Electrolysis vs Laser Hair Removal

Permanent vs Permanent Reduction

From ancient civilizations to current times, hair removal has always been an aesthetic concern. One of Alexander the Great’s obsessions was having a smooth beard free face. This led to the beginning of the barbershop. And, according to historical findings, Cleopatra used the sugaring method for having a smooth hair free body and face.

Move forward a few centuries to 1915, Harper’s Bazaar magazine ran a marketing campaign advertising that female underarm hair as being unfeminine, unhygienic and unfashionable for the sleeveless clothing styles of the day. The fashionable ladies of the day ran to purchase razor blades. That campaign had more of an impact than ever imagined!

Today we have the technologies of electrolysis and laser hair removal for men and women who want to have a smooth hair free face or body. Which is the better technology? Which will give the most permanent solution? What does permanent reduction mean in the world or hair removal?

Medical electrolysis has been around for many years and has a proven track record to be a successful way of permanently removing hair on any part of the body. Electrolysis is approved by the FDA and Health Canada for permanent hair removal. There is no criteria who can be treated with electrolysis. Electrolysis is colourblind. Electrolysis can be done on any skin tone and works on all hair colours including the fine vellus hair. Electrolysis can be safely used around the eyes and eyebrows. Under normal conditions, with an experienced technician you will have permanent results. The only drawback is that you have to treat one follicle at a time which can be very time consuming, especially for large areas.

Laser hair removal is fast and efficient, but is only approved for permanent hair reduction. Your best candidate is a light skin tone with dark hair. If your hair is blond, red, white or light brown the laser will not work. Laser does not see it! If you have darker skin, treatments are possible, but there are much higher risks and your technician must qualified to treat darker skin types or scarring can be possible. In Canada there are no guidelines for education or qualifications. Therefore, laser hair removal can carry high risks of blistering, burning, hyper and hypo pigmentation and no results. It is very buyer beware market.

The term “permanent “hair reduction under the FDA’s definition is “the long-term, stable reduction in the number of hairs regrowing after a treatment regime”. This means that laser treatments can permanently reduce the total number of body hairs, but laser hair removal will not result in a permanent removal of all hair.

The best way to ensure you have the best results possible is to make sure the individual doing your treatments is highly experienced in both medical electrolysis and laser hair removal. An experienced technician will look at things that could interfere with your results, such as skin conditions, skin and hair color, area of treatment, certain medications and genetics during your consultation and give you the best option for the area of your concern. A combination of both modalities may be needed.

Electrolysis and Laser Hair Removal, permanent versus permanent hair reduction. The bottom line is to get the best results possible you need an experienced technician in both electrolysis and laser hair removal.