Today’s guest post is on the pros and cons of laser hair removal.
Laser hair removal is the latest and most advanced method designed to permanently reduce and eliminate unwanted hair on your face and body. It harnesses advanced technology to cut down on procedure time, expedite recovery and minimize adverse side effects. Yes, there are side effects, as is the case with any medical procedure, but they’re limited to very temporary redness, sensitivity and dryness. Your skin will also be very sensitive to light, which is why you’ll need to protect your skin when you go out religiously.
The Technical Stuff
There are several laser hair removal technologies, but they all work on the same premise: a device delivers laser energy to the unwanted hair. This laser energy penetrates each hair strand right to the root, where it damages the follicle. Doing so disables the follicle and prevents it from producing new hair. Although there are so many laser hair removal devices out there, some work better with certain hair/ skin types. For example, many patients have found that Sciton works well with finer hair, while Lyra Nd:Yag works well with darker hair and lighter skin. One system that works great on all types is elos from Syneron, because it combines laser with bi- polar radiofrequency energy. The only caveat is that the technology works on hair that is actively growing (anagen phase), and since the strands of a single patch of hair aren’t all in this phase, you’ll need another session scheduled at a different time to target them. Each session ranges in time depending on the size of the area, and can be anywhere from 10 minutes (for the upper lip) to 4 hours (for the whole body). So how does laser hair removal compare to other methods?
Shaving vs. Laser Hair Removal
Think about how many times you need to shave in one week, especially in the summer when you’re flashing more skin. Is it twice a week? Every other day? Everyday? No matter how much you shave, there will always, most definitely, be more hair in a couple of days. Shaving is convenient, but you could be spending all of that time on something you actually enjoy doing, instead of wasting it on de-hairing yourself.
Verdict: Laser hair removal gets you permanent results and though each session may last longer than shaving, the overall amount of time you spend will be far, far less.
Waxing vs. Laser Hair Removal
Let’s be honest, ladies – who actually enjoys waxing? This method is, by far, the messiest of all. Is a couple of weeks of hairlessness worth slathering hot melted wax on your skin, waiting until it cools, then ripping it off? Ouch!
Verdict: Laser hair removal wins once again, for achieving permanent results for less the effort. Plus, it’s less messy and isn’t so sadistic!
Electrolysis vs. Laser Hair Removal
This one’s a better match since both achieve permanent results. But consider how each treatment is performed: electrolysis requires needle probes to be inserted into every hair follicle you want to target. This makes a session long, uncomfortable and painful. On the other hand, laser hair removal can effectively treat large areas since a single emission of laser energy can target multiple hair follicles all at one time. Exposure has been described as being much like a small rubber band being snapped against the skin while the sensation from electrolysis has been described as “a bunch of little needles being stuck into your skin”. Granted, the level of discomfort experienced during a laser hair removal session does increase for more sensitive areas (e.g. pubic area) and when the hair strands gets finer and less numerous, but still, it doesn’t feel like needles!
Verdict: Though both achieve great results, laser hair removal proves itself as the superior method because it’s less painful and less time consuming.
The bottom line
Talk to your aesthetic medical provider about laser hair removal. It might be the perfect way to de-hair. Many places even offer free test patches, so you can get a better understanding of the treatment. If you decide to go for it, you’ll probably be looking at about 6-8 sessions minimum to achieve the best results, plus touchups performed a couple of times a year after that just to get any new hair growth (unfortunately, most women do get hairier as they age). Small areas, like the upper lip, cost about $50-$120/session, while larger areas like the back or entire leg are $325-$500. This is a really broad price range, and you’ll definitely get a better deal if you buy more than one session at once, in a package deal.
Cindy Clark is a medical staff writer for Skin Vitality one of Canada’s largest aesthetic medical providers. She has also served as a Medical Consultant for the clinic.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
This post is completely irresponsible. I’ve been reading The Beauty Brains for a long time now because I appreciate the scientific, skeptical approach to topics that are of interest to women. I think it’s great that a resource exists that targets potential beauty scams and gives women an unbiased, well-researched guide.
But this? This is an advertisement for a laser hair removal shop. It includes no science and no negatives about laser hair removal.
