Hey Y’all,
The New York Times did a little piece on how hair removal has become a year-round activity. Their tested out a bunch of quasi-useless depilatory products, some smelly, some painful, none permanent, and some at-home laser hair removal products.
We all know that the days of women sighing with relief when bathing suit season is done are long gone. More women are reaching for razors and shaving cream all year.
The article claims gym-addicts are the most likely people to need year-round hair removal. Although, I’d also add that, at least in New York, many regular people like you and I also opt for year-round baby smooth skin.
What about if you’re just a normal 21st century guy or gal who doesn’t want to look like a hairy caveman? Hair removal has no season.
Below, I’ll walk you through the NYT slideshow. Curiously, laser hair removal was omitted from the piece:
"Nicole DeBoom, a year-round swimmer, former professional triathlete, and the owner of SkirtSports, an athletic clothing company in Boulder, Colo., tried several different products. Her conclusion: they are all more painful than shaving but offer longer-lasting results."
Shaving is still (unfortunately) the most popular way to remove hair from legs, underarms and bikini area; it’s also the most temporary. Depilatory creams can be slightly more effective than razors, but tend to be smelly. And having your hair removed at a salon or spa is pricey and time-consuming.
Sugaring is similar to waxing: the heated sugar, which is the consistency of honey, is spread over the skin, in this case on Ms. DeBoom’s bikini area. “Then I applied a strip of fabric, held my skin taut and YANK!” she said, adding, “The first rip is shocking, but it gets easier.”
Then there are the drawbacks: people who have sensitive skin (from eczema or other conditions) or use anti-aging products containing Retin-A, can seriously burn or irritate skin. Pulling hairs out, which is what all of these methods do, can also increase the risk of ingrown hairs.
“The process was painful, but no more than the others . . .” She did have to do a “double pass over each area, since the hair grows in two directions.”
The rotating prongs make it “look like a creature from a sci-fi movie,” she said. Once over her fear, she tried Emagine first on her underarms. “I learned that my armpit hair grows in all directions, and that made this tool difficult for me,” she said.
So, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll say it again: There is no better option for hair removal than laser! If you once looked into doing it and were turned off by the crazy prices you should check in with us again. In the last 6 months the industry has had a shake-up and laser hair removal is actually very affordable!
Look into it… Unless you like cutting yourself shaving, smelly depilatory creams and ingrown hairs…
xxx
Laser Gal
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I would NEVER try at Home Laser Hair Removal! It’s completely dangerous and I can.’t believe they let them sell these things for at home use! I used to work in a spa where they did lser hair removal so I can vouch for how dangerous those lasers are in the wrong hands.
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sue Reply:
January 12th, 2010 at 11:18 pm
I wouldn’t say the’re dangerous, because companies won’t probably sell things that will get them sued. From what I’ve heard, they’re more ineffective. Its like comparing an Easy Bake Oven to a restaurant oven
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Great post. I’ll also add that a few laser hair removal treatments are usually needed because the laser is effective when it hits the follicle in its growing phase. Since each hair is in a different growth phase, you need to do a few treatments to ensure you hit the many hairs active in the right phase. Newbie clients will discover that one treatment has striking results, but several treatments usually are necessary for the best outcome.
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Thanks for the info! I also saw this piece in the new york times.
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Laser Hair Removal works really great, but it has a kind of pitfall. It works on pale skin with dark hair. The darker skin you have, the worse results you get. Consider Elos Hair Removal, it works on dark skin too.
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Cynosure Elite’s Nd:YAG laser works for dark skin! The Elite laser system has both an Alex setting and an Nd:YAG setting, so I’ve always been able to get my laser hair removal treatments regardless of when I was very tan in the summer, or during the winter, when my skin was untanned.
I think ELOS uses radio frequency in addition to their lasers to remove hair. This has always been a curious technology to me. I’ve never really heard of someone’s hair falling because they were standing too close to a radio antenna. I do hear Syneron lasers are pretty good tho.
Thanks for dropping by the blog!
Laser Gal´s last blog ..Tria versus Silk’n: How Do at-Home Laser Hair Removal Treatments Compare to Professional Treatments
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I relate to the swimmer needing hair removal in your post! Totally! In June, I moved into a building with a pool and I started swimming a lot (goal: to get that long and lean look!). Anyway, I hadn’t realized how much hair removal I’d have to worry about. Usually, in the winter I sort of let it all go… If you know what I mean. Now, I’m always in a swimsuit, and feel the urge to keep my hair off. I’ll def try out one or two of these techniques. Maybe laser hair removal in the spring??
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Good post. I’ve been planning on starting to do laser on my legs and I read an article that said it was better to laser in the winter. I think it explained that the laser works better when the skin is much lighter than the hair. Anyway I finally saved up enough money and started a package. I’m used to waxing, so the pain wasn’t a big deal for me… and the results were pretty crazy good. I mean, the hair is completely GONE, not red dots and no re-growth yet. It’s like I was born with hairless legs. I still have 4 treatments left to do, but everything seems great so far.
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I would try this laser treatment, but Im wondering if there are no side effects like burning and blemishes.
barbie forteza jodi´s last blog ..Madelaine | New Charice Pempengco | Youtube Sensation
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Hi Barbie! Laser facials have no unintended side effects. If you have prominent sunspots or pigmentation, after your laser facial, these will raise up to the top layer of skin and sorta “flake away.” One day the sun spots are there, the next they aren’t.
It’s a completely non-invasive procedure. If plastic surgery is 100% invasive, this is like .01%. The laser technicians are trained to recognize problems with your skin and use the right procedures to make u look better. All the laser is doing is evening out your skin tone. It also stimulates the production of collagen, which all young healthy skin has.
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Sounds good to me =) Thx miss LG for clearing that up =)
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