Numerous products and treatments claim to offer permanent hair removal. Researching laser treatments, prescription topical creams and dubious products such as electric tweezers and nonprescription lotions and supplements can be confusing---marketers know they have to make a hard sell to get you to open your pocketbook. When hair is permanently removed, it never grows back. There's only one treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to offer you this lifetime benefit: electrolysis. However, other products and services may make the same claims.
Laser Hair Reduction
By law, spas, clinics and marketers of home laser devices may make advertising claims that laser treatments offer permanent hair reduction--but not permanent hair removal. Laser treatments reduce the density of hair on your face or body, typically after several sessions. But these treatments don't get rid of all hair permanently. Also, there's no guarantee that the hair removed with these treatments won't grow right back. According to the dermatologists at Hair Removal Journal, if you're a good candidate, you may get 80 percent permanent hair reduction after between four and seven sessions and yearly or bi-yearly maintenance sessions. The Mayo Clinic states that laser hair reduction works best if you have fair skin and dark body or facial hair. Laser hair reduction doesn't work on hair that's blond, light red, light brown, gray or white.
Topical Creams
The only topical cream approved by the FDA to curb hair growth is a prescription medication, Vaniqa, which can be used only by women over the age of 12 and only on certain parts of the face, such as the chin, upper lip and sides of the face. However, Vaniqa does not provide permanent hair removal; it merely inhibits hair growth. Skincare guru Paula Begoun points out that the active ingredient in Vaniqa is eflornithine hydrochloride. When taken in oral form, it's used to treat certain types of cancer. Begoun surmises that this accounts for Vaniqa's ability to retard hair growth. Vaniqa works by affecting an enzyme in the hair follicle that causes hair to grow. This topical cream must be used on an everyday basis for it to have any effect, Begoun states. Once you stop using it, hair growth returns.
Electric Tweezers
One of the more compelling products on the market on which you should cast a doubtful eye is electric tweezers, touted as a less painful option to electrolysis. Electric tweezers have been around for more than a half-century, patented in 1959 by a woman named Elizabeth Ford, according to HairFacts.com, a consumer website devoted to educating consumers about hair-removal options. The tweezers are clasped around each hair follicle, after which a small jolt of electricity is delivered through the device. Theoretically, the electricity destroys the hair's root. But HairFacts.com and Begoun suggest that electric tweezers are no more than a glorified form of plucking. Electric tweezers became extremely popular in the 1990s. However, in 1998, the FDA dispelled marketing claims by issuing a statement indicating, "there is no statistically significant scientific data available at this time to support promotional claims of permanent or long-term removal of hair through use of the device."
Electrolysis
The only method of permanent hair removal approved by the FDA is a procedure called electrolysis. During electrolysis, a fine needle or wire is slipped through the skin and into the hair follicle, after which a current of electricity is delivered to eradicate the hair's root. The hair is then tweezed away. Electrolysis is a time-tested method of permanent hair removal dating back to 1875, states the American Electrology Association, or AEA. Unlike laser hair removal, the color of your skin and hair doesn't factor into the efficacy of electrolysis---it works on all people and hair on almost all parts of the body, including that around the eyes and brow---areas where laser treatments are restricted.
Considerations
Like laser hair removal, electrolysis requires several treatment sessions, as hair follicles are treated one by one. Electrolysis can be a lengthy process; it can also be expensive if you have a large amount of hair you wish to permanently remove. Some hairs will grow back and require retreatment, especially those that are coarse, says the AEA. The risks associated with electrolysis are infection and scarring, if the person administering the treatment uses equipment that hasn't been sterilized or employs the wrong technique, Begoun cautions. Electrical shock may also occur if the equipment isn't properly insulated. For successful permanent hair removal, seek out the services of a skilled electrologist in your area.
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