laser hair removal or electrolysis
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free skin care · Mon Sep 20, 2010 1:16 am

hi everyone,

i've looked into laser hair removal and electrolysis... there are pros and cons for both (ie.. cost and time, effectiveness, etc)

i would like to know if any of you could share your experiences with me regarding your personal recommendations and the reason(s) why you chose that recommendation in terms of hair removal

I need your thoughts and input to help myself make a decision on which procedure to take... i'm interested in removing hair from the underarm, legs, and bikini region since i am fed up with waxing... and i have never been a shaver.

thanks in advance Smile

free skin care · Mon Sep 20, 2010 6:31 am

I'm curious too. I've checked into laser for my legs, underarms, etc. and pretty much have it "on my list" of things to do. But I need to save up the $$$!

I don't do waxing at all, and hate shaving my legs. In winter, when we're all covered up anyway, I've been known to go for two-three months without shaving my legs, I hate it that much.

Laser/electrolysis, even though the up-front cost is high, just seems like a lower-maintenance way to go in the long run...

free skin care · Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:49 am

I've had every type of hair removal so I guess I'm qualified to answer this one. Very Happy

The questions that you need to answer is how much hair you have, what colour it is and what your skin tone is.

If your hair is blonde or grey, forget laser and IPL for removal methods - it will not work. Electrolysis is the only long-term option for such hair.

If you have dark hair, laser and IPL become options and the paler your skin, the faster your results will be. based on my experience, this would be my recommendations:

For medium sized areas, such as bikini and under arms get laser (not IPL) to achieve as much total clearance as possible (4 to 5 treatments). For large areas, eg. legs and arms, cause as much damage as possible to the hairs with one or two laser treatments. Continue with laser if you can afford it but if not, switch to maintenance.

Maintenence involves buying a home-IPL device. I have the Silk'n but there are some interesting reviews of the VISS system on the forum. Use this as required to keep the treated areas clear. This involves shaving and zapping - not very often so there is not a big overhead in terms of time.

This pretty much describes how I've gotten rid of my body hair - I've gone from being quite hairy to quite hairless and the upkeep is easy.

Facial hair is trickier as it tends to be finer and finer hair doesn't respond as well to laser or IPL. Laser will remove all the hair though - blonde ones included - and regrowth will be slow. Electrolysis by a skilled therapist will give permanent results though. There is also Vaniqa cream to extend hair removal efforts. I have a tube of this but have never tried it!

If excess hair is a real problem for you, you may want to ask your doctor about taking spironolactone. It is a drug though so needs serious consideration.

HTH

Wed Oct 13, 2010 1:17 am

If you get laser hair removal, make sure you go to someone with a good amount of experience and relatively new equipment. Any equipment that is over 4 years old or that costs less than $50K should be a concern.

free skin care · Sat Oct 30, 2010 5:01 pm

Snowie wrote:

hi everyone,

i've looked into laser hair removal and electrolysis... there are pros and cons for both (ie.. cost and time, effectiveness, etc)

i would like to know if any of you could share your experiences with me regarding your personal recommendations and the reason(s) why you chose that recommendation in terms of hair removal

I need your thoughts and input to help myself make a decision on which procedure to take... i'm interested in removing hair from the underarm, legs, and bikini region since i am fed up with waxing... and i have never been a shaver.

thanks in advance Smile

My friend living in Melbourne decided that he wanted to get rid of his "hair" in his ears and went for electrolysis. I can tell you that it was good for couple of weeks, but it came back again. Electrolysis is not a permanent solution. I think if these things don't bother you at all, then perhaps you can ignore these? Smile

free skin care · Sat Oct 30, 2010 5:03 pm

Snowie wrote:

hi everyone,

i've looked into laser hair removal and electrolysis... there are pros and cons for both (ie.. cost and time, effectiveness, etc)

i would like to know if any of you could share your experiences with me regarding your personal recommendations and the reason(s) why you chose that recommendation in terms of hair removal

I need your thoughts and input to help myself make a decision on which procedure to take... i'm interested in removing hair from the underarm, legs, and bikini region since i am fed up with waxing... and i have never been a shaver.

thanks in advance Smile

My friend decided to go for electrolysis on both of his ears. It was good for a couple of weeks, but the hair in his ears came back. Electrolysis is not a permanent solution. I think if it does not bother you, then ignore it.

free skin care · Sat Oct 30, 2010 5:03 pm

My friend decided to go for electrolysis on both of his ears. It was good for a couple of weeks, but the hair in his ears came back. Electrolysis is not a permanent solution. I think if it does not bother you, then ignore it.

