that tailor devices and settings to skin tone and hair type may have an advantage as patients become more informed about safety. - Refresh’s Florida footprint positions the company to meet demand across multiple major markets while promoting evaluation before treatment begins.

The bottom line: - Laser hair removal is popular, but the treatment works best when patients choose an experienced provider and understand that outcomes, risks and session counts vary.