You can choose from a number of body hair removal techniques that you can do at home, pay an aesthetician to do for you, or have performed by a skilled medical professional. There are many misconceptions that certain methods of epilation or depilation yield better results--while there may be different techniques, tools and products at your fingertips, hair grows back at the same rate, regardless if you pick up the razor or a bottle of hair remover cream. Only a semipermanent or permanent method of body hair removal gets you long-term results. As you probably expect, these involve substantial cost, more time and an overall higher degree of difficulty.
Depilation
Depilation is the most temporary way to get rid of body hair. Because depilation techniques, such as shaving and use of depilatory creams, remove hair where the hair meets the skin's surface, results are transient--anywhere between a few hours and a few days, says Chicago-based consumer reviewer Andrea James. Shaving is the most common way to remove body hair, and depilatory creams, lotions and gels that chemically dissolve hair fall close behind. Both techniques are relatively inexpensive and easy to do in the privacy of your own home. However, the latter method may have one advantage--fewer ingrown hairs. Taking off hair with a razor results in a follicle with a sharp tip that's more likely to curl inward as it grows, while hair removed with cream depilatories has a rounded tip and is more likely to regrow normally.
Depilation is best suited to those with fair, fine body hair that's not obvious; James points out that depilation may not be extremely effective on people with dark, coarse hair, as it leaves behind an unattractive shadow. Skincare expert Paula Begoun, also known as the "Cosmetics Cop," describes the razor rash and quickly growing stubble that peeps through the skin of the thighs and bikini line as "obnoxious." You may be able to reduce ingrown hairs and razor bumps by using a topical product that contains stabilized aspirin, such as Tend Skin or Paula's Choice Skin Relief Treatment.
Epilation
Epilation is also a temporary hair removal technique, but because hair follicles are removed from below the skin's surface rather than at the surface, results are longer-lasting. Popular ways to epilate include waxing or sugaring, and for smaller areas of skin, such as the eyebrows, plucking and threading. Electric epilators, consumer devices equipped with small, rotating "tweezers" grasp several hair follicles at once and may also be an efficient way to remove hair for the do-it-yourselfer.
Begoun cites waxing as the best way to remove large amounts of body hair in a single sitting, as well as the most cost-efficient. You can purchase kits to use at home, but these are difficult to use if you're a first-timer. The waxing or sugaring process involves spreading a layer of warm wax or sugar gel to the skin and ripping away hair follicles after applying a cloth or paper strip to the skin's surface. Begoun advises seeking professional services from an asthetician at a day spa or beauty salon rather than attempting to DIY. The results are far longer lasting than depilating--between three and six weeks, says KidsHealth. When hair returns, it may seem softer and less noticeable, as it grows back staggered. One potential hazard associated with epilation is that like shaving, it leaves hair follicles with sharp tips, making you more prone to ingrown hairs.
Semi-Permanent Methods
Laser hair removal can easily be misunderstood unless you know how to read marketing claims carefully. This process, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is a way to "permanently reduce" hair density. It works by directing a laser beam at a cluster of hair follicles. The light targets the melanin in the hair, which then places it in stasis. Several laser hair removal treatments and ongoing maintenance sessions are necessary to achieve optimal results--but guaranteeing these results is quite problematic, points out Begoun. Data supplied by the Mayo Clinic indicates that you can experience anywhere between 20 and 90 percent reduction in hair density, which means that laser hair removal can be the best investment you've ever made or a waste of time and money.
Laser hair removal favors "suitable candidates"--fair-skinned individuals with dark, coarse body hair, the Mayo Clinic explains. It has no effect on people with pale, light red or brown or unpigmented (white) body hair. People with dark skin tones and tanned skin can also get good results. Hair Removal Journal warns that special devices must be used to treat darker skin, or treatment will not only be ineffective, it can damage the skin.
As of March 2010, the FDA had approved two personal laser hair removal devices (made by Silk'n and Tria Beauty), priced between $500 and $600, respectively, which purport to remove between 50 and 70 percent of hair in "suitable candidates." Compared to professional laser hair removal services, which can cost less than $100--or several hundreds of dollars--for a single session, according to the Hair Removal Journal, this may seem like a money-saver. But because laser hair removal can have detrimental side effects, such as blistering and changes in pigment, Begoun stresses the importance of seeking services through a skilled medical professional.
Permanent
Tedious, time-consuming and often painful, electrolysis is the only body hair removal technique approved by the FDA that has the potential to give you permanent results. Using a hand-held device, an electrologist slips a slender wire-like probe into the skin next to the hair root. A minuscule current of electricity is delivered from the wire to the hair root, disabling it forever. Some regrowth does occur, but after all hair follicles are retreated sufficiently, there's no need to ever worry about body hair again.
Compared to laser hair removal, electrolysis has a distinct advantage: it works regardless of skin tone, hair color and hair texture, says the American Electrology Association. James also cites a low rate of consumer dissatisfaction--between 7 and 10 percent. Overall, electrolysis, which has been used to remove hair for more than a century, offers promising results for those with the most patience and highest threshold for pain.
There are risks to choosing electrolysis, Begoun points out, which include electrical shock, infection and scarring. For these reasons, it's inadvisable to use an at-home electrolysis device. Instead, find an electrologist who's extremely skilled in his field. Begoun suggests talking to your prospective electrologist's clients to gauge their level of satisfaction and success. The AEA indicates that depending on where you live, a treatment session generally ranges from $25 to $40.
Member Comments