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Regularly plucking chin hairs? Using Nair to get rid of your moustache? Facial hair - it’s the bain of so many women’s lives. We’ve all tried hair removal at home - we pluck, we thread, we wax, we use depilatory cream, we shave...need I go on? You think you’ve got rid of it all, but 2 days later and you’ve got hairs that have grown in a different direction coming through. Sound familiar?
Search here for a medically-qualified professional to help you tackle your facial hair issues.
But fear not - there is a solution! Relinquish the razor, throw away the thread and wave goodbye to the wax - because laser hair treatment claims to significantly minimise hair growth. Yassssss!
Laser hair removal is an effective treatment that can reduce hair on areas of the face, such as the cheeks, upper lip and chin, as well as on other parts of the body, like the legs, bikini line, arms and chest. It uses laser beams to directly target hair that’s in the anagen stage of growth (the active growth stage), while keeping the skin around it safe. The laser heats up the hair follicle, damaging it and reducing the chances of it growing back.
Even better, it’s a fast treatment (generally just minutes), and there’s no downtime! Where do I sign up?
So, it sounds great so far, right, but just how effective is laser hair treatment on facial hair? For some people, laser hair removal reduces hair growth by 100%, but according to the FDA, laser hair removal can last up to two years, after which you might need to go for top up appointments. Still, not bad compared to hair removal techniques that just days.
For the best results, you’ll need multiple treatments. This is due to the fact that our hair grows in different stages. Hair needs to be in the anagen stage to be treated, so most practitioners recommend around 10 sessions, to ensure you get all of your hairs at their most active growth phase.
Laser hair removal is not so much painful, but is often described as uncomfortable - but of course, this depends on your pain threshold. Many people describe it as similar to being pinged by an elastic band, which, on the grand scheme of things is not too bad.
For the upper lip area, laser hair treatment is priced from £40 per session, but this can depend on the area you’re in. For larger areas of the body, you can expect to pay more - which makes sense.
Laser hair removal works best on thick, dark hair, and generally speaking, it’s not suitable for people with grey, red or blonde hair. It used to be the case that laser hair treatment wasn’t suitable for darker skin tones, but there are now various machines, including the Nd: YAG, that work well on different skin and hair types - finally! Check with your practitioner and book a consultation to get the lowdown on whether their machine is safe for your skin type and likely to work on your facial hair.
Want to know even more about laser hair removal? Discover everything you need to know in our treatment guide, including the difference between laser and IPL hair removal.
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