The number one question I get asked is “what exactly is the difference between electrolysis and laser hair removal?”
Laser hair removal uses light pulses on the skin to detect pigment from your hair and destroy that hair about half way down the follicle in a terminal (deep rooted) hair. It is not possible for it to destroy the follicle as stated on many websites. This is why it is not an FDA approved way to permanently remove hair. It can just cause a hair reduction. Once that hair has been treated, it is then put in a dormant state and will eventually grow back. The time for when these hairs come back is different for each person. Laser hair removal can not work on blonde hair because it does not contain enough pigment and can not work very well on darker skin tones because that factor makes it harder for the light pulse to detect the hair.
Electrolysis can work on any skin tone and on any hair type. It uses a small probe that is inserted into each individual follicle and emits an electric current that damages the stem cells that create the hair. Once damaged enough, that hair will not grow back. Like laser hair removal, it does take several sessions to complete treatments. The electrologist needs to meet every one of your hairs and because our hairs grow in phases, it takes several weeks to meet a new phase of hairs that could have been dormant during previous appointments. It is best for clients to schedule either weekly or biweekly appointments to start the cleaning process. Once the area has been cleaned and all the hairs have been treated (6ish months of treatments), then your appointments will get shorter and less often because there will be less hair to treat.
Laser hair removal is QUICK. It still does take several appointments because of our hairs growing in phases, but you will see results fast! The downside is that you will never get all of your hairs permanently removed this way. If you do choose the laser route and there are a those pesky hairs that didn’t go to sleep, you can follow up with electrolysis. Just know that in several months to several years you will start to see those lasered hairs grow back. If you have patience and want to choose the electrolysis route, you will be slowly working your way to removing those unwanted hairs permanently.
Let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for reading.
Jamie
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