Laser Hair Removal at Home
Written by Alex on April 16th, 2009There are ways you can perform laser hair removal at home if you the in-office method is too expensive or intrusive for you. Recently the FDA approved home hair removal systems and considers them effective alternatives to professional treatments. This means you can conduct laser hair removal treatments in the privacy of your own home and at any time which is convenient for you.
How The Treatment Works
The home system is the basically the same treatment you’d get at a professional laser hair removal clinic, except the strength of the laser is lower. For some, this can make the treatment less effective, making more repeat treatments necessary. If you’ve got a lot of extra time, this is no big deal.
Laser hair removal works by aiming an invisible laser that brings a constant source of heat at the hair follicle for short amounts of time. The laser disables and destroys the hair follicle leaving it unable to regrow hair.
By design the laser is programmed to attack hair follicles and leave the skin unharmed. Depending on the skin characteristics of the patient this is sometimes unavoidable and burns or other hair removal side effects may occur.
Home Hair Removal Results
Results from home hair removal systems vary from patient to patient. Those with ideal characteristics for hair removal tend to fair better than others.Even the best outcomes from home hair removal treatments tend to fall short of those performed professionally.
Often, because the strength of the laser is less, home hair removal systems have a difficult time making the hair loss permanent. This means that to completely destroy the hair follicle even more treatment sessions are required at home. This is great for those with more time than money, but someone looking for quick results should probably look into professional treatments.
Advantages of Laser Hair Removal at Home
Those that are looking into buying a hair removal system do so for a number of different reasons. Two of the most common reasons and the deciding factors for many are cost and privacy. Others buy home systems for the convenience of treating themselves whenever they want rather than by appointment.
Price is perhaps the primary reason for buying a home laser hair removal system. Costs for professional treatments can exceed $5,000 depending on both the geographic and body location as well as the number of treatments that will be necessary to achieve the desired results. Buying a home system can be a bit pricey, but it is a one time purchase that can be used repeatedly.
Some people aren’t comfortable with the imposing nature of having hair removal treatments done professionally. Those that find such procedures uncomfortable look to home hair removal systems to give them the results they want while allowing them to maintain their privacy.
Disadvantages of Laser Hair Removal at Home
There are some disadvantages that come with undergoing laser hair removal at home. For many the process is much too time consuming to do on their own. Each hair needs to be done individually and for a novice user, the machines can be difficult to use. Over the entire length of treatment many hours can be saved by seeing an experienced technician.
Inexperienced users also risk hurting themselves by performing the treatment without proper training. If used incorrectly the laser can cause burns, scarring or other painful and possibly permanent side effects. These risks can never be completely avoided, but by seeing a trained professional they can be minimized.
Home Laser Hair Removal is Right Decision for Some, Not All
Laser hair removal at home is seen from very different viewpoints. There are many bright people who think of it as safe and the absolute way to remove unwanted hair. And there are others who think the procedure is much to dangerous to put in the hands of untrained consumers.
Whether home hair removal is right for you or not is something that should be left up to the user to decide. For some it has worked wonders at a fraction of the price charged by professionals. Others have had horrible experiences that have left them in pain and with damaged skin.
Before you decide, be sure to carefully consider all options as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each. Once you have all the information you can then make the best decision for your situation.