You’d be lying if you said you never thought about it. And the truth is, why not think about it? The benefits of laser hair removal have their charm. Can you imagine? Never shaving again?
I admit it, I’d been thinking of laser hair removal for a long time, but I can’t pass up a good deal and when Groupon suggested I pay just $99 for 6 laser hair treatments (the average amount needed to totally fry your hair), I had to give in. Many of my friends had gone under the laser before, with mixed reviews. Most of them had seen great results, some of them with more discomfort than others. But I’m pretty tolerant to pain so I figured it would be a breeze (try a brazillian wax sometime, that s**t will prepare you for combat).
On beautiful, sunny February 24th, I was sitting doing nothing-unfortunately they were all booked that day. So instead on rainy and cold February 25th I took the trip to the lower west side to find my little house-o-hair-removal-dreams. The salon itself, located on W 8th St. was pretty charming and filled with customers (always a good sign). I filled out a few forms, one for in case they kill me, one for in case I miss an appointment, etc and then my technician took me upstairs into a small room much like the ones in a doctor’s office.
There was a small bed, and a giant machine that was buzzing like it meant business. Bring it on. I rolled up my leggings and put on some super stylish anti-laser goggles.
The technician drew a thick white line on my leg (like my socks?) to mark where she should stop and ask me to turn on my stomach. Well, five minutes later I wasn’t so tough. I had heard laser hair removal feels like the snap of a rubber band on your skin. For me, it felt more like the snap of a giant ice pick on the skin. Thankfully the process lasted no more than ten minutes (for my lower legs and underarms) and I was ready to go. By the time I reached the Port Authority, I could no longer feel any pain and I was a happy camper.
So far, I’ve seen a significant reduction in hair growth so I think I can confidently recommend that this procedure works! Just don’t think its a free pass…if you want to be hair free forever, you’ll have to earn it like the rest of us!
Hair removal is experienced differently by people of different skin types. Because the laser seeks out dark pigment, not specifically hair, the process works best for light skin and dark hair and is not recommended for very dark skin. Find a qualified and experienced technician before beginning a treatment!