After you finish a long exhausting day either at home or work, you take a break, have a shower, no you’re not going to bed, your friend has just called you to go out and you forgot to shave! Of course you have no time – or effort – for preparing waxes at home and there are only a couple of hours to get rid of regrowing hairs on your chin and legs. So, you shave and hope you get no cuts! Repeat this routine every time you decide to have some fun, this is so boring! If you’re one who suffers from this problem, you’ve probably heard about laser hair removal and asked “is laser hair removal painful?”
Hair removal is a problem that faces people most, especially for women. For ages women used to remove their hair regularly by traditional ways such as: waxing, shaving, and sugaring. But science develops daily, and there have been a magical way to remove hair called “Laser Hair Removal”. Of course you have many question about this technology… What it is, how it works, what the benefits and side effects are. Also, you may wonder is laser hair removal painful or not and what are the differences between it and IPL?
In this article, you will find all answers for your questions and more, just to make it easy for you to make your decision.
Table Of Contents
What Is Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal is the process of removing unwanted hair through laser beams that destroy hair follicles with minimal discomfort. This process is done by using a precise wavelength of laser that attack the pigment of hair then turns into heat. For this reason, laser hair removal works best on dark hair and light skin in order to not be attracted to skin, but goes instead for the darker pigment in hair follicle.
You must follow-up treatments to get the most out of laser hair removal. After each session, you will recognize fewer hairs as it can no longer grow up from follicles. If you want to get the best result you will need occasional maintenance sessions, these help ensure that the follicles do not regenerate any hair.
Is Laser Hair Removal Painful
You have definitely suffered from the pain that waxing and sugaring caused, they are not permanent ways though. Also, you will need to do it at least every 2 or 3 weeks and pay lots of money, time, and effort. Then, you won’t get permanent results or treated hairs. So, if you want permanent results that last for 8-12 weeks painlessly with lower cost and effort, go for laser hair removal.
To be clear, light-based technologies are the best way to remove unwanted hair with relatively less pain. However, during laser hair removal session (especially the initial ones) most people feel like rubber band snap against the skin. But it is largely based on your personal pain tolerance and the area of body that is being treated. Also, it depends on which complexion you have. If you have dark hair and light skin, it will be painless and more effective than with the opposite.
But, as usual, science has a solution for each problem we meet, there are many numbing creams that you can be used to reduce pain. You can find them easily as they are available at most clinics. Do not use numbing creams on areas to be treated at once, they should be applied 30 minutes before the procedure. Also, icing the area after each treatment helps relieve the side effects faster. Is laser hair removal painful though? let’s see next…
Laser Effect on Each Area of the Body
As I said before, laser hair removal depends on the area to be treated, because thickness of the skins of each area is not the same.
- Underarms: Imagine a life where you do not have to shave your underarms like forever, it’s a great feeling isn’t it? Laser hair removal works very well on this area, but it is the most sensitive area on body, so you’re going to feel more warmth and pain than on other areas. However, it’s still less painful than waxing and sugaring!
- Facial areas: Also thickness of the skin on each area of your face varies, so laser treatments feel different on each one. The thinnest area of face is the upper lip. Consequently, this is the most area where you’re going to feel a tingling sensation on.
- Bikini Line: Pain level is lower than underarms and facial areas. Unlike waxing and sugaring, it’s painless and permanent especially on this area.
- Arms: This area is thicker than face, it feels similar face however. You may experience moderate warmth and a little tingling sensation.
- Legs: Legs are one of the most pain-free areas to be treated. But, sometimes it’s a little uncomfortable on lower legs especially on shin and ankle. However, you can use numbing creams to help lower discomfort.
- Stomach: Stomach laser hair removal is actually pretty effective for men and women. Men want a hair-free beach body, so the stomach laser hair removal is most popular in summer. As we know skin in this area is thicker and there may be some level of discomfort.
Important Factors
- First Session: At first there will be lots of hair, so the first session is going to be the most uncomfortable one. Then, you’re going to feel less pain as more hair will be already treated.
- Personal pain tolerance: Not everyone has the same pain tolerance. So, you may find some people who can take high-intensity treatment sessions with more effectiveness, and some others are so sensitive that cannot tolerate but the lowest intensity setting. Ultimately it’s up to you.
Are you still asking “is laser hair removal painful” now?
Benefits of Laser Hair Removal
- Painless hair removal
- Most people get permanent hair loss after the initial 3 or 7 sessions
- Permanent hair reduction up to 8 weeks
- No drug interaction
- Non-toxic
- Fast treatment sessions, each pulse of the laser takes a fraction of a second
- No ingrown hairs
- Minimal side effects, there are only few minor side effect of laser hair removal, they rarely last more than 2 days though
IPL Laser Hair Removal
After we’ve answered your “is laser hair removal painful” question, let’s talk about another kin of light-based technologies. There are not many differences between IPL and laser hair removal, to know them you should first know what IPL is.
IPL, stands for Intense Pulsed Light, is a technology used by medical practitioners to perform various skin treatments including hair removal.
Like laser hair removal, IPL reduces hair growth, most effectively on lighter skins and darker hair. Laser and IPL hair removal both work on the same way by which light energy destroys the follicle, slowing hair growth and preventing it for long periods of time.
However, the main difference between IPL and laser hair removal is the type of light. IPL is a broadband pulsed light, while laser is a monochromatic coherent light. Both ways achieve the permanent results you always wished.
Also, IPL is wider than laser, meaning that it treats larger areas in less time. However, lasers are more effective as they can be modified to fit each individual hair type.
At-Home Laser Hair Removal
If you haven’t heard before about at-home laser devices, this part is for you…
At-home laser devices use the same clinical technologies, IPL or laser, with high safety and fast treatments. The difference here is that they are a little less effective but they can provide safe and fast at-home laser hair removal. Moreover, they are much cheaper than clinical laser hair removal. This way, you’re going to save money, time, and effort.
Also, these devices have complete safety systems to help you do the treatments just like an expert!
So, if you’re asking is laser hair removal painful, I’ll simply say no, it’s more comfortable now.
When we talk about safety and effectiveness, it’s worth mentioning a device that has all the good features: it’s Philips Lumea Prestige BRI956.
This device is provided with:
- Integrated safety system prevents unintentional flashing
- Skin tone sensor detects whether your skin tone is suitable or not
- Five energy levels adjustable according to your tolerance
- SmartSkin sensor automatically adjusts energy level depending on your skin tone
- Skin contact sensor, no flashing until the device is in full contact with your skin
- Integrated UV filter protects skin from UV light
- 4 attachments for face, body, bikini, and underarm
- 250,000 flashes enough for more than 15 years of use
Others features this device has include:
- FDA-cleared & doctor-recommended
- Very fast results up to 92% after only 4 sessions
- Suitable for face & full body treatments
- Can be used corded & cordless
- Gliding mode for treating large areas such as legs and arms
- 2 year global warranty
- 30 day money-back guarantee
Conclusion
Laser hair removal – & IPL as well – is an advanced technology by which hair can be permanently reduced. It can be widely modified to fit each personal complexion. Moreover, it’s no serious side effects, only mild warmth, a tingling sensation, redness, and minor swelling. It’s worth mentioning that these side effects (redness and swelling) rarely last for more than 2 days. Not to mention for how long you will get silky-smooth, hairfree skin with no need for shavers and waxes. So. I think you’ve got the answer to your question. Now, is laser hair removal painful?
