Did you know that around 90% of people who get laser hair removal end up seeing a permanent reduction in their hair growth? If you’ve struggled with dark, thick hair and ingrown hairs you might be wondering what you can do to free yourself from this frustration. Many people who shave their hair often turn to waxing only to find that waxing produces many of the same problems.
Laser hair removal might be the answer. If you’re unfamiliar with laser hair removal, you might be wondering how it’s different from shaving or waxing. You might also be curious about the benefits of laser hair removal.
Fortunately, you’ve clicked on the right article to find all of your answers. Here, you’ll discover 4 amazing benefits of laser hair removal and with the information you learn, you’ll be able to decide if this procedure is right for you. To start off, let’s take a closer look at what laser hair removal is in the first place.
What Is Laser Hair Removal Exactly?
To truly understand the benefits of laser hair removal, you need to know what it is first. Laser hair removal technology is unique compared to any other kind of hair removal technique because of the way it targets your individual hairs. You should know that most hair, dark hair, in particular, contains a pigment known as melanin. Melanin can be found both in the hair and in the skin.
The lighter your hair and skin are, the less melanin you have. The way laser hair removal works is that the laser used in the procedure is designed to target the melanin in your hair. Once the light of the laser makes contact with your hair, the light will transform into heat and zap the hair follicle.
This is the most important part of the procedure since it involves damaging the hair follicles. Once the laser damages the hair follicles, it becomes more difficult for the hair follicles to produce fresh new hair. The result of this is very slow hair growth or, in some cases, permanent hair reduction.
For example, say you’re used to shaving your legs every day. After you get a few laser hair removal sessions, the rate at which your hair grows will slow down and your hair will become less noticeable. Because of this, you might only need to shave your legs once a week or once every other week.
For those who have busy schedules or simply don’t like the process of removing hair, laser hair removal is ideal. One of the benefits of laser hair removal is it can be used on any part of the body from your arms and legs to your sideburns and bikini area. However, keep in mind that one treatment is usually not enough to see a big improvement in your hair growth.
Does Laser Hair Removal Hurt?
Many people who have never undergone this procedure may ask themselves: does laser hair removal hurt? After all, the word “laser” can sound very threatening if you’ve never experienced it before. However, you should know that there’s nothing to be afraid of when it comes to the benefits of laser hair removal.
For most people, any pain associated with laser hair removal is very minimal. In many cases, it can be described more as discomfort rather than pain. If you’ve waxed your bikini area or any other part of your body before, you have already experienced much worse pain than what laser hair removal has to offer.
The discomfort of laser hair removal, in contrast, is quite tame. Many people who go through with this procedure say that the discomfort is no worse than flicking a rubber band against the skin. However, you should keep in mind that some areas of the body are more sensitive than others and this can affect how uncomfortable the procedure might be.
For example, lasering your legs is usually no problem because the skin on the legs is relatively thick and not too sensitive. The skin around the bikini area may cause you a bit more trouble since it is thinner and softer. If you find that the discomfort of the laser is too much for you, the professional administering the laser may be able to offer you some numbing cream for the area being treated.
The numbing cream will make the discomfort far less noticeable. Numbing cream can make the procedure more enjoyable and relaxing as well.
No More Frustrating Ingrown Hairs
There’s nothing worse than ingrown hair. They’re painful, sensitive, and ugly. More than that, you can’t do much about them except wait for them to go away (or you can try removing them yourself if you’re up to the painful task).
The curse of ingrown hairs is even worse around the bikini line because they can be so hard to access if you want to remove them. Ingrown hairs in this area are also particularly painful due to the way the skin is liable to fold and irritate these pesky hairs even more. One of the many benefits of laser hair removal on the bikini line is that you can say goodbye to those ingrown hairs forever.
Ingrown hairs tend to happen when you shave the wrong way, but they can happen if you wax as well. When you shave improperly, the hair shaft becomes very short and sharp. Ingrown hairs occur when this cut hair curls in on itself before growing into your skin.
The result of this is similar to having a splinter: the area becomes inflamed and a painful bump may form. You won’t have to worry about ingrown hairs when you get laser hair removal treatments because the laser will remove the entire hair shaft right from the follicle. But what about when the hair grows back in?
