Some say it’s a beauty treatment while others call it grooming. Men and women go through laser hair removal on a daily basis, and it is marketed as a treatment to permanently “get rid” of unwanted body hair. There are quite a number of different systems that are used, but at the end of the day, no matter what you call it, it is still laser hair removal.

Contrary to what most people think or say, laser hair removal is used to permanently “reduce” unwanted body hair over a period of time, and with luck, you might just end up without that much hair. In other words, after having a number of sessions, your body hair might start taking extended sabbaticals to grow back, which is a good thing or?

How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?

Apparently, it sounds very easy and straight to the point, but that’s not the case. There are a few factors to consider here like your hair color and hair texture. Reason for this is that the laser beam, which supposedly roasts your unwanted hair into oblivion, has to be attracted by melanin at the root of your little follicle. When this happens, then that would be a job well done. If it is not attracted, no matter how much chemistry you try to force, very little or nothing will happen.

But, depending on the kind of laser hair removal system your laser therapist has, you can be lucky, because there are some which target all hair and skin types. This leaves me asking myself why your skin and hair type have to matter. I will get back to you on that.

SEE ALSO: Non-Surgical 8-point Facelift

What you should do to have the perfect laser hair removal session

Avoid sun exposure prior to your laser hair removal session
Do not have any waxing done on the area, let your hair grow, even if it is unwanted. Reason is that the laser targets the root. And if there’s no root, then there’s nothing for the laser beam to fry.
Afterward, avoid tweezing or waxing
Stay out of direct sun for at least 24 hours
Do what the laser therapist tells you to do and you will not have any issues

Normally, one session of laser hair removal lasts a minimum of 15 minutes. Depending on the size of the area that you want zapped, it might take longer. Areas targeted for laser hair removal include the face, neck, armpits, bikini area, back, legs, hands, chest, and belly. Generally, you can have it done on your entire body, as long as it is not very close to your eyes and other sensitive areas. I mean, I have seen men shaping their beards with laser, and the outcome is always pretty awesome. The edges look like they have been measured with a ruler then the insides painted.

To see this so-called permanent reduction of hair happening, you should have at least six sessions, at intervals of 10 weeks maximum. After this, you can have maintenance treatments done every six to eight months for the next two years then you might just call yourself hair-free.

FYI, laser hair removal is not painful; it is a little bit stingy but I would not call that pain. Other than a little redness for some people, the after-effects are pretty minimal.