A business strategy guide for clinic owners, salon directors and practice managers running laser or IPL, with clinical input from Hanan Mourad, Co-Founder and Head Educator at Aesthetic Equipment Australia and ABIC board member for the electrolysis sector.
For years, many Australian clinics have built their hair removal menus around laser and IPL (intense pulsed light). Both work well on the right client. Both also leave a group of clients the clinic struggles to treat.
Clients with blond, red, grey, white or fine vellus hair respond poorly to light-based treatment. So do some clients with hormonal hair growth. When a laser clinic has nothing else to offer them, they either stop treatment or book somewhere else.
This guide sets out why adding electrolysis can help a laser clinic keep those clients, and how the Silhouet-Tone EVO XHD, distributed in Australia by Aesthetic Equipment Australia, fits alongside an existing laser service. Electrolysis is permanent hair removal, and laser and IPL are permanent reduction, so the two work best together.
1. The laser plateau: where light-based menus reach their limits
Laser is effective on dark, coarse hair on light to medium skin. Its limits come from the way it works.
- Pigment. Laser and IPL target melanin in the hair. White, grey, blond and many red hairs have little of it, and fine facial hair is harder again. These clients often finish a laser course with hair still left.
- Paradoxical hypertrichosis. A small share of clients treated with laser on the face develop increased hair growth near the treated area. That's frustrating for the client and hard for the clinic to fix with more laser.
- Running costs. Depending on the device, laser can carry handpiece shot counts, cooling systems and servicing costs. Electrolysis runs on a much simpler cost base.
Electrolysis treats each follicle individually and does not rely on pigment, so it covers the hair that light-based treatment leaves behind.
“Most of the laser clients who end up in my electrolysis room aren’t unhappy with the laser. They’re unhappy that nobody told them what happens to the hairs it can’t see. A clinic that can answer that question keeps them.”
Hanan Mourad, Head Educator, Aesthetic Equipment Australia
2. The economics of professional electrolysis
- Booked by time. Laser is often sold in discounted packages of short sessions. Electrolysis is usually booked and priced by the length of the appointment, which keeps the value of the therapist’s time visible to the client.
- Low running costs. The main consumable is the single-use sterile probe, alongside standard hygiene supplies. There are no handpiece replacements or cooling consumables.
- A durable device. The EVO XHD is made in Canada by Silhouet-Tone and carries a 2-year warranty on the device. It runs from a standard power supply and sits on a bench in an existing treatment room.
- No seasonal gap. Laser bookings can slow over summer for clients with a tan. Electrolysis doesn’t depend on pigment in the skin, so it can be booked year-round.
3. Clients with hormonal hair growth
Clients with hormonal hair growth on the chin, upper lip, jawline and neck are often actively looking for a permanent answer. The cause may be PCOS or perimenopause. Since May 2026, PCOS has also been referred to by a new name, PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome).
Many of these clients have spent years waxing, threading or shaving. Shaving doesn't make hair grow back coarser, although the blunt regrowth can feel that way. Waxing and threading, repeated over years, can leave follicles distorted, which is harder work for laser and for electrolysis alike.
On the EVO XHD, 13.56 MHz carries the most power of the three frequencies for coarse, deep hair, and galvanic and Blend remain the usual choice for a distorted follicle. Because hormones can keep producing new hair, these clients often stay in treatment over a long period, which gives the clinic regular, repeat bookings.
“Hormonal clients need a clinic that plans with them, not a quick fix. When we explain at the first appointment that treatment is ongoing while hormones are driving growth, they stay, because nobody has been straight with them before.”
Hanan Mourad
4. Laser and electrolysis working together
Electrolysis doesn’t replace laser. In a well-run clinic, the two cover different parts of the same course.
- A complete treatment pathway. Laser clears large areas of dense, dark hair on the legs, back and underarms. Electrolysis then treats what remains: fine hair, stubborn facial hair, and blond or grey hairs.
- Gender-affirming care. Transgender and non-binary clients often need facial hair removed, including white and fine hair that laser can’t reach. Some gender-affirming surgeries also require hair removal on the surgical site beforehand. It is specialist work, and it suits an electrologist who takes the time to do it well.
- Referrals within the clinic. Clients already booked for facials or skin treatments often raise facial hair in consultation. A clinic offering electrolysis can book that treatment in house.
Choosing the device for a laser clinic
The Silhouet-Tone EVO XHD suits clinics running laser or IPL at volume. It runs thermolysis at three frequencies, 27.12, 13.56 and 6.78 MHz, alongside galvanic and Blend, and has named programs for IPL and laser post-treatment clean-up, paradoxical regrowth, ingrown hair and distorted follicles. If the electrolysis book will be lighter, the Silhouet-Tone ST350 Evolution runs the same three modalities at a single frequency for considerably less.
Whichever device you choose, your insurance needs to name electrolysis as a covered treatment. Every EVO XHD comes with in-person device training led by Hanan Mourad. See what device training includes.
“I run laser in my own clinic, and electrolysis is what lets me finish the job. The two services feed each other.”
Hanan Mourad
Frequently asked questions
Should a laser clinic add electrolysis?
For many laser clinics it makes sense. Laser and IPL respond poorly to white, grey, blond, red and fine hair, and electrolysis treats those hairs because it doesn't rely on pigment. Adding it lets a clinic finish treatment courses in house instead of referring clients elsewhere.
Can electrolysis be used after laser hair removal?
Yes. Electrolysis is commonly used after a laser course to treat the hairs laser left behind, including light-coloured and fine hair, and paradoxical regrowth. The Silhouet-Tone EVO XHD has named programs for IPL and laser post-treatment clean-up.
Is electrolysis permanent, and is laser?
Electrolysis is permanent hair removal, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers it a permanent hair removal method. Laser and IPL are permanent reduction.
Does shaving make hair grow back coarser?
No. Shaving cuts the hair at the surface, so the regrowth has a blunt tip that can feel coarser, but it doesn't change the thickness, colour or rate of growth. Waxing and threading are different: repeated over years, they can distort the follicle.
Can electrolysis treat paradoxical hypertrichosis after laser?
Yes. Electrolysis treats each follicle individually and does not rely on pigment, so it can treat hair stimulated by laser. The Silhouet-Tone EVO XHD has a named program for paradoxical regrowth.
Which electrolysis machine suits a laser clinic?
Aesthetic Equipment Australia recommends the Silhouet-Tone EVO XHD for clinics running laser or IPL at volume, because of its three frequencies and named post-laser programs. The Silhouet-Tone ST350 Evolution suits clinics with a lighter electrolysis book.
Who distributes Silhouet-Tone in Australia?
Aesthetic Equipment Australia, based in Arncliffe NSW, is the exclusive Australian distributor of Silhouet-Tone and Clareblend electrolysis devices.
About Hanan Mourad
Hanan Mourad is Co-Founder and Head Educator at Aesthetic Equipment Australia, the exclusive Australian distributor of Silhouet-Tone and Clareblend. She sits on the board of ABIC, the peak body for the Australian beauty industry, representing the electrolysis sector. She also owns and runs a dermal and laser clinic in Sydney, where she treats clients with both electrolysis and laser.
Hanan leads Aesthetic Equipment Australia's in-person device training.
Talk to us about adding electrolysis to your laser clinic
Tell us how your laser service runs: the devices, the team, and the clients you're finishing elsewhere or not at all. We'll tell you whether the EVO XHD or the ST350 Evolution suits the room, and arrange a demonstration.
Send an enquiry, book a call, email info@aestheticea.com or call sales on 0472 674 596.