How do you know which of the many methods currently available is the right for you? Before making a decision, ask yourself some questions. First of all, the method of hair removal you select will depend on the area of the body you want hairless. Do you want to remove hair from your face or your body? To be even more specific. Do you want hair removed from your:
- Abdomen
- Armpits
- Arms
- Back
- Belly button
- Chest
- Ear
- Eyebrows
- Eyelashes
- Face
- Knuckles
- Legs
- Neck
- Nipples
- Nose
- Pubic Area
- Top of the head
- Upper lip
When you have the area of the body you want to focus on, next determine whether your hair problem is hereditary. Some people are simply more prone to growing darker, coarser hair and if that's in your genes, know that no amount of treatment is going to completely solve your excessive hair problem. Now before you make a decision on total body hair removal, it's going to be very important to determine your spending limit. Keep in mind that most methods will require multiple treatments at various intervals. Hair removal methods range from a few dollars a month to several thousand dollars per treatment. Typically four, five or more of these costly treatments will be required.
Another thing to determine is your pain tolerance level. Don't laugh. How much pain you can handle will effect your selection of methods. Many of them are painful, and although the pain is temporary, they result in pain nonetheless. Waxing and electrolysis cause the most pain, so if you can't stand the pain, you should consider another method.
Finally, it is very important that you make sure you're going through the hair removal process because this is what you want. The decision to take this step should be made by you.
The above tips should help you getting started in the decision-making process. First, should you choose a permanent or a temporary hair removal method. Keep in mind that most methods are just temporary, and there is just no way around that fact. The only way to permanently stop hair growth is to damage the hair germination structure within the follicle. Electrolysis is the only method to achieve this goal. Laser therapy comes close, but more studies are needed.
Considering that laser and electrolysis are the most expensive of all the options, you need to refer back to the budgeting tip above. If you can't afford this method, you can't take advantage of it. A temporary method will be your only option. If you can afford the costs, then compare the risks against the benefits. The table below will help you decide from the most popular techniques.
Technique |
Body Area |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
| Friction |
|
|
|
| Plucking |
|
|
|
| Waxing |
|
|
|
| Depilatories |
|
|
|
| Shaving |
|
|
|
| Electrolysis |
|
|
|
| Laser and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) |
|
|
|
| Bleaching |
|
|
|
| Eflornithine 13.9% cream |
|
|
|