Summer is upon us, and that means we’ll be spending more time strutting around in a bikini or a sundress and putting the pants back in the closet.
With the warmer months and the more revealing clothes comes a more intense hair removal routine for women. Whether it’s more trips to the salon for a wax or dropping more money on razors that promise to painlessly remove our hair, it can become a bit of a hassle.
Lately, many companies have been releasing at-home laser hair removal devices that not only promise to remove your hair, but provide permanent results. These products have an obvious appeal since they seem far less painful than waxing. There’s also the appeal of the results actually being permanent and the thought of never having to raise a laser to our bikini area again.
There are a ton of different kinds of at-home laser devices out there, and three times as many beauty bloggers voicing their opinions. With so many options as well as differing opinions, it might be difficult when considering if any of these products are worth the money, especially since so many of the products are too new to tell if the results are truly permanent. While it would be nice to be able to give yourself laser hair removal treatments in just a few minutes while lounging in front of the television in your pajamas, it just might be too good to be true.
Similar to the lasers used in any medical clinic, the lasers used for at-home devices work by targeting and ultimately destroying hair follicles. Obviously, these lasers aren’t as strong as those used by professionals, since putting that kind of power into untrained hands is only asking for disaster. Most devices require a specific number of pulses for each body part, so you’re required to hold it in place until it beeps or blinks or shuts off, indicating that treatment of that area is done. You then move the device over several centimeters and do it all over again.
Often, treatments are required either once a week or every other week. While most brands claim this won’t take more than 10 or 15 minutes, that depends on the size of the area being treated. You can only imagine how long it would take to perform leg laser hair removal on your own at home.
More upscale devices come with several safety features to help to ensure that users don’t damage their skin or mess up their treatments. For example, many of these at-home laser devices can detect skin tone and won’t put out laser pulses if they detect darker skin tones.
This is for the safety of the user, as the technology found in at-home laser devices isn’t yet advanced enough to treat those with darker skin pigment because it can lead to skin discoloration and hyperpigmentation. Other safety features these kinds of products might include are sensors to indicate whether or not it’s being held correctly and several intensities for those who are more sensitive to pain.
Yes, most users have found that these kinds of devices do manage to significantly reduce the amount of hair growth after several months of use. However, most have only reported 60 to 75 percent permanent removal as opposed to the complete removal laser hair treatments a laser clinic can offer. Many beauty bloggers say they continue to do several touch ups over time, as stray hairs will grow in on occasion. On the plus side, these devices aren’t known to cause any skin damage or injuries, so there’s truly no harm in giving them a try.
At-home laser devices use IPL to remove hair, which is a combination of a polychromatic beam (full spectrum light) and low-range infrared radiation wavelengths. The lasers used at a professional laser clinic will likely produce a monochromatic beam, which consists of light rays of a single wavelength. The biggest difference between treating yourself at home and going to a laser clinic is the guidance of a trained medical professional who can ensure you receive the results you’re looking for.
True Laser is a term used exclusively at Body Details to describe the four major factors required to achieve permanent laser hair removal results. These four factors are type of laser, wavelength, treatment protocol, and the skill of your treatment provider. At-home laser devices treat everyone the same, but at a professional laser clinic, you will receive a personalized treatment plan for your body and skin type. No two people are alike, so no two people should be receiving the same laser hair removal treatments.
Now that you know the factors that go into making laser hair removal being permanent, you can try taking them into consideration when using an at-home device. Unfortunately, since most of the people using these at-home laser devices aren’t trained in knowing how to observe their hair growth cycle or educated on how each area of the body will react differently to the laser, it’s highly unlikely that permanent hair removal can be achieved by these devices.
In addition to that, the wavelengths released by at-home laser devices aren’t customizable. While there might be settings in regards to their intensity, to achieve permanent results, the wavelength must be adjusted based on a person’s skin color, skin type, hair color, hair thickness, and more. So, while these at-home laser hair removal devices might seem like a great inexpensive alternative, consider what kind of results you want before making your purchase. Our laser hair removal consultation is completely free so you have nothing to lose! Book your appointment today.