Permanent Hair Removal: That’s What You Should Know
What do I need to know if I decide to have permanent hair removal? We have summarized the most important information about methods, costs and effects here.
Tired of body hair? But it is also annoying if you decide to regularly remove hair on your legs, arms or in the genital area. Because no matter whether you decide to have an epilation or a razor, after a few days or weeks the hairs start to sprout again. More and more women are therefore opting for permanent hair removal – and this already during puberty. This is how they want to stay permanently hair-free. This is also confirmed by Dr. med. Nicola Otte, head of laser medicine at the Dermatologikum Hamburg: “Hair – wherever – has become totally uncool in young girls. Girls between the ages of 14 and 16 come to our practice and find their fine down on the upper lip already disturbing”.
In the age group of 16 to 55-year-old women, hair removal in the bikini zone is most popular, closely followed by the lower legs. The armpits take third place. By the way, there is hardly any part of the body where the hair cannot be removed.
Hair-free with laser treatment
Hair removal with the laser (laser epilation) is considered to be particularly effective. However, Dr. Nicola Otte makes one thing clear: “There is no such thing as a hair removal method for ‘always-always'”. Because even if the majority of the hair roots have been removed with the help of a laser and the flash lamp and no hair has grown for many years, it can happen that one or the other root regenerates and a new hair develops. In most cases, however, a maximum of three laser treatments are sufficient to prevent these hair roots from producing hair again.
What must be considered before and after laser epilation?
Every professional treatment begins with a detailed consultation, a well-founded analysis of skin and hair and, if necessary, a test treatment.
The skin should not be tanned before laser hair removal, as the increased melanin in the skin can cause burns. In addition, the sun should be avoided for four to six weeks after the treatment – a high sun protection factor is mandatory for the entire duration of treatment. This is the only way to be sure that the vascular sclerotherapy works optimally.
How long does the laser treatment last and how many sessions are necessary?
The duration and costs of permanent hair removal using laser procedures vary considerably. They depend not only on the body part to be treated, but also on the density and texture of the hair. Since hair grows cyclically in three phases all over the body and the majority of our hair follicles are in the so-called resting phase for most of the time, i.e. no new hair is formed in the hair root, you should schedule at least six sessions at four-week intervals.
Permanent hair removal with laser: What are the costs?
The prices at a dermatologist can be much higher than in a beauty salon. However, doctors usually have better facilities for analysing skin and hair – and therefore the knowledge of which technique suits everyone best. They also have the latest equipment at their disposal; in the field of lasers, for example, this is currently the vectus diode laser.
You do not want to spend so much money? Then you should be aware that lower costs in a beauty salon can, in case of doubt, have a high price in the form of serious side effects such as pigment disorders, inflammations or severe burns.
By the way: In most cases, the costs for permanent hair removal are not covered, unless the hair growth is due to illness or you suffer from a lot of ingrown hair which has to be removed again and again by surgery. It is best to check with your health insurance company before treatment.
Permanent hair removal: These methods are still available
Needle epilation
In 2005 the magazine “test” published a report in which it praised needle epilation, also called electro-epilation, as the most effective method of permanent hair removal. With this technique, each individual hair root is given a small electric shock with an ultra-fine needle, which is supposed to desolate it. An advantage: In contrast to hair removal with some laser devices, even very fine, light-coloured hairs can be removed. The disadvantage of this method is that it can be extremely painful, especially if the area to be treated is large. The after-effects can also be serious. For example, swelling and reddening, but also inflammation can occur, especially if used improperly. This is one reason why needle epilation has been largely replaced by other methods today.
Hair removal with alexandrite and diode laser
Lasers make use of the absorption capacity of skin and hair. “There are three places where the light is effective,” explains Dr. Nicola Otte. “In melanin, the pigment of skin and hair, in haemoglobin, the red blood cells, and in water.” The absorption of light in melanin generates heat. This destroys the hair root and prevents new hair from forming at this point.
Most dermatologists today work with diode and alexandrite lasers. They fire in exactly the same wavelengths as those absorbed by melanin – and only in these wavelengths. This is to minimize possible side effects (such as injuring veins). The latest models can even be individually adjusted to the skin and hair type. “We work with a device that estimates how much pigment is contained in hair and skin in several measuring processes before treatment and thus provides us with an individual setting recommendation,” explains the laser expert. “This enables an effective and at the same time minimally invasive treatment.”
Good to know: the key to hair removal with laser is melanin. And that’s why dark hair is easier to remove than light hair – if a hair contains a lot of melanin, the hair’s ability to absorb it is also higher. “Today, however, we can also remove blonde and reddish hair,” explains Dr. Otte. “This was not possible a few years ago.” However, if a hair is completely white, i.e. it has lost all its dye, hair removal by laser is not possible.
IPL (Intense Pulsed Light)
The IPL device is also a laser and targets the melanin in hair. The difference: While alexandrite and diode lasers always fire at the same wavelength, the light of the IPL device lies within a certain spectrum that can be varied between 650 and 1200 nanometers.
“Professionally applied, the IPL method is just as effective as the other technologies,” explains Dr. Otte. “However, IPL has fallen into disrepute mainly because so much fooling around with this technology has been done”. It is precisely because the IPL laser does not emit light at a fixed wavelength, it cannot be ensured that only melanin is addressed if the wavelength spectrum is incorrectly adjusted. Possible consequences: Swelling, redness, pigmentation and burns.
Hair removal with the IPL device is not only offered by doctors, but also by beauty salons. Although the “Law for the protection against non-ionizing radiation” came into force in March 2010, the use of IPL devices is still not clearly regulated. Many insurance companies therefore require proof of special training, but there is a problem: the training is usually offered by the equipment manufacturers and is not objective. The German Dermatological Laser Society DDL also demands a legal basis for the use of lasers and high-energy flash lamps (IPL) for aesthetic-cosmetic procedures: “Our aim is that these procedures will only be performed by trained physicians or under medical supervision in future”, says Dr. med. Wolfgang Kimmig, President of DDL. A similar legal basis was recently enacted in Denmark.
IPL devices for home use
For some time now, IPL devices have also been available for home use. “They are about ten times less powerful than the devices used by doctors,” says Otte. In the meantime, they are technically very advanced and very easy to handle. Unfortunately, the hair does not disappear forever with this method; it only grows back very slowly, brightly and very finely. Important: Adjust them to the skin tone or have them adjusted.
Attention: Many IPL devices are delivered without safety glasses. You should wear these in any case during the application to avoid damage to the eye!
The alternative: Creams
For women with very fine, light to white hair there are alternatives: creams (for example Vaniqa cream from Almirall Hermal). Although they do not permanently remove unwanted hair, they prevent the formation of a certain enzyme that is needed to build up hair with the help of the active ingredient eflornithine. In this way, no new hair can form. Unfortunately, they have to be used every day and are both available only on prescription and not very cheap: 30 grams cost about 58 euros.