How To Choose Between Electrolysis Vs Laser Hair Removal

By: Ingrid Preube
Published: October 14, 2009

Procedure How do these two procedures work? They are very disparate. Firstly reduction of hair with laser is a non-invasive treatment whereby strong but safe laser light energy are applied to the skin, targeting your hair roots to disable them. Electrolysis, in contrast, makes use of the actual penetration of your skin with a needle, which is then used to apply an electric current to your hair root cell. Thus Electrolysis has the dual drawbacks of being laborious and uncomfortable, and also quite inapt for treating significant areas of your body.

Laser Versus Electrolysis Treatment offered by laser or electrolysis clinics is a multi-factored characteristic of both therapies depending upon:

-How many sessions are required -Area to be treated -Session length - Cost of each session

The cost of each session is sometimes cheaper for Electrolysis vs Laser Hair Removal but electrolysis hair removal is a relatively long process having longer session lengths and more sessions. This compounds your total cost of the region you are having treated and therefore is ultimately significantly more expensive compared to laser hair reduction.

What are the Risks? After receiving electrolysis one has to take care of the skin in a careful way. Research shows that long lasting skin injury can result if specific protection is not given to your skin. The other issue of being an invasive technique is the skin infections. With laser hair removal side effects are extremely rare, and very minor amounts of after treatment care is required. Redness, scarring or darkening of skin are temporary effects which soon disappear.

What are the Risks? After undergoing electrolysis you have to care for your skin in a careful way. Research has shown that extensive skin damage can ensue if specific preventative treatment is not given to the skin. The other issue of being an invasive method is the skin infections. With laser hair removal side effects are extremely rare, and hardly any after treatment care is required. Redness, scarring or darkening of skin are transient effects which very quickly return to normal.

How Effective is it? One major area of comparison is the question of efficacy. Electrolysis being an established method has had a lot of time to prove itself in terms of efficiency. Electrolysis, in spite of 120 years of history, cannot guarantee permanent hair freedom. Reduction of hair with laser on the other hand has been seen to produce at least 30-40% permanent reduction of hair of hairs after completion of treatment. Another benefit of laser hair reduction is that it can be used effectively for the treatment of significant areas such as your legs, chest and back.

Associated Pain As laser hair removal is a non-invasive procedure, there is no directly invasive stimulus. Electrolysis hair removal being a skin penetrating method initiates a uncomfortable stimulus with each hair that is electrolyzed thanks to the presence of nerves in the skin. Reduction of hair with laser can be uncomfortable either if you have very sensitive skin or if you encounter a poorly trained laser practitioner. However, any soreness can be safely minimized with reduction of hair with laser pain control. With electrolysis treatment in contrast, discomfort is an established feature of the treatment.

Making Your Decision As we have discovered in this article, there are many things to consider when comparing laser compared to electrolysis treatment. While neither treatment can claim to be 100% effective in permanent hair reduction, it is clear that laser hair removal has many strengths and advantages when compared to electrolysis treatment.

About the Author:

Ingrid Preube has extensive experience with laser hair removal. Visit her hair removal site for free information on how to remove your hair permanently.

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