The ways in which you can permanently remove body hair are rather limited. Shaving, tweezing, waxing and using depilatories only provide temporary results. For permanent hair removal, you often need to look into electrolysis or laser hair removal.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis is one of the more effective forms of permanent hair removal. The procedure entails the insertion of a needle directly into a follicle, so an electrical pulse or shock can be administered to "burn out" the hair, explains the American Academy of Dermatology. By burning out the follicle, it can no longer produce hair.
Depending on the density of hair, the process is rather lengthy. The reason is that each follicle must be treated to provide results. Removing hair from the upper lip, ears and brows takes a lot less time than hair removal on the legs or back, especially if a great deal of hair needs to be removed.
Although electrolysis is effective and safe, it isn't without its own set of complications. It is possible to experience some redness, swelling and scabbing along hair removal sites. There's also the potential to experience infection, skin discoloration and scarring after a procedure. However, this is more likely to happen with an uncertified electrologist, making it important to ask whether the individual administering the procedure is both trained and certified.
Laser Hair Removal
Another effective form of permanent hair removal is laser hair removal. The Mayo Clinic describes laser hair removal as a process of removing hair with laser light. Intense pulses of light energy are administered over areas of unwanted hair growth. The light energy penetrates the skin and is absorbed by the melanin that gives your hair its pigmentation. This increases the temperature of both the shaft and the follicle, disintegrating the hair and destroying the follicle. However, the only hairs that are affected by this process are those in the active phase of hair growth, which is approximately 80 percent of your hair. All other hairs require additional treatments for removal.
Unlike electrolysis, each follicle isn't treated separately. Larger areas of the skin are exposed to the laser light energy, so controlled patches of hair are removed with each pulse of laser light. This means that laser hair removal takes much less time than electrolysis. But additional sessions are often necessary, since hair growth is reduced by 80 percent. The other 20 percent of your hair continues to grow.
Laser hair removal is also not without complications. It's possible to experience redness and swelling after the procedure. It may also cause blistering, scarring, skin discoloration and even changes in skin texture, according to the Mayo Clinic.
At-Home Laser Hair Removal
While not as effective as electrolysis and professional laser hair removal, at-home laser hair removal can also provide results. This form of hair removal works under the same principles as professional devices. Laser light energy penetrates the skin to damage or destroy the hair follicle, providing hair-free skin. A number of treatments are often necessary to provide results, but the one-time cost may outweigh this necessity.
At-Home Electrolysis
At-home electrolysis kit manufacturers claim that their devices provide permanent hair removal, yet there isn't any scientific evidence to back these statements. This doesn't mean that these kits won't remove hair; it's just impossible to state definitively that they remove hair permanently. The follicle must be breached with a needle for the electrical pulse to remove the hair effectively. If there is a needle, there's the likelihood that you may insert it incorrectly, not only leading to ineffective hair removal but also increasing the risk of infection, scarring and skin discoloration. It's probably best to stick to professional electrolysis if this is the form of hair removal you want to use.
Member Comments