When it comes to pubic hair removal, there are a lot of options. You can go old-school and grab a razor, or you can go high tech and use an epilator. Or maybe you’re feeling adventurous and want to try out a professional waxing salon. But what if you want something that’s a little more… precise? A laser treatment is the most effective way to remove unwanted body hair—and it’s also one of the most expensive options out there. But don’t let that price tag scare you away! There are plenty of ways to save money while still getting great results from your laser hair removal treatment.
We’ll show you how by taking a look at what makes laser treatments so effective, how much they cost, and how you can save money on them without sacrificing quality.
Read on to learn more about Laser For Pubic Hair Removal Cream, How Long Does Laser Hair Removal Last
Laser For Pubic Hair Removal Cream
As you may be aware, the cost of frequent shaving, waxing and depilatory creams can really add up over the years. Sometimes it can be difficult to fit these methods in if you’ve got an extremely hectic schedule to contend with. If you feel as though there’s not enough hours in the week to get to grips with hair reduction, perhaps it’s time to invest in a longer-lasting solution.
Intense Pulsed Light Technology (IPL) is a great alternative to laser hair removal. Similar to laser treatment, IPL is a non-invasive hair-reduction approach that uses heated pulses of light to focus on hair and dissolve it.[1] If you’d rather carry out some salon-style hair reduction from the comfort of your own home, then the Veet Infini’ SilkPro IPL hair removal device may be just what you’re looking for. It gives you professional-looking results at a fraction of the price of a full set of salon treatments.
Let’s take a look at the benefits of laser hair removal and IPL. By the time you’ve finished reading, you might be tempted to bid farewell to short-term hair removal!
How Does it Work?
Laser hair removal is a non-invasive treatment that uses a highly concentrated beam of light to penetrate the hair follicle and dissolve it directly from the root. The laser is delivered, via a hand-piece, to the surface of the skin where it targets hair.[2] The sensation is similar to the snap of a rubber band. If you opt for salon treatments rather than an at home devide, before the treatment, the esthetician may protect your skin with a gel or cooling device in order to prevent skin from over-heating.[3][4]
Once the session is complete, you may want to apply steroid cream or ice packs to reduce any swelling and redness of the skin.[5] It can take between four to six treatments spaced around six weeks apart for the benefits to become obvious. Touch-ups are required every few months to keep regrowth at bay.[6] It’s important to limit plucking, waxing and shaving as much as possible for at least six weeks before treatment in order to give hair time to grow.[7]
Benefits of Laser Hair Removal and IPL
Regrowth after laser hair removal tends to be much less obvious than other methods, as the hair is often softer and lighter in colour once it returns. [8] Treatment tends to be extremely quick as each pulse of light takes just a split second to dissolve hair and there is virtually no post-treatment resting period which means that you can continue with your day after IPL. Because the laser is so precise, tackling a single hair at a time, it’s effective at treating smaller areas such as the underarm and upper lip. [9]
Laser light uses precise wavelengths required to treat each hair which means that lasers usually eliminate hair the first time around. You can treat multiple hairs simultaneously making it one of the quickest methods of hair removal available. Laser hair removal is suitable for anyone with darker, thicker hair with a fair to medium skin tone. The laser is attracted to dark hair pigment and doesn’t damage surrounding tissue. [10] Veet Infini’ SilkPro also has a built in skin colour sensor so you can always safely have, professional-style hair reduction treatments at home!
Whether you opt for laser hair treatment, or even try out IPL at home, it’s great to know that there are long-term hair removal options out there. They can be quick, simple and even save you money in the long run!
How Long Does Laser Hair Removal Last
Several years ago I decided to stop shaving my legs and switched to waxing. I was sick of ingrown hairs and the little red bumps that formed on my lower legs from an old school razor. (Note to readers: If this is already too much information, this article is probably not for you.) Waxing your legs, I soon learned, is wonderful—for three days. Then the hair begins to creep back in and you are stuck with it for at least two weeks, three if you want it to be even more efficient. At the end of last summer, I put my furry foot down. No more of this back-and-forth business, I decided. It was time to look into a more permanent option.
