Smooth Solutions

Nobody likes a hirsute lady or hairy arms and legs and a countless remedies have been attempted over the years. The simplest way by which women kept themselves hairless was by shaving the excess hair off. Some resorted to using wax, others use epilators which are nothing but a man’s shaver modified for use by women. Other painful methods involved plucking out hair with tweezers and threading. None of these methods gave lasting effect as the hair grows back over time.

To address the problem experts decided to literally go to the ‘root’ of the problem, namely, the root of the hair. Thus came into being electrolysis. In this each hair follicle is individually targeted with an electrical needle and zapped. This was a time consuming process that depended a great deal on the skill of the zapper. At times, the zapping left ugly blotch marks and hair missed out would grow back and look blotchy and uneven. Such a process was quite painful and could be used only for small sections of the skin. As a refinement of the zap technique, lasers have been introduced. The determinant factor here is the wavelength of the laser in use.

Laser hair removal systems typically exploit the wavelengths closer to the infrared range. This range allows the laser to penetrate deep and destroy the hair follicle thermally. To prevent heat damage to surrounding tissue, the area is kept cool by applying water-based gel or cooling rods. The proponents of laser removal techniques promise a more lasting effect. But a complete permanent removal is never possible. Any technique that involves burning the skin is bound to have side effects. Laser removal is no different and results in redness of the skin, blisters and hyper-pigmentation in some people. Hair removing creams fair no better in their quest for permanent removal of hair. Thus what must be understood is that all such measures are temporary in nature and that one should not be duped by tall claims.