Over the years, women have continued to look for ways to remove hair. Permanent solutions have continued to evade those looking for smooth skin without the distraction of coarse or unsightly hair. Shaving tends to leave nubs of hair that feel even worse to the touch than if the hair grew long, and it is the most short-term solution, with hair growing back within a days time. Waxing is painful and still has to be done very frequently in order to keep skin smooth and hair-free. Even electrolysis doesnt provide a permanent solution often, the hair follicles are merely damaged rather than destroyed, leaving them with the ability to grow hair (albeit a finer, lighter hair than previously).

Laser hair removal therapy is the latest trend in hair removal. Laser gives new hope to the thought of a permanent solution for unsightly hair. Less painful than electrolysis or waxing, laser hair removal uses a laser beam to target the hair follicles of the current hair cycle (the visible, growing hairs) and destroys them, leaving them unable to reproduce hair in the future.

Laser hair removal requires fewer treatments than electrolysis in order to even attempt to permanently remove any hair, electrolysis treatments must continue for years. Laser tends to permanently remove most hair within five to six treatments, with the exception of extremely dense areas (like mens beards).

Why might laser hair removal take so many treatments if the hair follicles are killed? You should understand that hair grows in cycles; everyone has three separate hair cycles, and two are dormant while one grows. This means that you have to wait for the next cycle to grow prior to getting another treatment (usually at least eight weeks after the previous laser treatment). So, if there are only three hair cycles, why should you have five or six laser treatments? Sometimes, it may take two passes to pinpoint all the hair follicles in a cycle and destroy them. After all, it would be a bit strange to walk around with a few errant hairs growing from spots that may simply have been hard to get to for the nurse.

Be aware that, once a follicle is destroyed, it can never again produce a hair. And bodies do not produce new hair follicles after birth we are born with all of the hair follicles we will ever have. So, if you choose to participate in laser therapy treatments, you can not expect to stop and re-grow all of your hair. Also, laser targets the pigment of the hair, so if your hair is red or blonde, laser is not an option for you. Sure, you could try it, but youd be wasting your money.

All laser hair removal therapy must be done in an office by a trained professional, and a nurse or doctor will perform the therapy session. With all of the advances in laser treatments today (new and different lasers are available all the time), the latest technologies and all of the improvements in equipment and training allow for greater diversity in clientele. What does that mean? That means there are different types of lasers available that will work for almost any skin tone and almost any hair color, as long as you DO have pigment to your body hair.

So, the next time you sit down to shave your legs or wax your upper lip, think about laser hair removal therapy. Perhaps its the best solution to avoid the time consuming, painful efforts youve lived with for years.