Since the laser damages the hair follicle, the hair that grows back after several treatments will be much lighter and softer. Because of this, it will be more difficult for it to coil up and pierce your skin to produce ingrown hair. The result is that your bikini area will be as smooth as smooth can be.
Your Skin Will Be Much Smoother
Speaking about smooth skin, another of the benefits of laser hair removal is smoother skin. Many people love how soft their skin feels after they wax. Unfortunately, the bliss of smooth skin by waxing only lasts a few days before a few prickly hairs start to return.
More than that, if you’re a wax-purist, you’ll have to wait several weeks for your hair to grow out enough so you can wax it again. If it’s summer and you have dark hair, you certainly don’t want to be walking around with all your stubble on display. The smoothness achieved with a razor is even more short-lived.
More than that, if you have very dark hair, you still might be able to see the dark little dots of your hair even if you just shaved. This is not a great look if you want to have smooth skin. More than that, when you shave (or wax), your skin is likely to experience various forms of irritation, especially around the bikini area.
Razor burn and rashes are common examples of skin irritation in this case. Sometimes, the irritation might get worse as your hair continues to grow. When you get your hair removed with laser hair removal, you won’t have to worry about all of these annoyances.
As mentioned before, when you get your hair lasered, the entire hair follicle will fall out. Once it grows back, it won’t be as strong and healthy as it was before so it won’t be able to produce very thick or irritating hairs. The result, of course, is that you’ll never have to deal with irritated or stubbly skin again.
You Won’t Have to Deal With Cuts and Scars
Another one of the benefits of laser hair removal is reducing scars. Everyone who has ever shaved their body hair at some point knows how annoying cuts and scars can be. No matter how careful you are with a razor, there’s always a chance that you can cut yourself. This is especially true around the bikini area which is a location that is very difficult to achieve a smooth and close shave.
Cuts, even the small ones, can bring about a world of frustration. First, you’ll need to patch them up until they stop bleeding. Then, you’ll need to make sure they won’t get infected.
You’ll also have to deal with the minor yet very irritating pain that the cut brings you. The worst of it all is that you’ll have to don the ugly cut until it heals. If you’re really unlucky, you might end up with a scar that you’ll be stuck with until the day you die.
Hair removal really shouldn’t be such a disaster. Fortunately, you’ll never have to deal with this drama when you opt for laser hair removal. There are no sharp utensils involved and there is no chance that the laser can cut your skin. This is because the laser does not affect the skin at all but instead only focuses on the hair follicles.
However, keep in mind that you may experience some very minor skin irritation just after your laser hair removal procedure. Some people may not experience any side effects while others may find that their skin will be red for a few hours. However, after about a day, you shouldn’t be dealing with any side effects.
Long-Lasting Results and Possible Cons
One of the more popular benefits of laser hair removal is the longer-lasting results. As mentioned before, when you wax or shave your hair, the results only last for a very short period of time. Over time, you can end up spending a lot of money on razors and waxing strips. While each laser hair removal session may cost a few hundred dollars, you need to keep in mind that you are paying for a permanent reduction in your hair growth.
The quality of your hair reduction will depend on your hair, your skin color, and how many sessions you get. People with dark skin and dark hair tend to not be great candidates for laser hair removal because the laser has difficulty differentiating between the melanin in the skin and in the hair. Blonde people may also experience a similar problem.
The laser may not work very well for them because there is not enough contrast between the hair and the skin. The best candidates are those who have fair skin and dark hair. After a few laser hair removal sessions, you will start to notice a big reduction in your hair.
You will also notice that the hair itself is getting finer and lighter. Some hair follicles may stop producing hairs altogether or may take weeks or even months before producing new hair. It is important to remember that laser hair removal aims to accomplish a permanent reduction in hair growth rather than permanent hair removal.
You should be able to achieve your desired results in your bikini area after a few treatments. However, in order to keep the hair in the area to a minimum, you might need to get another hair removal treatment once or twice every year. These touch-up sessions are important because your hair might start to grow back if your hormones fluctuate.
Everything You Need to Know About the Benefits of Laser Hair Removal
If you’ve made it to the end of this article, you should know about all the benefits of laser hair removal. From saying goodbye to ingrown hairs to having smooth and soft skin, there are many beneficial reasons to try laser hair removal.
To learn more, don’t hesitate to contact us here.