The Beauty Denominator

The growing trend in the past years has been hair removal. Everyone wants a smooth, hairless body. The human body is almost completely covered with fine hair though called lanugo and it helps with the evaporation of perspiration.The palms of the hands and soles of the feet have none though and this has turned into a very lucrative business for anyone licensed to do hair removal. Although there’s many options for hair removal, waxing has been one of the most popular and preferred methods of removing hair. Women aren’t the only ones though lots of men are also among frequent customers getting their backs, chests and other areas waxed smooth.

Waxing can either be done by professionals in a salon or you can do it yourself in your own home using one of the many kinds of self-waxing kits that are sold in stores. Waxing requires hot wax to be poured on the area and then removed by having strips stuck on and pulled off along with unwanted hair. Although this method is often painful, it is cost effective and can last a while, which keeps many customers going back for more.

Since hair removal has become so popular with each passing year there has been more and more advancements and new products being created that are giving hair removal customers more options. Since there are now so many different types of hair removal methods available, it can sometimes be difficult for people to determine which method is best for them.

A method similar to laser hair removal but that has been around much longer is that of electrolysis. When removing hair by electrolysis, the technician uses a needle that projects an electric current into the hair follicle, killing it at the root. By sending the current directly to the root of the hair follicle it prevents hair from growing back in the same spot. Although it may take longer than laser hair removal, electrolysis is another way to permanently remove hair in a certain area. Like laser hair removal, this takes a number of repeat appointments for treatment. Electrolysis often requires treatment for anywhere up to a year to a year and a half for the hair to be completely removed. Like laser hair treatment, electrolysis can cause some discomfort and pain during treatment when the electric current is killing the hair follicle but it should not last longer than a few minutes after the treatment has ended.

A long used method of hair removal is the process of removing hair using depilatories. Depilatories are made up of a chemical mixture that is applied to a region of unwanted hair. Once applied, the depilatory is left on the hair from anywhere from three to fifteen minutes depending on the size of the area and the amount of hair being removed. Once the chemicals have had time to kill the hair, the depilatory is removed and the area of skin is smooth and free from hair. Unlike laser hair removal and electrolysis, using a depilatory is completely pain free and can be done in the privacy of your own home. A number of depilatories are sold at local supermarkets. However, for people with sensitive skin depilatories may not be the right way to go about removing unwanted hair. Since depilatories contain such strong chemicals in order to kill the hair, they often cause skin irritation for people who are prone to having sensitive skin. Depilatories also typically require repeat treatments considerably sooner than both electrolysis and laser hair removal.

Know your options with laser hair removal. You could continue shaving, tweezing, bleaching or even waxing. While these may not sound as great, they might be better for you. The lasers produce highly concentrated beams of light that will penetrate your skin and find your hair follicle. This will produce a hot heat and damage the follicles, preventing them from future growth.

Research and development in the area of laser hair removal are still in the early stages. However, continuing research, testing and development in this area continues to produce safer and more effective equipment. Before deciding on this technique you should always talk to a professional first. A few negatives would be that you could end up with a type of sunburn like reaction after laser hair removal. You could even have blotches, discoloring, blistering and scarring and even crusting or scabbing.