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Electrolysis vs Laser Hair Removal let's have a look at both methods
So let's have a look at both methods, and then we'll weigh them up and see where you might fit on either side of the decision line. Laser hair removal treatment is basically shooting highly concentrated light (hence, 'laser') at your hair. The hair itself, which is darker than the surrounding skin, attracts and absorbs the laser much faster than the skin. The heat from the laser travels down the length of the hair into the follicle, singing it and stopping the hair from growing back again. This sounds intrusive, but when you think about it, it's no worse than waxing, which is essentially plucking the hair out of your body like pulling a potato out of the ground. The side effects of laser hair removal are limited to a slight stinging sensation, not unlike having a rubber band snapped against your skin, and some mild tenderness for the next day or two like a light sunburn. Both of these things are your body' reaction to the heat of the laser. Apart from that, laser hair removal treatments are perfectly safe. There is no chance of the laser misfiring, burning your skin, or causing mutations or cancer – the light used doesn't change or affect your cell's DNA in any way, and the lasers are manufactured to a high standard, and are bound by both their engineering and the laws of physics from any accidental discharge or overpowered use.So laser hair removal treatment sounds pretty good so far. Of course, there are a few drawbacks, or we wouldn't be having this discussion. The first one is that laser treatment is relatively expensive. It can cost anywhere from over a hundred dollars to several hundred dollars per session, depending on how much work you're having done and a few other factors that I go into in more detail in other articles on the site. Neither laser removal treatment nor electrolysis are instant successes. Generally you will need between two and four treatments to deal with all the hair in one area if you're using laser treatment, because your hair grows and is dormant in cycles. Electrolysis, which I'll go into more detail about in a minute, takes between 15 and 30 sessions for most people to have effective results, but the costs are much lower. Electrolysis vs laser hair removal The second drawback to laser hair removal is that it is quite dependent on the color of both your hair and the skin surrounding it. If you have darker colored hair and paler skin, then laser hair removal will work well for you. However, if the hair you want removed is very light in color, or it's closer to peach fuzz than strands of visible hair, then lasers will be less effective and electrolysis may be the way to go. Because laser treatment needs the hair to be present to work with, and depends on the color of your hair, it does mean that you can't bleach, wax or pluck it for some time before the laser treatment itself. This can throw your social schedule out of whack if the hair you're having treated is in a visible place. Electrolysis differs from laser treatment in that it involves sending an electrical charge down a needle to the follicle, shocking and withering the follicle so that it stops growing. Electrolysis is quite effective, but has to be administered one hair at a time, making it a slow and laborious process. Electrolysis is also quite physically uncomfortable. The cosmetician uses a hand-held electric needle that she sticks into your follicle itself and then zaps you. Ouch! The hair is then yanked (as gently as possible, in most cases) our of the dead follicle. Because of the relatively intrusive nature of electrolysis, and the fact that you're both pulling hairs out AND getting zapped with a needle, the pain level is quite a lot higher. It's more comparable to getting a tattoo, so if the thought of pinpricks makes you feel woozy, electrolysis may not be for you. The advantage to electrolysis is that it can be done on anyone, regardless of skin or hair color. This makes it fantastic for those with darker skin or hair that has resisted laser treatment. This situation is slowly changing, however, as newer, more 'intelligent' lasers are being developed that can be fine-tuned to adjust to the patient's skin color. Did I mention that electrolysis is slow? Very slow. Super slow. How slow? Well, laser treatment is about 60 times faster than electrolysis, because the equipment is simpler, the process is more streamlined, and there is less repetition and chance of failure – missing the follicle, not getting the hair properly, etc. – in laser treatment. Permanence is another issue that's frequently asked about. In a nutshell, electrolysis – once it's complete, which can take dozens of sessions – is permanent. This is because you pretty much burn out the follicles, and your body doesn't generate new ones, meaning that once skin has been electrolysed into submission, hair aren't coming back. Laser hair removal burn on the other hand is what I tend to term 'semi-permanent'. It varies tremendously from person to person how long laser treatment lasts. Because the follicles are left alive at the end of the treatment, they can grow hairs back in the future. If they do, the hair that regenerates is nearly always pale or white, and much slower-growing than previously. If you were in a situation where you had to shave daily or once every second day, for example, your armpits, then you'll probably find you can go for between 20 and 25 days without needing to shave, and the armpit hairs that would regrow would not be the normal dark, relatively thick hairs but soft, thin, pale hairs that are all but invisible. There are cases when people just don't respond to laser treatment, but these are very rare – less than 1 in 500 in my career's experience. I wouldn't worry about this unless you have an existing condition like hormone imbalance or something that you feel might strongly affect your chances for successful treatment. If this is the case, clarify the situation with your cosmetician beforehand and see what you can arrange. Some people like to combine laser treatment and electrolysis, especially if dealing with a large area. Because laser treatment is much faster and more effective over a large area – laser hair removal tools can shoot several follicles at once, keeping things moving speedily.As you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to both techniques. Because so much depends on your personal situation, it could very well be worth heading into some nearby clinics for a consultation, which any reputable cosmetician will provide for free. An accurate consultation will give you more personalised guidance to find the hair removal treatment that suits you best.
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