Mid Brain reports:

It turns out, more is not always better, at least not when it comes to laser hair removal.

In an article published in the Archives of Dermatology, scientists report that a treatment with a single type of laser was more effective than one with two kinds of lasers.  Twenty individuals were treated in various spots with a Nd:YAG laser, an alexandrite laser, or a combination of those.  They found that the most effective, least painful treatment was the alexandrite laser.  It had an 84.3% reduction in hair versus a 73.6% reduction of the combined laser.  The combination treatment also caused more burning (an unfortunate side effect of this procedure).

Does laser hair removal work?

According to this research, laser hair removal does work. It is believed to work by destroying the hair follicles. The other finding was that this treatment lasts.   After an 18-month follow-up, the hair removal treatment was still effective.  So, if you can get past the pain of the procedure, it does work.  And it’s certainly longer lasting than both shaving or waxing.

Have you had a hair removal laser treatment?  Did it work for you?  Leave a comment and let the rest of the Beauty Brains community know.

Purple Rules asks…I’m thinking of having electrolysis done on my chin and so I was wondering just how painful is it and does it really work?

The Right Brain responds:

Purple posted this question in our Forum a while ago, but because we just received a press release from a company that specializes in electrolysis we thought it would be a good time to discuss this hair removal technique.

Electrolysis removal of hair

Electrolysis, for those of you who might not be familiar with the process, involves removing hair by applying electric current to the follicle with a fine needle. The practice dates back to the late 1860s. St. Louis ophthalmologist Charles Michel is credited as one of the pioneers of the method of destroy papillae (vascular connective-tissue structures that enable hair growth) by using thin electrified needles.

Today electrolysis is a big business and is taught by various beauty schools across the country. Interestingly, only about 30 states in the US require a license to practice this type of hair removal. You can learn more by visiting the American Electrology Association which is the oldest and largest electrolysis guild in the United States.

Electrolysis versus laser

The press release we referred to earlier is for the Lucy Peters Integrated System which claims to be “the only FDA approved permanent hair removal treatment.” This was surprising to us because we had assumed that laser treatment was FDA approved. It turns out we were wrong – lasers are not approved for permanent hair removal. They are approved for permanent hair REDUCTION. The distinction may seem like a fine line but basically it means that hair may grow back after laser treatment but after electrolysis it’s gone for good. Perhaps Lucy Peters meant to say that her Integrated System USES the only FDA approved permanent hair removal treatment. But so does any electrolysis process.

The Lucy Peters system claims to be different because it uses a different type of needle that give the electrologist added control to remove hair completely without excessive pain and scarring. Excessive is the key word here and implies that some pain is probably normal for different kinds of electrolysis. And speaking of different methods, don’t be tricked by a type of electrolysis known as tweezer electrolysis which involves using tweezers to grab the hair close to the skin while electric current is applied. This method is a bit of a scam. According to the FDA, “there is no body of significant information establishing the effectiveness of the tweezer epilator to permanently remove hair.” You can click the link to learn more about what the FDA says about hair removal.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Electrolysis is a safe and effective method of permanent hair removal but the results you experience can vary tremendously based on the skill of the operator and the type of equipment used. For more background, here’s an excellent article from the American Council on Science and health about electrolysis safety.

Interhawk inquires…I’ve searched the forums and can’t find much information on Smooth Away pads or other similar products. I was wondering if these products actualy worked, and more importantly, if the hair growing back becomes coarser over time as with shaving or if their claims that hair grows back finer are actually true.

Sarah Bellum says:

I hate shaving so I thought that I’d pick up one of these at my local Walgreens (and I used my own money, no free samples from Smooth Away, I might add!) Here’s what I thought:

Smooth Away sucks

I used the small pad on my lip and it took a bit too much work for my taste. The end result made me pretty happy vis a vis hair removal but it really stung! I guess I should have known this could be irritating because the directions said to put milk on my skin after using it. Sadly I was unable to comply since I had just used up the last of the cream making myself a White Russian. Too bad, since the stinging sensation made me crave ANY kind of relief! So, given the stinging side effect and the amount of time and effort it took to do the small area of my lip, I doubt I would ever use this on my legs!

Will Smooth Away make hair less coarse?

According to Smooth Away’s website, FAQ #7, “After continued use, less hair will grow back and it will be thinner than previous hair.” Hmmmm. I’m not convinced. According this post by Lefty and Righty, hair grows back less coarse only if you’ve done something to damage the follicle, like waxing or laser treatment. But shaving, dissolving hair with depilatories, or “sanding” hair with Smooth Away only effects the top of the skin. Why would that make hair grow back less coarse? I’m sure Lefty would say something like…”I would need to see further data involving multiple blind, peer reviewed studies submitted in a hermetically sealed envelope, blah blah blah.” I agree with Lefty’s basic point: when a company makes a claim like this they have to back it up with something more than just “because I said so.”

