Kelly the Culinarian: Why I Chose Laser Hair Removal

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Why I Chose Laser Hair Removal

Welcome to a whole big post about hair removal.  You're welcome, world.  If you don't want to hear about hair removal, stop reading now. If you do want to know all the gory details about laser hair removal, I'm your gal.

I have very pale skin and very dark hair, which has made me self conscious since grade school. I have tried, in order: shaving, dipilatory creams, Nads, sugaring and waxing, all with varying levels of pain and annoyance. Shaving always caused irritation, creams left the root intact and Nads bruised my skin. Sugaring and waxing worked the best for me, but it's expensive and painful. Plus, the hair has to grow to a certain level before it can be removed entirely. This is a problem when you're training for a triathlon and wearing a swimsuit several times per week.

Plus, you know it's bad when your waxing lady asks if you've ever considered laser hair removal. And I did, but it seemed like an expensive and frivolous thing to do. But, each visit to the waxing salon ran me roughly $65. That means it was taking several hundred bucks per year to stay fuzz free.

I had a friend get laser hair removal using a Groupon deal and she had great things to say about it, which made me consider it again. She got a three-session package, but said it really takes more like six sessions for it to be effective.

When I saw a Groupon for six laser hair removal sessions  for $319 at a medspa near my house, I jumped on it after I read the positive Yelp reviews of the place.

I'm four sessions in and it has made a huge difference. Each session is scheduled about six weeks apart, so this isn't a quick fix. But, it should be a permanent one. The hair I have left is very fine and easy to shave with minimal irritation. With any luck, it will be gone in another two sessions.

In terms of pain, it is more painful than waxing, but not by much. It's over faster than waxing, though, and gets less painful as the sessions continue.

Here are a few things to keep in mind about laser hair removal:

  • Always, always use a Groupon or LivingSocial deal. There are deals for laser hair removal on there every day. There's no need to pay full price.
  • Check the reviews for any place you're considering. Some are shady, and I've heard complaints online from people who bought Groupon deals but then can't schedule their sessions.
  • Regardless of where the hair is, you'll probably need six sessions to catch the hair at different stages of growth.
  • Shave before your first session, but skip the body lotion. This makes it less painful.
  • You cannot wax the hair once you start treatments. You can only shave.
  • You have to avoid sun exposure when you're undergoing treatments, so you'll want to consider starting in the off season.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Gutsy to post this, but helpful to know. ;)

Maggie W said...

Thank you! Luckily red hair = pale body hair. But pale doesn't mean non-existent, so I'm still curious :)

KellytheCulinarian said...

It's worth every penny.

Losing Lindy said...

As I am getting older, my hair is getting a mind of its own

emmers712 said...

Thanks for sharing this info! I have certain areas where neither shaving nor waxing nor depilatories do the trick, so this is good to know.

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing :) Two of my friends have tried laser hair removal with success (still in progress though) but for some reason I'm still secretly afraid or just plain lazy to get the groupons that always pop up. Seriously, I just need to do it!

Erin said...

Wow! Thank you for sharing your experience with this. I have wondered about it myself for the exact same reasons. I may email you for more info.

KellytheCulinarian said...

I'm available for questions!