juliaallison
"Laser Hair Removal = Best $$ I Ever Spent"
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a type of cosmetic treatment to remove unwanted body (or facial) hair.
< read all 2 reviewsAn Effective Way To Get Rid of that Unwanted Hair
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Dec 31, 2010
- by devora
- posted in Culture of Cute
Rating:
This is a totally unsexy topic, but I am tackling it.
+5
I was introduced to laser hair removal in college by none other than my dear mother. She knew about my annoyance with having to wax and shave, so she decided that once I was in college, I was ready to be introduced to the trusted staff at her go-to medspa. My mom treated me to several sessions of a treatment area, but due to the cost, I hadn't gotten any laser hair removal sessions since then.
However... my interest in laser hair removal was recently reignited when Groupon, my latest shopping obsession, started offering unbeatable deals for it. Since discovering these deals, I've had treatments on various parts of my body. If you can tolerate waxing, I would say that the pain is comparable to waxing and you'll be fine. In each treatment area, there will be spots that might sting more than other spots. The underarm was like a walk in the park. Other areas, such as the Brazilian zone, may be more painful though.
If you have low tolerance for pain, you have several options to ease the pain, including icing and numbing cream. One place that I went to even had a cool device that blew out super cold air as the laser went off, which really helped. Some medspas charge for the numbing cream, while others include it as part of their treatment. All places will put some sort of cooling gel on beforehand.
Expectations
Here are a few tidbits that I found the most interesting and important when doing my research on laser hair removal prior to my treatment. This information helped me shape realistic expectations for the results.
- Laser hair removal is actually a misnomer and a more appropriate name is actually laser hair reduction. If treatment is done correctly, and the patient follows instructions and is a good candidate for it, then these treatments can greatly, greatly reduce the growth of hair. You might still have a few strays here and there, but a few weeds is better than a whole forest, right? ;)
- Laser hair removal isn't just a one time thing; it has to be done over several sessions. The general consensus seems to be that five or six sessions is the average that it takes to reduce over 90% hair growth in any given area, and many medspas offer packages of five or six sessions that are heavily discounted versus paying for each individual session. I highly recommend purchasing the package deals.
- The darker the hair, and the lighter the skin, the better the results. If it's a combination of the both, even better. Various combination of shades of hair and skin color may have differing results. Some may need more treatments than others.
- The more coarse the hair, the more likely it is to be effectively treated. So hair in the underarm and Brazilian area can be more effective zapped than say, thin hairs on your face, arms, or legs.
Tips
- This one's very important: do not wax, pluck or epilate your treatment area for at least two weeks prior to any of your sessions. The roots need to be there in order to be zapped. I actually suggest not doing any of that at all during the duration of your treatment because why mess with it? Just shave.
- Shave the hair of the treatment area just a few days prior to each session. That way, the laser technician can see just a bit of where the hair is still growing and concentrate on zapping it. If you leave the hair as is, you'll likely receive a dry shave from the medspa, which hurts! Trust me, it sucks to lift weights when your underarm feels like it's burning from a bad shave, and it also sucks to look like you have herpes for a couple of weeks in the Brazilian area. It's best to just take care of it at home by yourself comfortably beforehand. On the contrary, if you don't receive a dry shave from your medspa and they just zap you with the hair unshaved, you'll smell burning hair during the session.
- Request something to numb your skin if you have low pain tolerance. You should let the receptionist know if you want some numbing cream or ice, etc. You can also take Advil or Tylenol beforehand.
Overall, I've been pleased with this treatment. I'm only disappointed that I can do this on my eyebrow area as it's too risky around the eye, but I've been really satisfied otherwise. If you've got hair that you're just dying to get rid of, you should really consider laser hair removal to permanently reduce the growth. You wouldn't regret it!
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woopak_the_thrill
December 31, 2010
hmm...I always thought that my lady friend was blessed with only having hair in the right places...I think this review had uncovered her secret LOL! (what happened after I saw this review, and I talk while on the computer) ME: Oh, darlin', take a look at this review....SHE: what? ME: it's about laser hair removal... whammo!! (woopak got hit by a heeled shoe) LMAO.
devora
January 03, 2011
Hahahahahaha, well, now you know my secret! Yeah, wouldn't mention it to the lady friend ;)
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willw2
December 31, 2010
Very sexy.
devora
December 31, 2010
I know, I know :P
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Sharrie
December 31, 2010
So far I haven't got much problem in this area! Sounds like a "party" you're having with these sessions ;-)
devora
December 31, 2010
It doesn't matter to some people and some cultures, but I happen to care, and if it's affordable, I'll jump at it! And I guess you could call it a party. Looking forward to the day it ends though ;P
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More Laser Hair Removal reviews
review by juliaallison.
May 04, 2009
I got on the laser hair removal bandwagon fairly early on - starting treatments when I was a junior in college, around 2002, continuing on and off until today (literally, I just got a treatment three hours ago). I first heard about the wonders of laser hair removal from a fairly trustworthy source: mom. My mother had gotten her entire body "laz'd," as we dubbed it, and vowed it was the best thing that had happened to her since she discovered you could just eat brownie … more
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About the reviewer
devora (devora)
Ranked #2
Ranked #2
When I'm not Lunching, I'm a jeweler, and an all around, self-proclaimed web geek. My passions include social media, the interweb, technology, writing, yoga, fitness, photography, jewelry, fashion, … more
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About this topic
Laser hair removal is a medical procedure that uses laser light — an intense, pulsating beam of light — to remove unwanted hair. Laser hair removal works by passing a light beam through the skin. The laser targets dark pigment, called melanin, in hair. When the light beam hits the hair follicle (where hair growth originates), the intense heat destroys the hair follicle instantly.
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Laser hair removal is used for people who want to remove unwanted body hair. Common treatment locations include legs, armpits, upper lip, chin and bikini line. However, it is possible to treat unwanted hair in almost any area of the body.
Although laser hair removal doesn't guarantee permanent hair removal, it does extend the hair-free period, which can vary from several months to many years. With multiple treatments, long-term hair removal is possible.
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