If you have been battling your facial and body hair for any number of years, you know there are many ways on the market to get rid of unwanted hair, including waxing, threading, sugaring, electrolysis, and laser hair removal.
Permanent Hair Removal Options
Only two of the above options are considered permanent (or as permanent as you can get) for hair removal: electrolysis and laser hair removal. So if you’re looking for a way to get rid of body hair for good, take a look at these two options:
Electrolysis
Electrolysis is a method for removing hair permanently with a device to destroy the growth center of individual hairs on the face and body using chemical or heat energy. During the process, a very fine probe is inserted into the hair follicle, and the hair is then removed with tweezers.
Areas of the body that can be treated with electrolysis include eyebrows, face, abdomen, thighs, breasts, and legs. There are no permanent side effects of electrolysis, but you might experience some reddening of the skin.
Since electrolysis removes each hair follicle at a time, the process is best for smaller areas like the chin, upper lip, eyebrows, and underarms. However, electrolysis is best for white, blonde, or gray hairs, since those cannot be successfully removed with laser hair removal.
You will need multiple treatments of electrolysis, since hair growth happens in stages, and the treatment only works on hairs that are currently growing. The number of treatments you will need depends on the area being treated, previous hair removal methods, hair type, and other factors unique to each person.
Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal is another option to get rid of body hair permanently. With this option, laser energy, or heat energy, is attracted to the color found in your hair follicles. The color absorbs the heat then the laser energy enters the hair follicle and destroys its ability to produce hair.
Though you will need multiple treatments of laser hair removal to get the best results, each treatment only takes a few minutes, since a single laser pulse treats hundreds of hair follicles in a fraction of a second. At most laser hair removal clinics, the recommended treatment protocol is 6-8 packages, which are typically performed at 6-week intervals. After about 8 sessions, most people see a 75% to 90% hair reduction in the treated area.
Most professional laser hair removal services will also offer options for people with dark skin types. However, wherever you go for laser hair removal, make sure the practitioners are trained to handle any skin type and use the proper laser for your skin.
Laser Hair Removal vs. Electrolysis
Laser hair removal really is your better option over electrolysis. The treatments for laser hair removal are quicker and can treat larger areas. With the pulse of a laser from laser hair removal, you treat a large number of follicles, whereas electrolysis treats each individual follicle. However, laser hair removal cannot treat white, blonde, or gray hair while electrolysis can.
Other Options for Hair Removal
If you want a more natural route for hair removal, you can always try other options like waxing, threading, and sugaring. All of these options can help you reduce hair growth in areas where you have unwanted hair.
Waxing
Waxing is a semi-permanent form of hair removal that involves removing hair from the root with soft or hard wax. Soft wax uses hot wax spread thinly over an area that is then removed with a strip of cloth or paper. Hard wax does not require strips and is applied thickly to the area and removed after it has hardened. Usually, once hair is removed with waxing, it will not grow back for four to six weeks. However, some people see re-growth sooner based on different hair growth cycles.
Waxing can be used to remove hair from almost any area of the body, including eyebrows, face, pubic hair, arms, legs, back, abdomen, hands, and feet. Over time, many people experience less hair re-growth, as their follicles get weaker with each wax. If you choose waxing for full-body hair removal, do not shave in between appointments, as the hair will become more difficult to remove and usually cause more pain.
Threading
Threading is another type of semi-permanent hair removal that involves removing hair with the use of a cotton or polyester thread that is doubled, twisted and then rolled over areas of unwanted hair, plucking the hair from the follicle. Threading works more quickly than tweezing since the threads can remove short rows of hair at a time.
Threading is most often used to shape eyebrows more precisely and is preferable for some, since it is usually gentler on the skin than hot wax. However, people have used threading on the upper lip and other areas of the face as well.
Sugaring
Sugaring is a semi-permanent form of hair removal that is used much like waxing but with a sugary substrate rather than heated wax. Since the sugary substance does not stick to the skin, it is often preferable for people with sensitive skin types. The sugar is applied to the skin at a room or lukewarm temperature and then pulled back to remove hair. Like waxing, sugaring is often used to remove pubic, leg, arm, chest, and back hair.
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