Home Laser Hair Removal

Laser technology has been used to remove hair for over 15 years, but only in salons and clinics. Now you can buy a laser hair removal device for home use. Whether you have tried laser treatments or you are exploring them for the first time, you will want to be informed about this new home appliance.

What is special about laser technology?

Laser technology is the most popular hair removal technique for women age 34 and under. Why? The answer is in the results. This method creates clean, smooth skin surfaces with minimal discomfort. The results are long-lasting, sometimes permanent, and can be achieved on large body areas in reasonable periods of time.

What are the benefits of laser hair removal at home?

The key benefits are privacy, convenience, and affordability. Some people prefer the privacy of doing their own personal care. Not having to commit to appointments at a clinic is another bonus. Our lives can be so busy that it is nice to be able to stay at home.

The cost of a series of clinic appointments to treat one part of your body can range from $1,000 to $3,000. A home system will cost only $800 to $1,000. Once you own a system, you can use it as many times as you wish.

When manufacturer’s instructions are followed, these appliances are quite safe. They come with safety features such as skin tone detectors, energy level options, and toll-free customer service lines.

How does a home laser hair removal device work?

The basic technology behind home laser hair removal is called selective photothermolysis. This is quite a mouthful, but the basic principles are fairly simple. When you direct a laser beam at light skin it is only absorbed by dark hairs. The heated hair follicles are damaged by the heat and eventually the hair falls out.

Unfortunately these systems only work for persons with light skin tones and dark body hair. Dark skin–black, medium and dark brown–will absorb the laser energy and be burned. Home lasers are not recommended for sun-tanned or naturally dark skin.

Home lasers are also not sold for removal of light hair–grey, blonde, or red–simply because they do not absorb laser energy.

How effective are home laser hair removal devices?

As noted above, these devices are very effective for removal of dark hair growth on light skin. After a series of sessions over a period of 4 to 8 months, growth can be reduced by 50% to 80%. Growth reduction is reported to be long-lasting and sometimes permanent. You can do occasional touch-ups after your initial series of treatments.

Multiple sessions are needed to reduce growth as much as possible. Why can’t the device complete the job in one session? A laser can only stop growth of hairs that are actively growing. At any moment in time, over half of our hairs are resting! Resting hairs are immune to a laser’s “attack”. You have to use the device every 2 to 4 weeks in order to catch hairs that have come out of hibernation.