Laser hair removal – All you need to know

Laser hair removal is a procedure that is gaining more and more popularity. Given that it’s a rather costly and lengthy procedure there are many factors to weigh in and many questions that one might have. Since I’ve embarked on this journey around 7-8 years ago, I thought I would share my perspective on it.

I also wrote a more detailed post a couple of years ago, which you can read here, but thought I would do a recap of my story as well as top advice and benefits that I see in a more compressed post.

 

What is it

In a nutshell, laser hair removal consists of the laser “burning”  the roots of your hairs so many times that it destroys the root until it does not grow anymore. The one thing to understand is that the laser permanently reduces the number of hairs but it does not completely reduce all the hairs on the treated areas, and a few months after the last session, you will see hair growth again.

The best combination for maximum effectiveness is light skin and dark hair. For people with dark skin or light hair, the laser hair removal is generally less effective due to the lack of contrast (pigment in the hair follicle vs. melanin) and will experience more hair regrowth than those with light skin and dark hair. The hair that regrows though tends to be thinner and lighter and therefore easier to manage.

In terms of the number of sessions, they generally advise around 10-12 sessions, first every 3-4 months for the first two or three sessions and then every 6 months for the next 6-7 sessions. Once you have done approximately 10, you will generally have to do one session every year or two in order to maintain. This will, of course, depend on your own situation.

There is also a certain level of pain associated with the procedure, however, I think that you should not be afraid of it as it can definitely be handled. If you cannot handle the pain too well there are creams and gels that you can buy and use before the session so that you have less sensitivity. I cannot speak for the effectiveness or whether it’s worth it or not as I have never used it.

Laser 1

My Story

I first started doing laser hair removal sessions somewhere at the end of 2012 when I was still living in Spain. Unfortunately, I lost track of exactly how many sessions I’ve done but I would say somewhere between 8 and 10 sessions spread throughout 7 years. Since I moved to Berlin in between but did not want to change the centre where I was doing it, I was limited to doing my sessions whenever I could go home – which I wasn’t always able to do as often as I would have liked. Despite somewhat losing track of the frequency, I have been quite happy with the results. I did my first few sessions every 4-6 months and then, after moving, switched to bi-yearly and then in the last couple of years it’s been pretty much yearly. The areas I do are my legs up to over my knees, underarms and the bikini line.

Now, in these areas and even after 8-10 sessions, the hair is still partially regrowing after a few weeks (I have light skin and light hair which, unfortunately, is not the best combination for the laser). However, there is much less amount of hair (the main benefit of doing laser) and there is no ingrown hair anymore (another huge benefit). Because I have blondish hair mostly, I know already that the laser will not be as effective as it would be for the dark hair/light skin type where there is usually 90% clearance.

To keep it short, below are my top three pieces of advice when it comes to embarking on the laser hair removal journey, as well as the tops three benefits I have seen:

My Advice

  • Just do it. If you ask me, when it comes to beauty treatments, laser hair removal has one of the biggest payoffs. The benefits are tangible and over time it makes your life easier.
  • Find a medical centre. Research the place you will go to very well, and do not pick a beauty centre but a medical one, with supervised doctors. I would also recommend that you read a lot of reviews beforehand, get an appointment with them to discuss any concerns and so on. You want to make sure you put your money to good use and have a good experience.
  • Buy it in packages and during summer times. Usually, it’s much easier to find good prices during the summer as people don’t usually want to do it, they prefer being in the sun. If you are not big on going to the beach or you are fine with about a month (2 weeks pre and 2 weeks post) of keeping your skin out of the sun, then you should definitely go for it. The cost savings are substantial in my experience.

Laser hair removal 2

Benefits

  • There is no more ingrown hair under the skin and little red bumps from using traditional methods. To be honest, I think this must be the number one benefit of the laser for many, many people. Once you have gone through a few sessions you will pretty much have no more ingrown hairs; it really does magic with that. I have seen quite a few different cases from friends with darker skin and/or darker, thicker hair that would tend to have a lot of issues with trapped hairs, and they really saw a dramatic improvement. If you are struggling with this type of problem, I would 100% recommend that you go for it.
  • Almost immediate effect. The effect is pretty much immediate. After the session and once the burnt roots fall off (can take 7-14 days), the skin gets incredibly smooth and for a couple of weeks/months (depending on your hair/skin type) you will barely have hair. You can still use the razor in between sessions as the hair will still grow a bit – don’t expect magic after a few sessions, the improvements are incremental –  and you will notice that after one razor go your skin will be smooth for weeks.
  • Over time less hair will grow, and you will have smoother skin for longer (duh!). The hairs get thinner, lighter and grow rarer. After 4-6 sessions, you will notice that even though the hair still grows, it will be much thinner and there will not be as much as before. This difference will make your life much easier, trust me!

Laser hair removal 3

I wrote a more detailed post a couple of years ago, where I go in detail about the pain, the cost as well as what is recommended that you do before and after the procedure, which I advise that you read here if you want to know more about my experience.

Disclaimer

I am writing this post based on my own experience for the sole purpose of sharing it with others that might be interested. Having a laser procedure done can sometimes feel controversial from the potential health risk perspective. To this moment, there has not been enough research to say that this type of treatment is related to any health problems, but please make sure you read about it and you are comfortable with it before going for it. In my opinion, I don’t think it has high risks, but be sure you are making an informed decision that you are at peace with.

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