Laser Hair Removal

LASER HAIR REMOVAL

Most people have unwanted hair somewhere on their body. When considering what hair removal method will work best for you, there are many options to choose from. Hair removal techniques range from temporary to permanent, inexpensive to expensive, easy to painful.

Temporary hair removal methods include shaving, epilation (removing hair by the roots, such as by plucking, threading, and waxing), and depilation (removing hair using chemicals).

Semi-permanent and permanent hair removal methods are electrolysis and laser hair removal.

Laser hair removal is the newest and quickly becoming the favored method for hair removal, due to it's long lasting results and relatively fast and painless treatments.

SHAVING

Shaving (cutting the hair off at the skin's surface with a sharp metal blade) is the most popular temporary hair removal technique. Shaving is quick, painless, and inexpensive. Shaving can be done at home and is available almost anywhere. Results last only between one and three days, but often needs to be done daily to keep skin smooth and avoid stubble. Although side effects are minimal for most people, it can cause skin irritation, cuts, and ingrown hairs (especially in women's bikini area and African-American men's facial hair). Blades should be replaced frequently.

PLUCKING

Plucking (also called tweezing) is manually pulling hairs out by the root, one or a few at a time) with small metal tweezers. Plucking can be done at home and is very useful for eyebrows or stray hairs on the face. Plucking can be painful, may cause ingrown hairs, pitting or scarring, changes in pigment, and is tedious and difficult for treating large areas. Nose hairs should not be plucked to avoid risk of dangerous infections. Outgrowth is needed to pluck. Results last from a few days to a few weeks.

WAXING

With waxing, hot was is applied to the skin, and a strip of paper or cloth is pressed into it. Then, the strip is quickly pulled away, taking hairs with it. Waxing is an ancient method and one of the few temporary depending on the areas being treated. Many states require a cosmetologist or aesthetician's license to perform hair removal with waxing. Waxing can also be done at home, the home use kits costing $25-$75. Waxing can be messy, consistency is hard to get correct, the hairs can break off at or below the skin surface, and care is required to avoid infecting the skin. Outgrowth of hair is needed to wax. Results can last from four to six weeks.

A similar and other ancient method of hair removal is called sugaring. Although it is still in use today, waxing has become the more popular method. With sugaring, a sticky paste (rather than wax) is applied to the skin. Like waxing, the strip of cloth or paper is pressed into the preparation, and the strip is quickly pulled away, taking the hairs with it.

DEPILATION

Depilation removes hair on the skin's surface with the use of chemicals that dissolve the hair. They come in the form of gels, lotions, creams, and roll-ons. They are inexpensive, fast, sometime painless, can be done at home, and are available almost anywhere. They can be a somewhat messy process and results last only between one and three days. The chemicals smell bad and can cause skin irritation or a chemical burn.

ELECTROLYSIS

With electrolysis, a hair-thin metal needle is inserted into the hair follicle, and a pulse of electricity is fired into it. This (hopefully) destroys the hair follicle, which is then tweezed. If performed correctly (which requires considerable training and skill), most patients achieve permanent results. When the needle is inserted properly, the skin is not punctured. Electrolysis has over 125 years of clinical use and has been shown to be a safe and effective hair removal method. However, electrolysis can be time consuming and tedious, can require many sessions to reach desired results, can be difficult for large amounts of hair, can be painful, and very expensive. If done improperly, it can result in lasting skin damage, partial to full regrowth, and infection.