Laser hair removal may be a fine choice for many people, but I don’t read and recommend this site for thinly veiled, biased ads. It’s extraordinarily disappointing, especially considering that I’ve defended this site in the past from skeptics who worried about the pseudonymous authors, who may be biased if they happen to work for a particular manufacturer. I argued that the posts were always backed up by facts and seemed to be free from bias, but now I have to wonder if I was being naive.
Laser hair removal did not work for me. I still have to tweeze the thick, black hairs out of my chin every day and wax it and my upper lip once a week.
Laser hair remover isn’t permanent. The hair follicles can still grow back.
I’ve got darker skin, so I’m scared of scarring if I got laser treatment. Apparently dark skin is more susceptible to it.
I thought that laser wasn’t as permanent as electrolysis, but maybe there is new data to suggest they’re really equivalent.
Jami: It’s too bad the technology didn’t work for you. At Skin Vitality, we sometimes get patients who complain that the treatment didn’t work for them. In these situations, we examine their previous treatments, the number of times they went in for sessions, and the technology used. Bad results are often related to those three factors, and once addressed, patients finally get the results they want.
Kennedi: Yes, a concern with this treatment is that some technologies aren’t appropriate for darker skin. However, at our clinic we use elos, which combines bipolar RF energy with laser so that it’s gentler to the skin. If you’re interested in undergoing treatment, but aren’t sure, you can always get a test patch done (offered for free at some clinics) and see whether scarring results. They’ll do it in an inconspicuous place.
Sarah: Laser hair removal is permanent, but because it only targets hair actively growing, you’ll most likely need to undergo more than one session to completely clear away an area.
@Rebecca: I’m really sorry this post disappointed you and I totally see your point. We are experimenting with using guest bloggers on occasion and we’re struggling with how to have “non-Beauty Brains” try to match our style and content. I’m afraid the experiment is not going very well because we definitely don’t want to come off as promoting “thinly veiled biased ads.” We really, REALLY appreciate your feed back (we’re big fans of your blog and your work on Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe) and we won’t be using this approach in the future.
Counterpoint: Biased maybe, but it wasn’t thinly veiled at all. It’s clearly stated who the guest poster writes and consults for.
As for the guest post issue, perhaps the BBs could put a beauty/brain spin on the guest posts somehow? Or perhaps host ‘pro/con’ editorials on opposing issues (not the natural thing though, that’d be crazy!) or different techniques.
Well, Cindy, the one blessing of it not working is it tipped the physician’s assistant off that there was something more seriously wrong with me. She sent me to a gynecologist and eventually I was diagnosed as having Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
Still, I am sick and tired of the hair! Sometimes the ingrown ones turn out to be as much as two inches long! I’m tired of waxing, of tweezing, of having to search my face with a freaking flashlight. And worse, the hairs are spreading. While I’m using Vaniqa, that just slows the growth.
Years ago back when the news was still news and not opinion, channel 7 news (in Southern California) had a doctor who’d answer your questions. This one guy called in to find out why a place he nicked on his face while shaving no longer grew hair. Turns out he had cut off a raised up spot on his face and actually cut out the follicles!
And then I remember an “exciting new treatment for people who sweat too much” they showed – it showed them actually sucking the extra sweat glands out the way liposuction now sucks out fat. While I hear that excessive sweating is treated now with Botox, I can’t help but wish they’d apply that technology to excessive hairiness! If the follicles could just be removed entirely, no more hairs! No more digging them out with a pin. No more fearing that people can see them.
Thanks, I appreciate you responding and taking action.
I agree with Rebecca. The writing on this site has really gone downhill since the book and success of the site, ironically. I’d have really expected a scientific explanation of all three hair-removal methods and I know for a fact that laser hair removal doesn’t work on several hair types and am really surprised that the author didn’t preface the article with that warning. This was so irresponsible and makes it obvious that you guys are too busy to bother investing any more time and energy into the blog.
Laser hair removal did not work for me.I have to remove it often.
I am disappointed in the Beauty Brains. The site was my weekly dose of objective beauty information, but this article is just an advertisement. While I am very interested in information about laser hair removal, so I would appreciate it if the (real) Beauty Brains could write an (objective!) article about it.
