SkinMD Boston — Local services in Boston

Very professional environment. Trans-friendly. Generously revised a receipt format multiple times so I could get a health insurance reimbursement to go through. And absolutely EUPHORIC laser hair removal results after only four appointments so far!

I went to SkinMD in Boston Back Bay for full-body laser hair removal. Not the cheapest option in the area, but I choose SkinMD because the facilities were clean and organized and the general vibe felt much more professional and closer to that of a doctor’s office (and less like a spa) than other place I went for consultations, which is what I was looking for. SkinMD also said they could treat me with a total of six appointments whereas other places had said 12-18. I’d usually be skeptical of a claim like that, but the online reviews were great and everywhere seems to use a slightly different laser so it seemed believable (and after four appointments most of my body has already had a HUGE reduction).

I’m getting hair removal part of a transfeminine gender transition and can attest to SkinMD being very trans friendly. They almost always gender me correctly (and I don’t really ‘pass’ yet) and have very responsibly handled using my dead name on any bills I’ll be submitting to my insurance company but absolutely nowhere else as far as I’m aware. Olivia has also generously revised the receipt format for me multiple times as my health insurance tried every excuse for rejecting my reimbursements (which now seem to be going through for the full amount!).

I’ve had four "top half" appointment and five "bottom half” appointments so far. (Split up to keep individual appointments to about an hour.) On most of my body, shaving now feels like a “touch up” that I do once or twice a week and can even forget about and barely even notice the hair growth. Face feels like an exception, but that’s maybe because my goal there is to have every last hair utterly obliterated whereas everywhere else I’m happy with a significant reduction. Having legs that are genuinely silky smooth after a nothing-special shave (instead of the persistent strawberry sadness I used to have) has been mind-blowingly euphoric and borderline line changing.

It does hurt. Taking ibuprofen and listening to a podcast helps a little. I've been treated by Hope and Ally and they've both been very kind and proactive in working to find my maximum tolerable laser power for different areas of my body and go one pulse at a time in some areas and just get it over with in others. Would generally recommend the just-get-it-over-with approach. Because some areas hurt more than others, the anticipation of whether the next spot is going to hurt way, way more during the first round was the worst part for me. That got better with the second appointment onwards. The results are totally worth it.

One thing I wasn’t expecting was that it takes two to three weeks for the burnt hairs to fall out and because they’re darkened they’re more noticeable during this wait. So just don’t schedule an appointment within three weeks of anything you want to look your absolute best for.

Also, SkinMD seems to take not treating you if you’ve had sun exposure really seriously. I at one point had to reschedule a session because what I thought was barely even a tan was too much sun exposure. SkinMD didn’t charge me anything extra though and I trust this is for patient safety, so...

I’m really disappointed, to say the least. First, I was misinformed regarding the pricing. I was told I’d have to pay $650, but it was a total shocker to me when I had to pay $875! This is a huge amount for me, especially because I’m a student. Secondly, I agreed to getting my lip filler done by the nurse practitioner, but I made a huge mistake. Initially, my lips looked nice, but as the days are going by, I notice a lot of migration in my top lip & the edges of my lower lip looks extremely jagged. There’s even some lip filler migration there. I’m really disappointed. I asked her to fix my asymmetry, but not only is my top lip is asymmetrical, so is my bottom lip. Also, there is no filler in the corners of my lips at all. I’d like to talk about the basic etiquette. I came dot on time for my 3.15 pm appointment, but I was made to wait a good 15 - 20 minutes, due to the clients that went in before me. The consultation didn’t even last for 2 minutes & although she was courteous, I definitely felt quite rushed. The numbing cream was put on my lips for very little time & it was extremely painful when she started to inject the filler. Tears started coming down my eyes. Granted, she did say we can take breaks if I wanted to. All in all, not a good experience at all. Very disappointed. It honestly hurts because I went to SkinMD trusting them & expecting good results, but my lips look horrible. Much, much worse than they looked before I came to them. I’m definitely botched. Also, the fact that I’m a student & on a budget makes this even worse because I can’t go to any other clinic to fix my horribly botched lips. I hope they get back to me with a way to solve this...

Truly exceeded all of my expectations! This was one of the best hydration facials I've ever received and I've gone to three other high end spas in the Back Bay area for comparison over the past few years. Seeing as it was my first time at SkinMD, they offer you a complimentary consultation before starting any service so they can truly understand you, your goals, and anything/everything about your health and daily routine and by doing this, it made me felt heard and understood which can be overlooked at many other salons. I worked with Olivia Draper who made me felt listened to, understood, and she never once oversold me or made me feel like I had to purchase all their products and/or buy a ton more services that I didn't actually need based on what she learned about me from my consultation. She made genuine recommendations on what services would work best for me and products that could help and then even told me about certain services I might not benefit. Her honesty and care throughout the entire process was truly amazing. By her being very honest, it made me feel comfortable and that I was getting the best service and product recommendations as possible. She was over the top kind, too. I love that SkinMD is Doctor owned and operated - this isn't because I only "trust Doctors" but based on my experience, Olivia came off so knowledgable and shared how Dr. Flashner works with his staff and keeps them very well informed which you don't always find at every spa, regardless of it being a top rater spa/salon. Thank you for the wonderful experience from booking through Carly Bupte to the appointment with Olivia, you all exceeded my expectations...