More than a million people had laser hair removal treatments in 2018, making it one of the most popular cosmetic treatments for both women and men, according to data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Wondering why it's so popular? These five reasons might explain it:
This is one of the biggest reasons why men and women decide to make the switch from shaving to laser hair removal. With shaving, no matter how close you get the blade to your skin and no matter how smooth your results may be, you’re going to have to repeat the whole process — again and again — at least every few days or so to maintain those results. That’s because shaving just cuts the hair off at the skin’s surface, leaving the root of the hair untouched. As the hair growth cycle continues, the hair shaft will lengthen, and the next thing you know, it’s time to break out the razor and shaving cream. Laser hair removal works on the hair’s root and the follicle that supports the root. During your treatment, the laser energy is absorbed by the hair, traveling all the way down to the follicle. The energy heats up the follicle, damaging it and preventing it from nurturing the hair. Over time, laser hair removal treatments can actually destroy the hair follicle (without damaging your skin). That means you won’t have to worry about that follicle producing hair in the future. And that’s a big benefit, especially if you really want to avoid the repetitive hassles of shaving.
There was a time not too long ago when laser hair removal was reserved primarily for people with dark hair and light skin; the lasers available at that time weren’t so good at achieving results in people with other combinations, and in some cases, they could even cause irritation and other problems. But thanks to advances in technology, today’s lasers are designed for safe, effective hair removal on all skin types and all hair types. Plus, treatment can be completely customized for your specific needs and goals.
A few years ago, researchers set out to find out how much time the average man and woman devote to shaving during a lifetime (not counting waxing, plucking, and threading). What they found was startling: The average man, the study found, spends about 45 days of his life shaving his face; that’s based on an average time of five minutes per shave, four times per week. Obviously, men who shave other regions or who shave daily devote considerably more time to the activity. For women, the results were even more alarming: Researchers found the average woman spends about 72 days of her life shaving — and again, that doesn’t count the time spent waxing, plucking, or threading. That’s a lot of time spent wielding a razor — time that could be spent doing something a lot more fun. With laser hair removal, you can achieve permanent hair removal — and that means you can finally say goodbye to your razor, once and for all.
As for cost, yes, laser hair removal certainly has a higher cost initially. But considering your results can be permanent, that means you won’t have to pay another penny for razors, shaving cream, or ongoing waxing and tweezing. Bonus: You won’t have to deal with the recurring pain of tweezing and waxing, either.
Shaving, waxing, and plucking can all irritate your skin, even if your skin is prepared ahead of time. Sometimes, shaving can leave you with painful ingrown hairs or unattractive red bumps that can leave your smooth, silky legs looking warty. With laser hair removal, the hairs are zapped away, so all these “side effects” are eliminated. Plus, while shaving can leave you with stubble even a day or two later, with laser hair removal, your smooth results can last — sometimes forever. And finally, the design of the laser applicator makes it easy to get rid of unwanted hair no matter where it shows up, including the sensitive bikini area and the impossible-to-reach back.
At Dutch Hollow Medical Day Spa, we use state-of-the-art IPL laser hair removal to help our patients get smooth, sleek, sexy skin, offering individualized treatment plans so patients can feel confident in their results, right from the start. To learn more about laser hair removal and how it can help you leave your shaving (or plucking or waxing) routine behind, book an appointment online today.