Geez, some of you get so uptight. It was an experiment. The BBs are CHEMISTS, not doctors or tech people. While they can do some answers on things like if the Facemaster works, their specialty is the chemical makeup and reaction to things. Obviously they’re trying to find a way to answer all the tech questions they’re getting. Once they can find some medical and tech BBs who aren’t here to advertise, it’ll be better. Honestly though, some of you really need to take a deep breath and calm down.
Hi Everyone,
This is my first visit to BB, so I can’t really comment on the part of this thread that has to do with quality,but I do have something to say about laser hair removal. I have had six sessions for upper lip and chin. I bought a package of five, which was recommended, and each one was spaced out 6-8 weeks, so it was a big commitment. Results for me have been a roller coaster. I kept thinking it was working, and that I was home free, then the hair (I assume not the same hair, as I was told this) would come back, and I would dutifully go to the next treatment with high hopes. I was disappointed when I had to add an additional treatment session, but then was hopeful again. It has been almost 3 months since my last treatment, but I have noticed in the last month that I certainly have to go back. I’m bummed out and kind of angry. If I am understanding correctly, hair grows in 6-8 week cycles….so geez….I thought by now I’d be good. I was told hormones can cause rogue growth, so maybe it’s actually not the best choice for someone my age (45) and perimenopausal?? I will talk to the place I go to to try to get some answers, and then I may talk to a different place for a second opinion. I don’t think I can give up now, but not sure how many more times I am willing to go. Years ago I had electrolysis, in a different area, and the hair never grew back. Maybe I should have gone in that direction? Anyway, I understand how upsetting unwanted hair growth can be. Jami, I totally hear you! So, now I’ll go look at the rest of the site! Take care!
Jami, agreed–you crack me up. One can also take a deep breath and ask the question, “is this a life and death matter?”
Laser is a “reduction” of hair. Laser hurts more than Electrolysis as it is on a bigger scale since a wond it used. I had laser teatments done on my crotch and I was burned! I was also told I only needed 3 treatments of laser but after 7 treatments I still have hair on my legs. 6-months later some of that hair came back. Electrolysis is the only FDA approved “permanent” method of hair removal. Your websit doesn’t give the whole truth.
Before reading this article I had no idea there was a huge difference between electrolysis and laser hair removal. I have hair on my arms that I’m uncomfortable about and I’d love for it to be removed without shaving. I’m very glad you mentioned the different types as well so I know what to look for when finding a place to trust with this procedure. I’m going to have to wait & save up to afford it, but I think this is really worth it as long as it makes you feel good and lessens the burden of shaving all the time! It’s important to note that laser hair removal doesn’t work for a lot of people though, especially those with fair skin and thin hair. My sister got laser hair removal, but they warned her with her fair skin it might take longer to see results if any! She took the risk and still hasn’t seen any results. I feel as though my darker, thicker hair might work better with this procedure though. Also just a note, chemical hair removers like Nair & Veet were not mentioned and they work well. If you can deal with the smell (they’re getting better!), you get results quick with minimal effort, zero pain and hair grows back slower than if you were to shave and just cut the hair at the surface.
I also agree with everyone here.
This is absurd… what kind of statements are you making in terms of saying that laser hair removal is better than any other methods out there? First of all, laser hair removal is extremely expensive, requires multiple sessions (which ends up making your leg look a little red after each session), you cannot be exposed to sun and you have to do quite a bit of research to actually find the right place to go and get it done.
I think that this blog entry is extremely biased, and that hair removal…bottom line is always going to be an issue of personal preferences.
I have been using creams for years and it works fine and I do not get rapid hair re-growth.
just come across this post and thought i would give my opinion for what it’s worth. I had 2 sessions of laser on my underarms and lower legs about 12 years ago in our clinic (of that time) i have just one or two hairs remaining which i tend to shave off so was successful as I’m sure another one session would have eradicated them completely however the machine was on loan and had to be returned. We had a special cool tip on the laser head so wasn’t painful in the slightest and i believe that most of today’s machines have something similar. I would definitely recommend hair removal by laser treatment.