About laser hair removal....
I'm saving up for the laser hair removal currently
There are a few things that you have to take into consideration when thinking about laser hair removal. Here are a few little known facts:
1. Best results occur when you have the greatest difference in color between hair and skin. Dark hair and light skin works best.
2. Treatments are usually scheduled 8 to 12 weeks apart. The laser only kills those hairs that are in the growth phase.
3. The pain feels like getting snapped with a rubber band or stung by a bee over and over.
4. For moderate density hair on the back, you would need to schedule 2.5 hours for the treatment. One hour for prep and 90 minutes for the treatment. Then repeat this treatment an average of 6-10 times depending on results at an average cost per treatment of $150 to $250 depending on the type of laser used.
Truthfully, there is a lot of debate over calling it "laser hair removal" because it is actually rated by the FDA as "laser hair reduction" because the results are not 100% "clear" except for a very small segment of the public. Unfortunately they can claim " hair removal" in advertisement because by law they have to be more honest with you in your consultation. But often times people will go ahead with the proceedure anyway on the hope that it will work for them.
There are three stages of growth to body hair and as stated above the laser will only kill hair that is in the growth stage, but less than 30% of your total body hair is in the active growing stage at any moment in time which is why it is necessary to have multiple treatments over a long period of time.
Ultimately they cannot either promise or guarantee you that you will be 100% hair free because the laser absolutely cannot kill any form of Lanugo hair on the body because it has little or no cortex in it which is what the laser shatters all the way to the hair bulb. I have a number of clients who have invested big money in LHR and they still have to see me on a regular basis for waxing of the areas that they had treated and I have personally only seen one person in my many years of Cosmo and Esthe work that got what I would deem "clear" results from LHR and for the money, that's just not good enough.
The only other option is electrolysis, but that is even more time consuming than LHR, because the hair removal is done follicle by follicle and again you need many many treatments (even more so than LHR) and only small areas can be done at one time. Granted, if electrolysis is done correctly by the practitioner the hair removal is considered by the FDA as permanent. But we're talking big big money and a lot of time invested being "stung" over and over.
Now as an Cosmo/Esthe myself and as a competitor I personally use waxing (bikini and armpit) and depilitory creams (jantana) to get hair free before competing. In the grand scheme of things its cheap in respect to the other options and honestly, your body needs its hair structure to help maintain your skins elasticity. I have seen women who have waxed repeatedly for years on their arms and I can say with 100% certainty that it has contributed to a loosening of the skin that will never rebound and become tight again and we're not talking old ladies here.
So, as a professional skin and hair girl, I would say that it is smarter in the long run to do hair removal when its necessary and in the off season either shave (which keeps your skins micro structure intact) or use depilitory creams (chemicle shave) and let your body be your body otherwise. Yes, if you want to do spot hair removal (armpits, bikini, brows & nape) that is okay because the area's that are waxed continually are very small and in the case of bikini and armpit are in a joint area which is a fleshy area of skin anyway.
Hope this answers some questions for those of you considering LHR. Any other questions about skin or hair just post'em and I will give you the most up to date info I can locate for you. If it is a potentially embarassing problem Im or PM me and I will get back to you in private.
Cheers!! ~T
It grows so fast and I have the hardest time with it. Seems like no matter what I try I keep getting serious ingrown hairs that last for month at time. Maybe im just missing something, Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
