What Is Laser Hair Removal?

Laser hair removal is a procedure that uses a laser, or a concentrated beam of light, to get rid of hair in different areas of the body.If you're not happy with shaving, tweezing, or waxing to remove unwanted hair, laser hair removal may be an option worth considering.

Laser hair removal is one of the most commonly done cosmetic procedures in the U.S. It beams highly concentrated light into hair follicles. Pigment in the follicles absorb the light. This destroys the hair.

Laser hair removal vs. electrolysis

Electrolysis is another type of hair removal, but it is considered more permanent. A probe is inserted into each individual hair follicle, delivering an electric current and killing hair growth. Unlike laser hair removal, it works on all hair and skin colors but takes longer and can be more expensive. Hair removal can be an important part of transitioning for members of the trans and gender-expansive communities and can help with feelings of dysphoria or unease.

Benefits of Laser Hair Removal

Lasers are useful for removing unwanted hair from the face, leg, chin, back, arm, underarm, bikini line, and other areas. However, you can't get laser done on your eyelids or the surrounding areas or anywhere that has been tattooed.

Benefits of laser hair removal include:

1.Precision. Lasers can selectively target dark, coarse hairs while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged.

2.Speed. Each pulse of the laser takes a fraction of a second and can treat many hairs at the same time. The laser can treat an area approximately the size of a quarter every second. Small areas such as the upper lip can be treated in less than a minute, and large areas, such as the back or legs, may take up to an hour.

3.Predictability. Most patients have permanent hair loss after an average of three to seven sessions.

Is laser hair removal painful?

Temporary discomfort is possible, with some redness and swelling after the procedure. People compare laser hair removal to a warm pinprick and say it's less painful than other hair removal methods like waxing or threading.