Have you heard about the popular new method of hair removal using lasers? You may have heard about it or even know someone who has had it done, but you may not know how it works.
If you’re fed up with the daily battle that goes down between you and your unwanted body hair, you may be seeking out other ways of handling things. There are quite a few different options out there for every budget, amount of free time, and pain tolerance out there.
One of those that many are curious about is called laser hair removal. But what is that all about? Let’s get you all of the facts about laser hair removal that you may need to know.
How it Works
First and foremost, how exactly do lasers remove your hair? Laser hair removal works through a process called IPL, or intense pulsed light.
A machine, operated by a technician, sends bright pulses of light to the melanin of your hair follicles, which then convert that light energy into heat energy. That heat causes the hair follicles to essentially deactivate and stop promoting the growth of hair.
A cool thing about IPL is that it penetrates into the second layer of your skin, getting to the root of the hair while doing as little damage to your skin as possible.
Does it Hurt?
The answer of “does hair removal hurt” differs from one person to another. This is because everyone has a different level of pain tolerance, and everyone’s body and skin respond to different things in various ways.
Since lase hair removal can be done on any part of the body, this question changes from location to location in that respect. Hair removal on your legs may be less painful than hair removal in your armpits, which may still be less painful than hair in your pubic area (yes, they remove hair down there, too).
Most people report feeling like they were being snapped by a rubber band or being poked on a sunburn, but many people also experience a bit more pain than that.
If you know your skin is always sensitive and you feel pain easily, it may be a bit more than uncomfortable for you.
How Expensive is it?
The short answer is, it is pretty expensive. Since you’re using cutting-edge technology (literal lasers) and those machines are being operated by specially trained technicians, you can expect the cost to reflect all of that hard work.
The price goes up depending on the amount of space you are going to get lasered and how well-trained the technician is, and all of these fees and visits can add up to price tags in the thousands for a full course of treatment. Of course, there are cheaper options; we’ll cover those in a bit.
You Do Have to Go Back More than Once
Unfortunately, laser hair removal isn’t just a one-off type of deal. You will need to go a few separate times within the first few months of treatment, and then you will need to go in once every six months for touch-ups to keep those hairs at bay.
Still, every six months is a lot less frequent than having to shave your legs every other day, so you will be hairless for longer than any other hair removal option.
There are At-Home Options
If you would like to enjoy the benefits of laser hair removal without dealing with setting multiple appointments and spending thousands of dollars, there is an option out there for you. A good at-home laser hair removal tool will only cost you around $300 and can give you similar hair-free results.