Laser Hair Removal: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Are you giving people the ‘hair scare’? Laser hair treatment could save you from further embarrassment.

We have all been there –days when our sartorial choices are dictated more by the length of our body hair than the event we are dressing for; days when we push our pretty summer shorts to the back of the closet and bring out those dreaded long skirts. (If your best friend frowns in disapproval, you furtively give her a glimpse of your ‘body fur,’ and soon you’re exchanging knowing glances).

The sad truth is that body hair, especially for women, always comes with the prefix ‘unwanted’. There is way too much ground to depilate – eyebrows, upper lips, arms, legs, thighs. And the solutions are never fool proof – you have yelped your way through waxing and threading sessions, only to be rewarded by in growth. You’ve spent an afternoon shaving every conceivable inch of exposed skin only to have the shrub grow back the next day. It can all be quite frustrating.

So if the relentless cycle of body hair growth has made you want to tear your hair out, relax. There is help at hand. Ever considered zapping it all off?

Laser hair removal: the lowdown

Laser treatment is a cosmetic procedure that can only be carried out by certified medical practitioners. It involves exposing your skin to safe, short bursts of radiation. To be more precise, a beam of light is used to destroy the pigment in your hair follicles, which in turn kills them and prevents new hair shafts from emerging from them.

While the cosmetic treatment is naturally a more expensive option than waxing, threading your tweezing, the payoffs are many.

• You will remain fuzz-free for longer. No more hair-raising salon chronicles.
• You can wear what you want, when you want to wear it – bring out those shorts and sleeveless tops.
• No more little cuts, scars, or the dreaded razor burn. Blackened patches from frequent bouts of shaving will also fade over time.
• Whether it’s your chin or your bikini line – laser hair removal is the best way to keep unwanted hair at bay in embarrassing areas of growth.

Manage your expectations

Jumping with glee? Here is a sobering thought – a single sitting rarely destroys the follicles completely. While you will definitely see a radical reduction in re-growth, you may need to go back from time to time to maintain the results. Five sittings of laser hair removal should reduce hair permanently by 70- 90 percent..

Results of laser hair removal may also vary, depending on the colour of your body hair, the level of pigment each shaft contains. Your cosmetologist will give you an accurate estimation of possible results, so you can make an informed decision.

Prep for it

Do not wax, thread or shave for about a month before going in for the treatment. This ensures that the hair roots are actually present when you spend money and ‘energy’ to remove them.

It is also imperative that you stay out of the sun both before and after opting for laser hair removal – solar energy can interfere with the laser light and cause complications.