When it comes to removing unwanted body hair, the truth is that you have a huge number of options available to you. Whether you break out the disposable razors when you’re in the shower or book yourself in at the local beauty salon for a wax, you’re always going to end up back in the same position with the hair growing back. So let’s talk about laser hair removal as a possible option then, as well as all of the pros and cons that come along with it.
Laser hair removal is an incredibly popular form of permanent hair removal that damages and destroys the hair follicle to stop any further growth. The big difference between this and any other method is simply just one word, the hair removal is permanent as opposed to semi-permanent.
Semi-permanent hair removal
Starting from the beginning with semi-permanent hair removal, there’s a wide range of options that you can look at but as the name suggests, they won’t get rid of the hair for good.
- Shaving your hair gets rid of the hair really quickly and easily, but it grows back in just a matter of days and means you need to do the entire process again.
- Depilatory creams are able to dissolve visible hair in a matter of minutes, but they have a tendency to smell while they’re working.
- Waxing snatches the hair directly from the skin at the root and rips it out of the skin, which is not only painful during the waxing process but it’s really itchy when the hair is growing back
- Electrolysis is a little further up the list and uses an incredibly fine needle which is inserted into each follicle to send an electric current into the follicle to destroy it. Not only is this painful, it’s a very time consuming process as it needs to be done individually per follicle.
Permanent hair removal
When it comes to permanently removing hair, the options are a little bit more limited but they do get rid of the unwanted hair for good.
- Laser hair removal focuses directly on the pigment within the cells of the hair follicle, destroying them from the inside. Once the pigment is targeted the laser burns away the follicle and root of the hair, leaving you hair free after a few short sessions.
Before you book yourself in for your first session though, you really need to learn the pro’s and con’s first. What good is it booking yourself in for something if you don’t know what’s going to happen?
What are the pros of laser hair removal?
Firstly, laser hair removal is a way to permanently get rid of up to 90% of your unwanted body hair. This means that you can put down the razor and say goodbye to pricey salon trips for good, leaving your legs and your bank account both feeling happy.
Secondly, there’s pretty much no limit to where on your body can be treated. The laser hair removal machine can cover large areas quickly and can target places such as your legs, underarms, chest, back, bikini line, arms, legs, face… pretty much anywhere you can grow hair, you can undergo laser hair removal.
Lastly, when it comes to the level of pain associated with the treatment it tends to fall somewhere in between the pain associated with shaving and the pain associated with waxing. Generally though, it’s considered to be relatively pain free and as you undergo more treatments, you’ll find that the level of pain is much more manageable.
What are the cons of laser hair removal?
The list of cons isn’t too large really, but the first and most obvious one is that to achieve permanent hair loss, it’s highly recommended that you undergo six treatments at different stages of the hairs growth cycle to ensure that as much of the unwanted hair as possible is removed. While on paper this doesn’t seem too bad, there is a wait period between treatments for the growth cycle to progress, meaning that you’re waiting around for a little while in between with hair that’s not quite certain on what it’s doing.
Another con is that, while it’s not completely impossible for clients with darker skin to undergo laser hair removal, it can be more difficult for them as the pigment within the skin doesn’t contrast as easily with the pigment within the hair. Certain laser hair removal machines are better equipped to deal with this than others and can distinguish between hair and skin in a much easier way.
Lastly, while it’s not actually a major con, it can be considered to be relatively pricey in the short term. While it may be quicker and cheaper to buy a new set of razors at your local shop, if you add up the amount of times that you actually need to do this in your lifetime then it will likely work out to be more expensive than undergoing laser hair removal and it needs to be thought of as more a beauty investment than a beauty treatment.
What’s the final verdict then?
Well, it’s hard for us to say as everyone has their own opinions, but from everything that we know we truly believe that the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to laser hair removal. The fact that it is a relatively pain free, non-surgical method of permanent hair removal that saves you money in the long run gets top marks in our books. To find out more about this amazing treatment, or to book yourself a consultation, take a look at the laser hair removal page here.