The Modern Girl’s Guide To Hair Removal

Summer is here, and that means legs are out, we’re wearing sleeveless tops and swimsuits, skin is bared.

image by Brad Olson for Luca Magazine. Makeup by Corinna Cooke

For most of us that means dealing with (and removing!) unwanted hair. There are several options when it comes to hair removal and we want to know the pros and the cons of each, so I asked a specialist, Sandra Caldwell from Blume Skin Centre in Scottsdale for the low down.

This post originally appeared in one of my beauty columns in Luca Magazine

Hair, we all have it, which is the best way to get rid of it?

Shaving

The basic option for hair removal is shaving with disposable razors. The typical women’s razor can be bought at drug stores in conjunction with shaving cream and post-shave moisturizers for around $25 a month. Most women shave every day or every other day, depending on the how dense the hair is or your how fast the hair grows. At a glance, shaving isn’t a bad deal at around 83 cents and 10 minutes each day. However, after ten years, that adds up to $3,000 and around 27 ½ days of lost personal time. Shaving also has some uncomfortable complications including cuts, irritation, bumps and ingrown hairs.

Waxing

Waxing treatments involve a visit to a salon or wax center. The technician spreads a thin layer of wax on the body area and then quickly rips it off in the opposite direction. Women usually try waxing because the results last longer than shaving. If you can acclimate yourself to the pain of waxing, the treatment will give you up to three weeks of no stubble, without the fuss of daily shaving. One of the requirements for waxing is that the hair must be at least ¼” long. That means before you receive a waxing treatment, you must allow your hair to grow and be visible for a week or more. If you have delicate skin, the wax can burn or cause inflammation. The cost of waxing varies. A full leg waxing costs around $65, while the bikini area can cost an extra $50. Depending on treatment area size, hair density, and the type of wax used it can take up to 40 minutes per visit. The

results show that waxing is efficient time-wise compared to shaving, but much costlier. The cost of waxing legs for ten years is over $6,500 with total time of 2 ½ days plus travel time to the salon.

Laser Hair Reduction

Laser Hair Reduction can be the most effective treatment for getting rid of hair on large or small areas of the body. The upfront cost for Laser Hair Reduction is greater that shaving or waxing, but the long-term cost is much less than either. With Laser Hair Reduction, you shave prior to each treatment, so there is no need to ever have visible hair growth. Laser Hair Reduction has some discomfort- it feels like a hot rubber band snap. Thankfully, the treatment is very quick with cold air blowing on your skin to relieve the brief pain. It takes an average of 8 sessions of Laser Hair Reduction to nearly or completely remove body hair, with full legs costing around $2,800 for the series. The time commitment is around 45 minutes per treatment, or a total of 6 hours for eight treatments plus travel time. The $2,800 up front seems like a large sum, but once you completed the treatment that is usually all you will ever need for that area. The average woman will want to have a maintenance touch up laser reduction treatment once every year. No more shaving, plucking, razor burn, or waiting for hair to grow out for waxing.

When you compare the cost, time, and effort of the three methods of hair removal, Laser Hair Reduction saves time and money. The true benefit from Laser Hair Reduction is freedom!

Sandra Caldwell is the Director of Blume Skin and Body is Scottsdale Arizona