I remembered first hearing about laser hair removal years ago when people were first talking about it and thinking, “Eek, that sounds risky, I’m going to wait and see if this goes the way of the LaserDisc or the DVD.” Basically I wanted to make sure it was legit and worth the time, pain, and cost.
The way laser hair removal works, I soon discovered from a quick bit of precautionary research, is that pulses of highly concentrated light are emitted from the laser into the hair follicles. The pigment in the follicles absorbs the light and that destroys the hair. When I read that 90 percent of laser hair removal patients who are good candidates for the procedure report permanent hair loss after an average of three to six sessions, I was sold. “Chewbacca be gone,” I vowed to myself. “Next year, I am getting my legs lasered.”
My interest was particularly piqued by the spate of at-home laser treatments recently on the market. Could it be that easy? An investigation into the leading brands revealed some intriguing contenders, from the Tria 4X (an FDA-cleared device that claims to deliver more than triple the hair-eliminating energy of its DIY peers) to the IluminageTOUCH (which is approved to safetly treat a wider of skin tones than traditional lasers). But while the convenience of zapping away on my couch while watching Law & Order: SVU was seductive, none seemed quite right. I can barely operate my electric kettle—should I really be handling a laser?
Board-certified dermatologist Jessica Weiser, M.D., who I eventually approached, is also dubious about the at-home models. “I advise caution because they’re supposed to be much less intense than in office lasers but in the wrong hands you can probably do some serious damage if you’re double- or- triple pulsing areas that you shouldn’t be,” she tells me. “Typically people at home tend to be aggressive with themselves because they think that they can get a faster, better result without realizing potential consequences.”
I opt instead for the New York Dermatology Group, where Weiser specializes in medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology. When I call for an appointment, I learned that in order to have bikini-worthy legs by Memorial Day I would need to start the laser process in peak tights-and-boots weather. Soon, I’m headed down to their Flatiron offices for my first of six appointments—six, explains Dr. Weiser, to accommodate the hair’s growth cycles. “Hairs have a growth phase and also a resting and a falling-out phase,” she says. “Some of the hairs are not there right now because they are in the rest phase and not every hair will respond to the pulses.” Hence the need for multiple sessions, spaced about one month apart, the typical length of a hair-growth cycle.
I arrive at their office, a wide-open space with pale pine floors, and am shown to Dr. Weiser’s patient room, where she promptly asks if my legs are shaven.
“No!” I reply proudly, excited to show her that I wax instead.
“Hmm,” Dr. Weiser frowns. “I need the legs to be clean-shaven for the laser so we’ll have to shave them now,” she continues, explaining that for next six months of my laser treatment, I’ll need to exclusively shave my legs.
I am next instructed to put on a pair of bottle-green goggles while Dr. Weiser rubs ultrasound gel on my calves. Before we begin, she shares with me the one description of laser hair removal I have heard before: “It feels like a rubber band being flicked against your skin multiple times.”
Either I am wrong, or my pain threshold is incredibly low, because I find laser hair removal excruciatingly uncomfortable. In fact, I start to think, I would take a flick of a rubber band any day over the repeated burning zap of the laser. After the first few zaps, I squirm so much Dr. Weiser has to stop. It feels like someone is taking a lit match to my leg and holding it up close. The darker the hair, she explains, the coarser it is; therefore more energy is emitted onto that follicle, causing greater discomfort. When those hairs are zapped, it feels like a bee sting—and you just have to hope there aren’t too many.
The whole process is a bit like whack-a-mole; it seems there’s always another hair to quash. But Dr. Weiser is calm and methodical, her laser moving up and down the leg in straight lines. The noise of the pulses is like the beat of a metronome or a very fast elevator that beeps at every floor. (On my second visit, I remove my silk blouse in order to avoid unnecessary dry cleaning.) But with each subsequent visit, it gets progressively easier, partly because I am becoming more used to the process and partly because there is less hair to zap.
