How to Best Achieve Permanent Hair Removal

After about the thousandth or so time you go through the process of shaving or waxing your legs, armpits, or bikini zone, you may start to wonder if there is a better way to keep your skin hair-free without all the hassle, mess, and wasted time. Well, the short answer is yes, there definitely are better ways to deal with hair removal. In fact, there are multiple approaches to achieving permanent hair removal. The only question is which method will offer you the best results?
There are several important factors that must be considered when exploring the various permanent hair removal options out there these days, and each person will have to choose the method that provides the best combination of effectiveness, cost, and convenience.
In this article, we will explain the different hair removal methods and processes that are able to offer permanent results, and the advantages and benefits that each method brings to the table.
First, it’s important to understand the process by which the hairs on our bodies grow, as this helps to explain the science behind how permanent hair removal methods are able to achieve their results.
How Does Hair Actually Grow?
Most of us probably don’t give much thought to the biology of hair growth, but it’s actually quite interesting to learn the process of it. Hair growth starts within a follicle, which is a tiny pocket of cells within our skin. Humans have millions of follicles all over our bodies, with some areas having a higher concentration than others. As you’d expect, the head has the highest concentration of follicles, and is also able to grow hair that is substantially longer than the other follicles we have on our bodies.
Within the follicle itself, the hair begins growing from the root, which is made up of a dense collection of protein cells. As the blood vessels in and around the follicle feed the root, it generates more protein cells and the hair grows longer and longer.
Interestingly, the body does not generate any new follicles over time, and we are born with as many as we will ever have. This means that once a follicle is no longer able to grow hair, it will not be replaced as we age.
Stopping the Growth, Permanently
In order to achieve permanent hair removal and stop the regrowth from occurring, it is necessary to affect the follicles in such a way that they are no longer able to grow hair. This is simply not something that can be done through methods such as shaving, waxing, or hair removal creams as they only affect the hair itself and not the follicle that is responsible for regrowth.
Shaving simply trims the hair very closely to the surface of the skin, while waxing, sugaring, and depilatory creams remove the entire hair down to the root. Of course, over time the root regenerates and the hair emerges once again. As we are sure you know all too well, this is a process that you need to repeat over and over again, which costs you time and money that could both be better spent on many other things.
So, what’s the alternative? Well, in order to permanently halt the growth of hair, it is necessary to turn to either electrolysis or light-based hair removal techniques. These two methods are very different in the technology used to achieve their results.
Electrolysis vs Laser Hair Removal
Electrolysis applies an electric current to each hair individually in the area that is to be treated. This electric current damages the cells in the follicles that are responsible for hair growth and renders them unable to regrow new hairs. Electrolysis has the advantage of being effective at permanently removing virtually any type of hair, but can be quite costly and time consuming. Multiple treatments are required to obtain the desired results, and the process can also be uncomfortable for some, and shocking to others.
Laser hair removal uses a precise beam of intensely focused light to heat up the pigment within the hairs all the way down in to the follicle. This heat then affects the cells within the follicle surrounding the hair and root, preventing their ability to regrow new hair. Laser hair removal has the advantage of being able to more quickly treat larger areas of skin with fewer treatments, but unfortunately is limited in the types of hair and skin that can be effectively treated.
Since laser hair removal uses a beam of light of a particular color of the spectrum, it is most effective on hair that is dark and skin that is light. This contrast is necessary in order to properly obtain the effects within the follicle when the laser is applied.
Additionally, the cost per visit is very high. The average price of laser hair removal on your legs in New York City is $450USD per leg – ouch… On the other side of the country, the average cost of laser hair removal for your legs is $150-200 for two legs per treatment. And you’d need at least 3-8 treatments with 5-6 weeks between treatments before you’ll begin to see permanent hair removal.
A Better Solution – IPL Hair Removal
A third method for permanent hair removal, known as Intense Pulsed Light technology or IPL hair removal, offers a much more convenient solution for people. Similar to laser hair removal, IPL uses intense beams of focused light to heat up the hair and inhibit the growth within the follicle. The main difference with IPL is that it uses the full spectrum of light in its beams, allowing for a much wider range of skin and hair tones to be effectively treated.
Because of this increased range of diversity in the types of skin and hair that can be treated, IPL is becoming a very popular option for many people. IPL provides a solution for people who do not desire the lengthy treatments or high cost associated with electrolysis, and do not have the stark contrast between their skin and hair tones that is necessary for effective laser results.
Better Results for Permanent Hair Removal At Home with an IPL Device
One of the biggest advantages that intense pulsed light hair removal technology offers is the added comfort and convenience of being able to perform the treatments by yourself in your own home. Handheld IPL hair removal devices are both effective and affordable, and help to bring you a solution for smooth, hair-free skin that lasts for weeks and weeks.
Silk’n offers several different models of IPL hair removal devices that provide safe, effective hair removal in an easy-to-use form factor. The Silk’n Flash&Go Compact set the standard for what home hair removal should be, and continues to be one of the best-selling and top-rated IPL devices around the world.
The Silk’n Flash&Go Jewel takes the proven IPL technology of the Flash&Go Compact Glide and packs it in to an even more svelte and streamlined form factor, perfect for targeting smaller areas for precision hair removal. In addition, the Jewel features triggerless operation, automatically pulsing on the skin for optimum results, and ceasing when lifted.
Building on the amazing technology of the Compact Glide and the Jewel, the Silk’n Flash&Go Express shortens the treatment times even more with an advanced quartz bulb that loads pulses and light flashes even faster than previous models. The Express delivers great hair removal results, fast.
The most advanced hair removal device is the new Silk’n Infinity, which combines proven IPL technology with the benefits of galvanic energy, delivered to the skin via a built-in galvanic electrode plate on the tip of the device. This unique combination of light and galvanic energy helps to open up the pores of the skin, making it even easier to treat thick, stubborn hairs right down to their roots. The Infinity also features a long-lasting quartz light emitter that is capable of producing 400,000 pulses, giving you a virtual lifetime of hair removal treatments.
Hair Today, Smooth Tomorrow, and Gone Forever!
If you’re tired of the mess and wasted time that goes along with shaving, waxing, or hair removal creams, then it’s time to give permanent hair removal some serious consideration. It’s so easy to get the smooth, hair-free skin that you’ve wanted for so long, that once you start using an IPL hair removal device like the Silk’n Infinity, you’ll wonder how you ever got by without it.
With no appointments to make at a salon, you’ll save plenty of time. With no razors, creams, or waxing supplies to buy, you’ll save money. With no irritation, razor burn, or pain, you’ll save a lot of hassle and discomfort. IPL is the permanent hair removal solution that you’ve been waiting for.
Isn’t it time that you gave permanent hair removal a try? We are confident that the results, and your satisfaction, will be exactly what you’re hoping for, and more.
Browse all the Silk’n hair removal devices today, check out all the hair removal related articles in our blog, or read more about hair removal in our Resource Center.