One of the most annoying things about being a woman is dealing with the hair that grows in embarrassing or annoying places. Removing that unwanted hair can be a HUGE pain, both figuratively and literally. After all, waxing it away isn’t exactly comfortable and while shaving might be easier and quicker, it’s not very effective. You can easily miss spots, and the hair is likely to grow back within days. You would be lying if you said you haven’t thought about laser hair removal. However, your doubts and unanswered questions keep you from actually going for it. So we are here to clear the air on everything you need to know about laser hair removal:
Lasers Can Get to the Root of the Problem – Literally
Every strand of hair is a lot like a plant. It has a root and if you dig a plant out all the way down to the root it won’t grow back, but if you chop it off higher up it very well might. Hair follicles are exactly the same.
There are many cosmetic devices that use lasers to target entire strands of hair. That’s something your Gillette or Venus razor blades can’t do. They only remove the hairs that you can see. Waxing can sometimes get some hairs down to the roots, but it’s not always precise or consistent. It can also be quite painful and can result in nasty red bumps. And let’s be real, you hate when you miss a patch of hair on your legs.
A laser device for hair removal is a precision tool. It can focus on each hair in the section of skin that you want the clinic to treat. The laser beam can track that hair downward and either damage or destroy the entire hair follicle. Generally, the hairs will grow back, but it will take A LOT longer than if you shaved or waxed them away.
Be Cautious Of The Laser
The most common problem with removing hair using laser is that you have to find one that is right for your skin. Some lasers are specifically designed to target hairs that are darker than the skin surrounding them. Therefore, if you have dark skin you might encounter a situation where the laser has trouble differentiating between what’s hair and what’s skin.
A second issue to be aware of is that lasers produce a lot of heat. That heat can cause problems for those with too oily or too dry skin. If the skin is too dry, it can easily dry the skin out even more and possibly creating flakiness. If the skin is too oily, the heat from the laser mixed with that oil can cause blisters and burns; and no one wants that.
How Many Laser Treatments You Will Need
Finally, there’s the issue of how many laser treatments will be required to get rid of your unwanted hair forever. Well, “forever” may be a bit too strong a statement. Even though you would love to be able to get rid of all our body hair, most of the hair is likely to come back on a fairly regular basis after treatment. Only some of it will be permanently gone. However, after several treatments you should notice that the hair starts to thin out and become lighter in color. It should also take several weeks to return, as opposed to shaving and seeing the hair poke back up in as little as a couple of days. Nevertheless, you might decide to have one series of 5 or 6 treatments or continue having laser treatments for years. That choice will be up to you.
In a culture where hair on your head is the only kind that’s welcomed, every girl is desperate to find the perfect solution to hair removal. With summer being in full swing right now, we’re at the top of our smooth skin game. After all, who would want to miss out on a spontaneous beach trip because of a few missed hairs or a patch of razor burn? Not us, that’s for sure. If you’re finding that your regular routine isn’t working for you, then maybe it’s time you actually consider laser hair removal as an alternative option when it comes to keeping your bikini line, underarms, and legs smooth, bump-free, and swimsuit ready.
Featured image via Bruce Mars on Unsplash
