Many women and men that are looking for a permanent solution to remove their hair will
sooner later come to the question whether to choose Electrolysis or Laser Hair Removal. Both methods do
what they're supposed to do, which is to remove unwanted hair permanently but they do so in very different ways.
Electrolysis is a slow process, it removes the
hairs one by one and this can take a lot of time depending on the amount of hair you want removed, this method
can also be a bit painful. The method itself consists of inserting a small probe into the hair root, the
probe then releases a small electric current that destroys the hair follicle at the root.
Laser Hair
Removal is a lot quicker and less painful and the laser can treat several hundreds of hairs at
the same time. This method works by having the laser light penetrate the skin down to the hair, the hair absorbs
the light and tranforms it into heat which then destroys the hair follicle.
Looking at the two methods
(Electrolysis, Laser Hair Removal) laser seems like the obvious
choice, but there is more to it. The effectivness of Laser Hair Removal can vary a great deal depending on the
persons skin tone and hair color. Here's how it works: People with a light skin tone and dark hair will have the
best results, the laser is less effective on people with a darker skin tone (both the natural and tanned)
but they can still achieve good results, people with very light hair (blonde and red) can have
trouble getting the results they want. The answer to why it is this way lies in a pigment called melanin. This
pigment is more present in dark skin and dark hair and this pigment is what absorbs the laser
light.
Another thing that seperates the two are the treatment times. Below is an estimate of how long
it takes to treat different parts of the body between the 2 methods.
Electrolysis Laser Hair Removal
Armpits 4-10
hrs 1-5 minutes
Bikini Line 8-16
hrs 8-15 minutes
Chin 2-10
hrs 2-5 minutes
Upper Lip 4-10
hrs 1-5 minutes
Make sure to ask all the questions you might have to the doctor, dermatologist, technician or
whoever is doing your treatment. The most important thing is that you are prepared and comfortable during the
whole process.