Clearly I’m not alone in this. Nearly half a million laser treatments were performed by dermatological surgeons in 2011 (the last year that collected data is available) according to the American Society for Dermatological Surgery, so it must be worth the minor suffering. Most people who get laser treatments are focusing on smaller areas of hair—underarm, upper lip, bikini line. These areas also happen to be much more sensitive: The very idea of getting my bikini line. These areas also happen to be much more sensitive. The lower leg, on the other hand, is one of the largest areas that they laser and it takes about 25 minutes altogether for both legs upon each visit.
By my third appointment I begin to see a real difference. The laser picks up a lot more “energy” as Dr. Weiser says, and I find the whole experience far less painful. For several days following each treatment, I have a series of small red bumps on my legs and this actually elates me because I know it means that the laser has picked up that follicle and when the redness dies down that spot will be hair-free for life—a delightful thought as summer, and a season of confidently wearing my favorite Isabel Marant silk-chiffon miniskirt, begins.
Is laser hair removal permanent
Shaving, plucking, or waxing hair can often be time-consuming. Many people turn to laser hair removal as a solution to take care of unwanted facial and body hair.
IS LASER HAIR REMOVAL PERMANENT FOREVER?
After you have your first laser hair removal treatment, you will see a reduced number of hairs immediately. Hair growth may increase in the treated area from 2 to 8 weeks after since not all hair follicles respond equally to the treatment. It usually takes 3 to 8 sessions to achieve permanent hair loss. You may also need touch-up sessions about once a year.
HOW LONG DOES PERMANENT LASER HAIR REMOVAL LAST?
After your initial treatments, laser hair removal should be permanent if you have a yearly touch-up session. You may even go years without seeing any regrowth. If you do, it tends to be finer and lighter in color and density than before.
IS LASER HAIR REMOVAL BAD?
You should receive your laser hair removal treatments from an experienced dermatologist. As with any procedure, side effects are possible, but the most common are discomfort, swelling, and redness, which may last for just a few days. More serious side effects such as scarring, or blistering are possible.
DOES LASER HAIR REMOVAL PERMANENTLY REDUCE HAIR?
Laser hair removal permanently reduces hair. Even if some hair grows back, it should be less noticeable as well as finer and lighter than it was before your treatments.
DOES LASER HAIR REMOVAL LIGHTEN SKIN?
Laser hair removal can sometimes lighten treated skin, but the effect is usually temporary. It’s more likely to happen if you have darker skin. Additionally, if you don’t avoid sun exposure as directed for six weeks before and after your treatment and use broad-spectrum sunscreen after your treatment, your skin may lighten.
HOW PAINFUL IS LASER HAIR REMOVAL?
If you’re receiving treatment in a sensitive area, your doctor may apply numbing gel on it before the laser is used. As the laser is used, some patients report a mild stinging sensation like a rubber band snapping.
SHOULD I SHAVE BEFORE LASER HAIR REMOVAL?
Shaving is recommended the day before your laser treatment. This removes the hair above the skin but leaves the hair shaft intact.
IS LASER HAIR REMOVAL SAFE LONG TERM?
As with any procedure, you may experience some side effects, but they’re less likely to occur if your treatment is performed by or under the supervision of a dermatologist who has experience in providing laser hair removal treatments.
CAN I SHOWER AFTER LASER HAIR REMOVAL?
You shouldn’t shower or bathe immediately after laser hair removal, but your doctor will tell you how long you should wait. The time may range from 8 hours up to 48 hours since your skin may still be sensitive.
If you’d like more information about laser hair removal, make an appointment today with Hollywood Dermatology & Cosmetic Specialists in South Florida. Our medical staff offers the latest, most effective treatments to help you look and feel your best.