Unsightly stubble, ingrown hair, shave bumps, and pain - where there is hair, there is a problem removing it. Depilation is a huge industry, from razors to bleaches to clinical treatments. Millions of treatments and millions of dollars are spent yearly trying to get rid of unwanted hair. But if shaving, waxing, tweezing, and electrolysis aren't the answer, what is?
There are two progressive options:
* Lasers. Laser hair removal, approved by the FDA in 1995, uses laser bursts to penetrate beneath the skin and damage hair follicles so that hair doesn't re-grow. The lasers are attracted to the color in the hair follicle and leaves the skin around it undamaged.
Old ruby lasers weren't good for people with dark skin since they were shallow, interacting with the surface of the skin and being attracted to the skin pigment as well as the hair; people with light hair (red, gray, or blond) may not respond to that kind of treatment, either. Modern diode lasers penetrate beneath the skin to the follicle, rather than skin pigments, making it more effective for a broader range of skin/hair types.
* Intense pulsed light with radio frequency (RF). The next generation of hair removal uses pulses of light energy alternating with radio frequency. Like laser hair removal, the light is attracted to the hair follicle; the RF, which is a stronger energy source but not as targeted, follows the course of the light and neutralizes the follicle.
Intense pulsed light devices are not lasers; they magnify light using filters which block unwanted wavelengths. Intense pulsed light alone can cause pain; but pulsed light alternated with RF is safer, along with being more effective.
Both diode lasers and intense pulsed light with RF work on facial hair as well as body hair - so smooth skin anywhere is easy to achieve.