Comparison of Laser Hair Removal Methods

Getting rid of unsightly or unwanted body hair is something that most adults spend some time dealing with. Traditionally women have been more concerned with "unsightly" hair because it is generally considered unacceptable for a woman to have obvious facial hair, or significant growth anywhere on their bodies other than the obvious places.

While men are usually content to spend five or ten minutes every day shaving their facial hair, the situation for most women is quite different. Because of cultural expectations women find themselves much more preoccupied with the task of eliminating or at least temporarily dealing with unwanted hair.

Old fashioned shaving is a never ending ordeal for many women. It is time consuming, annoyingly temporary, and often quite uncomfortable - especially where nicks and cuts are involved. And there are some parts of the body where shaving just won't work for women - especially the facial areas.

That is why millions of women turn to alternatives such as depilatories, waxing, electrolysis and laser hair removal. What are these things, and what are their strengths and weaknesses?

Using a depilatory cream involves applying a chemical treatment to the hair you want to remove. The most commonly used chemical is some variant of calcium thioglycolate. When applied to the skin it breaks down the disulfide bonds in keratin - a component of hair - and weakens the hair so it can be easily scraped off or pulled from the hair follicle.

While depilatory treatments are relatively inexpensive, and can be applied by oneself at home, they also have some serious disadvantages. For starters, they have a foul chemical smell and can result in serious skin irritation or allergic reactions. The treatments also do not last very long. Regrowth starts to appear within a couple of days. In some people - especially people with darker hair - a shadow is clearly visible beneath the surface of the skin.

Waxing is another common form of hair removal. The normal waxing procedure involves spreading a special wax mixture over the skin. A cloth or paper strip is then pressed on top of the wax and pulled off with a quick ripping motion.

Related articles

• How to Create Different Eye Looks
• 2009 Hairstyles - Latest Hairstyles and Revolutionary Thinki
• Trendy Chic Pubic Hair Styles - How to Dye Grey Pubic Hairs
• Short Hair Styling Tweaks
• You, Your Hair, and Flat Irons