Snowie wrote:

hi everyone,

i've looked into laser hair removal and electrolysis... there are pros and cons for both (ie.. cost and time, effectiveness, etc)

i would like to know if any of you could share your experiences with me regarding your personal recommendations and the reason(s) why you chose that recommendation in terms of hair removal

I need your thoughts and input to help myself make a decision on which procedure to take... i'm interested in removing hair from the underarm, legs, and bikini region since i am fed up with waxing... and i have never been a shaver.

thanks in advance Smile

free skin care · Sat Oct 30, 2010 7:07 pm

jade-1234 wrote:

My friend decided to go for electrolysis on both of his ears. It was good for a couple of weeks, but the hair in his ears came back. Electrolysis is not a permanent solution. I think if it does not bother you, then ignore it.

Electrolysis is permanent but it requires repeated treatments to be effective.

Having ear hair removed by electrolysis sounds like a very painful option. If the hair is dark I would recommend laser.

free skin care · Sun Oct 31, 2010 11:36 am

I had electrolysis on my eyebrows a few years ago and it was awesome.
It does take a few treatments as the hair grows in 3 stages, so you have to zap it with the root in order for it not to grow back.
For a small area, go with electrolysis.

free skin care · Sat Jan 08, 2011 2:11 am

The use of low intensity laser light is among the latest high-tech methods of getting rid of facial hair on women, but also the most costly. When done under the guidance of a trained professional, this method of hair removal can be relatively painless, with some temporary redness or swelling of the treated area as the only side effects. Most facial hair can be removed in one treatment. This is a good permanent solution to the problem of unwanted facial hair.

free skin care · Sun Jan 09, 2011 1:51 pm

Snowie wrote:

hi everyone,

i've looked into laser hair removal and electrolysis... there are pros and cons for both (ie.. cost and time, effectiveness, etc)

i would like to know if any of you could share your experiences with me regarding your personal recommendations and the reason(s) why you chose that recommendation in terms of hair removal

I need your thoughts and input to help myself make a decision on which procedure to take... i'm interested in removing hair from the underarm, legs, and bikini region since i am fed up with waxing... and i have never been a shaver.

thanks in advance Smile

Snowie, I'm assuming you've made a decision by now, but if you haven't, I would highly recommend going with electrolysis, it's much safer than lasers. Please see this forum for laser damage victims to learn about the dangers http://iplandlaserdamagesupport.prophpbb.com/

Sun Jan 09, 2011 3:51 pm

I shall echo what others have said: small areas - go for electrolysis. Larger ones, laser or IPL.

I have to say though - electrolysis on top lip is like torture. For me the discomfort is double fold because the practitioners hand is so close to my nose - so I start feeling suffocated... and it hurts so badly! Especially as you get to the center. In the past - I have chickened out and would rather look like charlie chaplin than experience that pain..

laser isn't a walk in the park either. Its not as bad and the pain doesn't last as long nor is it intense. When they say its like flicking an elastic band on skin - it really is! But you get used to it.

IPL is the least painful in my experience.

In terms of results: You definitely need multiple treatments with all - although results appeared more quickly with IPL for me.

Another thing I tried (sorry can't remember the name of this) was 'radio waves'. It was the same price as electrolysis - but in my opinion it as actually a con. The device is really a pair of tweezers that apparently conduct a radiowave that vibrates the root of the hair so much it falls out... well... after one session I did feel very duped and robbed. The sales lady insisted for best results I needed to use a cream that cost £18 before my next appointment.. which I did since i don't like to act like I'm poor... and then when i got home and reflected on it - i realised the lady had only tweezed my moustache - nothing more! And that cost me £10 + the £18 cream... had I gone with electrolysis - sure it would have been more painful, physically - financially it would have been easier to handle!

free skin care · Mon Jan 10, 2011 2:57 am

If the pain of laser/electrolysis is an issue for you, treat the area with EMLA cream prior to the appointment. This is available on prescription in the UK.

Tue Jan 11, 2011 3:03 pm

Hi I've been going for a laser hair removal on arms, underarms and bikini line. I haven't completed the whole course so I'm not hair less as yet but the hair now grows much thinner and less of it so I don't need to shave as often. I'm considering having it done on my legs as well. If you decide to go for laser just make sure you do some research on finding a good professional salon. Otherwise you could either end up with treatment that doesn't work due to the machine or inexperienced stuff or even worse with burns! Also you shouldn't go on the sun before or after treatment so the ideal time for doing laser is over the winter months.

free skin care · Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:49 pm

What about numbing cream? That's what I used when I went for laser hair removal for my bikini ....it helped..not totally..but can't imagine doing it without. So with electrolysis..why not use it also.

btw...laser hair removal worked for me..it has been amazing.

I think what they're saying..is if you have just a few stray hairs on your face...get the electrolysis..but I couldn't imagine that process for something like the bikini area ...legs or arms..

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