The short answer
Electrolysis is at Dubai Marina. A consultation and test is AED 200 and takes 30 minutes. One zone is AED 800 for a 60-minute appointment. A package of 10 hours is AED 7,200, and a package of 20 hours is AED 13,000.
Electrolysis removes hair one follicle at a time, with a fine probe and a small electric current. Laser hair removal works on a whole area at once, using light that the pigment in the hair absorbs. That difference decides which hair each method can treat.
Laser hair removal is at Dubai Marina too, priced per zone and per session, from AED 200 for the upper lip or chin to AED 700 for a full leg.
What is electrolysis?
Electrolysis treats each hair follicle individually. A probe about as fine as the hair itself slides into the follicle alongside the hair, a small electric current is passed through it to destroy the cells that grow the hair, and the loosened hair is lifted out.
There are three ways of applying the current. Galvanic electrolysis uses direct current, which sets off a chemical reaction in the follicle. Thermolysis uses high-frequency current, which heats it. The blend method combines the two.
That is also how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration classifies the device, under the name needle-type epilator: a device "intended to destroy the dermal papilla of a hair by applying electric current at the tip of a fine needle that has been inserted close to the hair shaft, under the skin, and into the dermal papilla", where "the electric current may be high-frequency AC current, high-frequency AC combined with DC current, or DC current only" (21 CFR 878.5350).
Because the work is done follicle by follicle, the time it takes follows the number of hairs, not the size of the area. Hair also grows in cycles, so not every follicle holds a hair on any given day; the ones that were empty are treated when their hair comes through.
How much does electrolysis cost in Dubai?
At Dubai Marina, electrolysis is priced by time:
| Service | Price | Appointment |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation / Test | AED 200 | 30 minutes |
| 1 zone | AED 800 | 60 minutes |
| Package, 10 hours | AED 7,200 | |
| Package, 20 hours | AED 13,000 |
Each is a single price, whichever specialist takes the appointment. The two packages are priced by the number of hours: AED 7,200 for 10, against AED 800 for a single one-hour zone.
How many hours your own hair needs follows how many hairs there are.
What is the difference between electrolysis and laser hair removal?
Both are at Dubai Marina, and they work in different ways.
| Electrolysis | Laser hair removal | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | A fine probe and an electric current, one follicle at a time | Light absorbed by the melanin in the hair, turned to heat in the follicle |
| Hair colour | Works on the follicle itself, so it does not depend on pigment | Grey, blonde and red hair respond poorly, because they carry little melanin |
| How it is priced | By time: AED 800 for a 60-minute zone, or packages of 10 and 20 hours | By zone, per session: AED 200 for the upper lip or chin, up to AED 700 for a full leg |
| Appointment | 60 minutes for one zone, 30 for the consultation and test | 15 minutes for the upper lip, 30 for most zones, 45 for a Brazilian bikini |
| Course | Follows the number of hairs | Six to eight sessions, four to six weeks apart |
The laser at Dubai Marina is a diode laser carrying three wavelengths, 755, 808 and 1064 nm, chosen against your skin tone. The full zone list and what a laser course adds up to are in the laser hair removal prices post, and how the treatment works is on the laser hair removal page.
Does electrolysis work on grey, blonde and red hair?
Laser needs pigment in the hair: grey, blonde and red hair carry little melanin, so there is little for the light to be taken up by, and they respond poorly. That is a limit of the method rather than of a particular machine.
Electrolysis does not rely on pigment. The current is delivered into the follicle by the probe, so the colour of the hair does not decide whether it can be treated.
Is either method permanent?
For laser, the word has a formal meaning. In its clearances for hair removal lasers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration defines permanent hair reduction as "the long-term, stable reduction in the number of hairs regrowing when measured at 6, 9, and 12 months after the completion of a treatment regime". That is a reduction, measured over a year, and maintenance sessions are sometimes needed after a laser course.
Electrolysis is applied to each follicle directly. What a course of it will achieve for your hair, and how many hours it is likely to take, are the questions to bring to the consultation.
What should decide between them?
The colour of the hair. If it is grey, blonde or red, laser has little to work with.
The number of hairs. Electrolysis time follows the count, follicle by follicle. Laser is priced per zone and per session, whatever the count.
Preparation. For laser, the area is shaved one to two days before each session, and waxing and epilating are out for the length of the course, because they remove the root the laser needs to find.
When is it a question for a doctor?
If your hair growth has changed, or is heavier than you would expect, that belongs with a doctor first. Hormones affect hair growth, and a salon is not in a position to work out what is driving it. If you have a condition or a prescription and are not sure whether it matters, ask your doctor before the appointment.
Where to have electrolysis in Dubai
Electrolysis is at Dubai Marina only, and so is laser hair removal. Downtown Dubai and Palm Jumeirah offer waxing, but neither electrolysis nor laser. The wider body menu is on the body treatments page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does electrolysis cost in Dubai?
At Dubai Marina, AED 800 for one zone, a 60-minute appointment. A consultation and test is AED 200 for 30 minutes, a package of 10 hours is AED 7,200 and a package of 20 hours is AED 13,000.
Which UNIQUE PERSONA branch offers electrolysis?
Dubai Marina only. Downtown Dubai and Palm Jumeirah do not offer it.
Is electrolysis or laser better for grey hair?
Laser depends on pigment in the hair, and grey hair carries little, so it responds poorly to laser. Electrolysis does not rely on pigment.
How long is an electrolysis appointment?
One zone is a 60-minute appointment. The consultation and test is 30 minutes.
What is the difference between electrolysis and laser?
Electrolysis treats one follicle at a time with a fine probe and an electric current, and is priced by time. Laser treats a whole area with light absorbed by the hair's pigment, and is priced by zone, per session.
In short
Electrolysis at Dubai Marina is priced by time: AED 200 for a consultation and test, AED 800 for a one-hour zone, and packages of 10 hours for AED 7,200 and 20 hours for AED 13,000. It works follicle by follicle and does not depend on the colour of the hair. Laser, also at Dubai Marina, covers a zone at a time for AED 200 to AED 700 a session, and needs pigment to work.
