Posted on January 5, 2022 by Body Details Team If you’ve grown tired of shaving or plucking facial or body hair, you may have started to explore alternative hair removal methods that don’t involve dragging a metal blade across some of the most sensitive parts of your face and body. The good news is that there are many options for hair removal, and we are going to review some of the most popular ones available to you.
Different Hair Removal Methods
While there are several popular hair removal methods, most of them yield temporary results. And there are other drawbacks. With some methods, you may be exchanging one tedious routine for another. You can spend five minutes shaving every few days, or you can spend 20 minutes waxing every two or three weeks.
Waxing
This may be one of the most popular shaving alternatives, particularly for the face, legs, and pelvic region. One of the reasons that waxing is so popular is that you can get wax treatments at your local salon or buy commercial wax strips at any drugstore. There are several types of waxing techniques, including hard waxing, soft waxing, hot waxing, and cool waxing.
How Waxing Works
While there are several different approaches to waxing, they all work on the same principle. The wax clings to the exposed hair shafts. When you pull the wax away, it plucks the hair from the skin. Unlike shaving, wax pulls the hair up instead of cutting off the excess, so it lasts longer. One of the biggest drawbacks to waxing is that it’s a process that you have to repeat every few weeks. Unlike shaving, there’s no point in waxing until you have enough stubble for the wax to adhere to, so you may have to endure a few days of having a shadow.
Pros
- Widely available
- Lasts two to three weeks
- Can be performed at home
Cons
- Extremely painful
- Trades one routine for another
- Requires stubble to be effective
- Not cost-effective over time
- Causes ingrown hairs, rashes, skin bumps
Sugaring
Sugaring has become a popular alternative to waxing. The name sugaring refers to the paste used, which consists of water, lemon, and sugar. The process is often compared to waxing — in fact, the subtance is sometimes called “sugaring wax” — because the methods work on a similar principle.
How Sugaring Works
With sugaring, the paste is heated as a solution and applied to the skin. When it cools, the hair shafts are caught by the dried substance. When it’s pulled away, the hairs are also pulled from the roots. Proponents of sugaring claim that there is less of a chance of hair breakage because of the direction the hair is pulled. They also claim that because sugaring doesn’t adhere to the skin, there is less of a chance of skin irritation than with waxing. Because it works along the same principle as waxing, you will need to let your hair grow out a bit to allow the sugaring to work.
Pros
- Alternative to waxing
- Lasts two to three weeks
Cons
- Similarly to waxing, sugaring hurts
- Requires periodic maintenance
- Not cost-effective
- Requires stubble to work
Threading
Hair threading traces its roots to the Middle East and South Asia, which may be one of the reasons that it’s gained popularity in a society that often looks to ancient civilizations for grooming rituals.
How Threading Works
With threading, the technician uses two intertwined threads to catch single strands of hair. As the threads continue to twist, it pulls the hair from the skin. Hair threading is often used for eyebrow grooming, but it can be applied elsewhere on the face or body. Like waxing and sugaring, threading only works on a temporary basis. Because the threads are literally plucking hairs, it can also be painful.
Pros
- Can target individual hair shafts for fine work
- Good for detailed work around the eyebrows and hairlines
Cons
- Can be painful
- Can be time-consuming
- Difficult to do on your own
- The results are temporary
- Not cost-effective
Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal (LHR) is a non-invasive, permanent solution to hair removal. The process can be used on the face, neck, body, or anywhere else that you grow hair. Laser hair removal is virtually painless and less painful than the other three methods mentioned above.
How Laser Hair Removal Works
Lasers can deliver a relatively large amount of light energy to a focused area. Using a high-intensity, FDA-approved laser, the laser technician targets a small area. The intense light is carried down the shaft to the follicle — the sac at the bottom of the hair that is responsible for the hair’s growth. The light heats the follicle and destroys it. Once this occurs, the hair will never grow back. Laser hair removal is popular because it is relatively painless, convenient, fast, and cost-effective. Once you are done with laser hair treatments, you never have to worry about unwanted hair again, which means that you’ll save a fortune in razors, waxes, and spa treatments over time. Learn more about how the treatment works on our laser hair removal faq page!
Pros
- Permanent hair removal
- Relatively painless
- Cost-effective over the long term
- Can be applied nearly anywhere
- No stubble ever
Cons
- The up-front costs are higher if you don’t finance the procedure (though still the most cost-effective option over time)
- Cannot be done at home
Why People Choose Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal has been around for decades and has become one of the most popular permanent hair-removal methods for the reasons mentioned in the previous section. If you are certain that you would prefer to permanently rid yourself of body or facial hair, you may be a good candidate for laser hair removal. Body Details True Laser® Centers has been helping clients of all skin types to end the drudgery of routine hair maintenance for years. We offer a free consultation and guarantee our work with free touchups for life. Our laser technicians are all medical professionals who have been trained to calibrate our FDA-approved medical lasers for each patient.
Frequently Asked Questions about Laser Hair Removal
With thousands of laser hair removal procedures under our belts, these are some of the most frequently asked questions that we receive from our patients, along with answers from our medical staff.
What Type of Laser Do You Use for Hair Removal?
Our laser centers utilize the GentleMax Pro Class IV True Laser. This is the most powerful laser in its class, approved by the FDA. The Class IV combines a 1064 nm ND:YAG laser and a 755 nm Alexandrite laser, allowing our technicians to calibrate it for different skin types, sensitivities, and requirements.
I Heard That Laser Hair Removal Doesn’t Work as Well With Darker Skin. Is this True?
In the past, laser hair removal required there to be a significant color contrast between the hair shaft and the skin. Dark hair against darker skin was particularly difficult for these older systems. This is not an issue at Body Details True Laser® Centers. The ND:YAG laser is able to penetrate as deeply as 4-5mm into the skin, targeting the blood vessel that feeds the follicle. The ND:YAG is also safe for darker skin because it doesn’t affect melanin as much as other lasers.
Is Laser Hair Removal Safe?
Yes, not only are True Lasers nonphotomutagenic (meaning they don’t cause cancer or alter skin cells), but because True Lasers are optimized wavelengths of laser light, the laser destroys the follicles generally without any other skin damage. Some patients experience minor irritation, but the skin is very resilient and quickly heals.
What If My Hair Regrows?
Once the follicle is dead, your hair won’t grow. In unusual situations such as hormonal changes or in reactions to certain steroidal medications, former patients may experience some new hair growth. Body Details offers free touchups for life. So, if you see hair growth in a treated area in the future, we will take care of it under the written terms of our Free Lifetime Guarantee.
Laser Hair Removal in Florida
In addition to laser hair removal, Body Details True® Laser Centers offers laser tattoo removal, scar reduction, skin rejuvenation, and laser lipolysis (laser lipo). Your no-obligation consultation is free. If you’re tired of shaving, waxing, sugaring, threading, or whatever you do to remove unwanted hair, schedule an appointment at Body Details today!
