Although hair growth is a natural phenomenon of the human body, due to beauty standards they are considered as one of the most annoying things you have to deal with. If you are a woman in particular, unwanted body hair on face and other exposed organs might be a nuisance to you as well. Getting rid of body hair whether through shaving, waxing or threading is a difficult task and is definitely not everyone’s piece of cake. These hair removal methods are not just tricky but can be painful as well. Some women get razor bumps due to shaving, some get strawberry skin while others can’t endure the pain of waxing or threading. Even if you do manage to overcome all these obstacles, its stressful to wax and shave every other week, especially during urgent times when there is no time to spare for parlour visits.
Then what should we do??
To relieve and rescue you of the misery of hair removal, laser hair removing treatments are here. These painless treatments are a long term solution to get rid of pesky unwanted hair throughout your body without having to undergo painful treatments and regular parlor visits. With time, laser hair removal has gained quite some popularity throughout the world. Today millions of women opt for laser hair removal to free themselves of the constant hardship of shaving and waxing.
How does it work?
Laser hair removal works by destroying the hair follicles. The devices used for these treatments use concentrated light energy or laser that is absorbed by the melanin present in the skin. The light energy is then converted to heat energy that destroys the hair follicles in the skin which consequently prevents hair growth. Sounds too good to be true? Here's the catch. Laser hair removal is not a cheap alternative of waxing and threading and costs way more than these at home natural remedies. If you get laser treatments done from expert professionals at parlours be prepared to spend thousands of dollars to get rid of hair permanently.
Can we do this at home?
Luckily, with recent inventions, laser technology is available at your doorsteps as well. Philips recently launched their Philips Lumea Prestige IPL collection that has many amazing DIY laser hair removal devices to get rid of body hair at home. Likewise, many other brands have launched their own versions of such technology which gives you a cheaper alternative to visiting parlours and paying hefty bills for laser sessions. These are user friendly, easy to operate devices that come with user manuals for proper guidelines and instructions. The Philips Laser Hair Removal line includes Philips lumea bri956/00 and Philips Lumea BRI950. For those interested, you can easily purchase these and many other hair removal devices from a reliable store called BeautyPluse.
A Little Information about Philips laser hair removal device:
The Philips Lumea IPL Device uses an innovative light-based technology called Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) to destroy the hair regrowth cycle. Philips Lumea Prestige is the result of 14 years of hard work and research of expert dermatologists. According to various studies, this device shows significant reduction in hair growth just after as few as 3 to 4 weekly treatments, and help the users in achieving smooth, hair-free skin. Philips Lumea Prestige works efficiently and safely on a wide range of hair and skin type including naturally blonde, brown and black hair along with skin tones varying from very fair to dark hues. To match the uniqueness of each body part, Philips Lumea is the only IPL device that comes with convenient curved attachments designed to offer optimal results on body areas that are otherwise difficult to perform on.
Scared? Here are a few tips that might help.
If laser hair removal is new for you and you feel confused before your first session, here are five helpful tips that might come in handy.
- Shave before the treatment
Due to awkwardness, insecurity or merely to make their hair removal treatment less painful and quicker, many people prefer getting rid of body hair beforehand. While this isn’t necessary or a bad thing, it's still advised to shave only instead of waxing and threading, This is because plucking hair through threading or waxing leaves no chance for the laser to destroy the hair follicles. This can hinder the treatments results as they may not be as effective as normal.
- One session is never enough
Everyone has a different skin type with unique granules. Although this treatment is not restricted to a single race or ethnicity, laser removal works the best on darker skin tones. According to experts, laser treatment destroys about 80% of the hair follicles which in turn results in smoothe, silky and hairless skin for a longer time. To get premium results you need to sit in for several sessions, especially if you’re someone with a lighter skin tone.
- Do not use any products on the skin
Before going for a laser hair removal treatment, always ensure that your skin is neat and clean and free of any chemical or products. This is because skin care and beauty products contain certain chemicals that can react with the laser or heat causing damage to the skin like hyperpigmentation, irritation or even skin burns in worst cases. Moreover, the IPL treatment stretches your skin's pores and makes them prone to bacteria and infection. Always ensure that you use neat and clean hands, machine and towels on your skin both during and after getting your laser treatment done to avoid bacteria and leftover product from accumulating in the skin pores,
- Do your homework before hand
Before going for the hair removal treatment, learn about post-treatment irritation on google. This extra study about laser hair removal lets you know regarding what to do, what to avoid and what to expect after the treatment. This typically includes the side effects of laser treatments like swelling or irritation on the selected area. If you ever face such issues, there's nothing to worry about as these effects usually fade away within a day or two. For quicker relief apply cool or warm compresses on the swollen area. For people with sensitive skin it’s advised to consult your doctor before hopping into the laser hair removal sessions. Moreover, some laser devices are not suitable to work on a specific skin or hair ton, therefore before your appointment or session always ensure that the device being used is compatible for you. This can be done by conducting a skin tone test priorly.
- Avoid sun exposure
As useless as they might seem, body hair is actually quite significant for our overall health. It protects the skin from the sun’s harsh and radiant rays which can turn out to be cancerous in the long term. Once you get rid of your body hair permanently, your skin becomes prone to health conditions that arise due to sun exposure. Hence it's even more crucial for you to put on sunscreen every day, cover yourself up properly and avoid going in the sun to mitigate any possible health risks.
So should I go for it?
Despite the sun exposure risk many people opt for laser hair removal whether from parlors or using products like the Lumea Prestige IPLas it is an easy solution for most of their beauty concerns. It saves time, effort, energy and money in the long term if done and used properly. The risks followed by a laser treatment can easily be prevented by taking necessary precautions. According to many professionals including the NYC based dermatologist Dr. Josh Zeichner, NYC dermatologist and founder of Sobel Skin; Howard Sobel, M.D., dermatologist and medical director of Ingleton Dermatology; Rosemarie Ingleton, M.D., and Rachel Nazarian, M.D dermatologist at the Schweiger Dermatology Group,laser hair removing devices are a safe and efficient alternative to traditional and temporary methods. In my opinion Laser hair removing technology is one of the best favours of science to the beauty industry and people who dislike body hair, should definitely go for it.