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Yeah, I can sand away hair using an abrasive Smooth Away pad, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best way to remove hair. And if I’m gonna put up with painful burning afterwards, I’d better see a MAJOR difference in how the hair grows back. So unless Smooth Away can cough up some data proving this thing really does what they say, they shouldn’t expect an endorsement from the Beauty Brains.

Have your tried Smooth Away? Leave a comment and let the Beauty Brains community know your favorite way to remove hair.

Sarah Bellum Says:

The Lefty & Righty Beauty Brains don’t like writing product reviews themselves which is why you won’t find many here. They think reviews from them might compromise their scientific objectivity or something. That’s lucky for me though because I get to try all the products they pass up! It’s also lucky for you if you’re a Beauty Brains forum members because they can get free products too. (Do you need a better reason to join our forum?)

Anywhoo, I was lucky enough to get the Schick® Quattro for Women® just when my trusty old Venus was due for a replacement.

Initial Reactions

You know my immediately observation about the razor?…it’s pink! I love all things pink. They make me happy. I also liked how it looked and feels like a high quality product. You know how sometimes your razors feel all flimsy? This one is just the opposite. The only thing I did not like was getting it out of that stupid plastic package. Why do they make these things so hard to open? Damn those clam shells.

Using the Schick

First time I tried the Schick I liked it. It’s nice to hold and feels soft and smooth on my skin. It just felt like a high quality product. It’s great that you don’t have to press hard on the skin. It glides along, easily getting rid of three-day old growth. (What can I say, I haven’t been wearing skirt much lately.) Another thing I liked was that I didn’t get any nicks or cuts. Do I have to tell you how critical that is??

I’ve been using the razor for about 2-3 weeks now and it still does a decent job. It definitely is not as good as in the beginning but that’s expected. For some reason all the razors I use that have those moisture strips seem to get duller faster. In this way it’s not much different than similar razors I’ve used. If you use a shaving gel I doubt the moisture strip really helps anyway.

Sarah’s Surmise

Overall, I liked this Schick® Quattro razor and will definitely continue to use it. It’s better than my Venus and pink makes me happy whenever I look at it. The only thing that could make me happier is not having to shave at all! If you need to try a new razor (and who doesn’t at some point?) I think you should consider this one.

What do YOU think? Leave a comment and share your shaving secrets with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Yvette asks: I keep hearing about a hair removal method called “threading.” Can you shed some light on this?

The Right Brain’s catty reply:
Hi Yvette, I’d be glad to answer your question because hair removal is a hot topic for us – one of the Beauty Brains is known for having bushy, caveman style eyebrows. (I won’t mention any names, but Left Brain you know who you are.)

What is threading?

There are two basic types of hair removal: depilation and epilation. Depilation only affects the part of the hair that’s above the surface of the skin. Shaving and chemical depilatories work this way. Epilation removes the entire hair, including the part growing beneath the skin so the effect lasts longer. Threading is an epilation process that uses thread to pull out hair from sensitive areas of the face like the lips and eyebrows. (Other types of epilation include tweezing, waxing and sugaring.) The threading method is very popular in Middle East countries as well as India and Pakistan.

How does it work?

Thread, usually cotton thread, is twisted and rolled along the surface of the skin. As the thread twists it entangles the hairs, pulling them out of the follicle. As with tweezing, it takes about 3 to 8 weeks for the hairs to grow back out. Threading aficionados claim that using a a growth inhibitor, like Emjoi Cream can help even more. We’re skeptical those products really work so let the buyer beware.

What are the advantages?

It’s supposedly more gentle to the skin, especially facial skin, than waxing or sugaring. That’s because it doesn’t strip the top layer of your skin. It’s also very economical. Really, really, economical. All you need to do is buy thread. If single threading session uses about 12 inches of thread and a typical spool of thread containing 150 yards of thread and costs $1.99, then the cost of a single threading is only about a half a penny. Now that’s a bargain! (Especially when you consider a bottle of Nair costs about $4.00.)

Are there any disadvantages?

It can be tricky to do on yourself and, like tweezing, it’s tough to cover large surface areas. If you want to epilate your bikini area, you’re better off with a product like Wax-cellance.

Have you tried threading? Or do you have another favorite way to remove unwanted hair? Leave a comment and share your secrets with the Beauty Brains community.