Electrolysis VS Laser hair removal
The eternal question, should I get laser hair removal or electrolysis? By the end of this I promise the answer will be at least a little clearer. Now anyone in the beauty industry knows that all hair removal methods have always been pitted against each other. It’s always a wwe style showdown of electrolysis vs laser hair removal vs waxing vs sugaring vs threading vs epilating vs shaving and it just goes on and on and on and on… Some of the battle is just marketing, everyone tearing down the other guys to make their own star shine brighter. But some of it is legit, because everyone is different, what works best for everyone is going to be different too. One persons trash is another’s treasure!
Today the focus is just going to be on electrolysis vs laser. Everyone to your corners, let the fight begin. Just kidding! My perspective on this is a more unique than most because while I only do electrolysis currently, for the last six years I have been a laser hair removal provider. This allows a more impartial discussion than you’re going to get with most of the beauty community.
So what’s better? It depends! On what? Lots of things! Lets start off with a quick overview on how these treatments work. Laser hair removal works by directing a beam of light to the skin which is absorbed the pigment in the hair. The light is converted to heat that heats up the follicle of the hair enough to create sufficient damage so as to inhibit or delay future hair growth.
Electrolysis works by inserting a thin needle into a follicle and delivering heat and/or electric current to the follicle directly.
Sounds similar enough so why does it matter? The manner in which energy is delivered is important. Because the laser is absorbed by the pigment that means that pigment is 100% necessary for the treatment to be effective. That fact is what is what is going to determine who laser will actually work for. Unless your hair is black or dark brown, laser will not be an effective treatment option for you. Laser can not work on light brown, blonde, gray, white, or red hairs. Often times less reputable places will not inform clients of that fact and clients may experience a temporary delay in the hair growing back and mistake that for a sign that the treatment is actually working. That is the fastest way to determine which treatment is right for you. No matter how many treatments you do, if your hair isn’t black or dark brown then you will waste your money doing laser.
You have black or dark brown hair? Excellent, the next thing you need to figure out is how coarse is the hair. If your hair is not at least as thick and coarse as your eyebrow hairs then laser will not work. Even if your hair is jet black, if it is soft, peach fuzzy hair aka vellus hair, then after you stop doing treatments all of that hair will grow right back. It may be temporarily slowed down by the laser so it may appear that it is responding but as soon as you stop your treatments it will all grow back as if you never lasered it.
If you have determined that your hair is black - dark brown and is coarse like a beard/ eyebrow hair the laser might be a really great option for you. But what about skin tone? If you are going to a reputable laser hair removal establishment that has the correct equipment and training, then you safely treat all skin tones. If you have a deeper skin tone (and your hair is dark and coarse like we talked about above) then you can get results with laser. You may need more sessions since there is less contrast between the pigment in the hair and the pigment in the skin but it can be a great option. If this applies to you and you are seeking a qualified establishment the number one recommendation is to ask up front if they have a 1064 YAG laser. If they don’t then don’t seek treatment there. The only safe laser for deeper skin tones is the 1064 YAG.
So dark coarse hair? Laser is a good option
Gray, white, blonde, light brown, red, or dark but fine hair? Electrolysis for sure.
(Also if you have tattoos in the area where you are wanting hair removed, electrolysis is the only option for that area)
That’s the easy part, practically black and white. Now here is where things get a little gray. Electrolysis is the only FDA approved method for permanent hair removal. Laser hair removal is only approved for hair reduction. What does that mean? Two things, because laser can only work on coarse dark hair, the more sessions you do the thinner your hair becomes, both in the amount of hair growth and also the texture. As the laser starts to clear out the coarse hair what you’ll be left with is fine, thin hairs. Now most people are fine with being left with that thin, fine hair since it’s still an improvement from where they started and that hair is usually very manageable, easy to shave, doesn’t really become ingrown. Some people are not happy with having any hair at all and would like to keep going until there isnt any left at all. At that point switching to electrolysis is the next step, cleaning up the hairs left behind from the laser. This is a great option, to combine the two methods, doing a handful of laser to thin things out quickly, then switch to electrolysis.
The other part of the laser hair reduction is regrowth. With any hair removal method, growing new hairs in a treatment area is common and expected. We are mammals, our bodies really like to grow hair. Hair growth is dramatically impacted by hormones. Because our hormones are frequently changing throughout our lifetimes, our hair is going to be affected by that. Even completely natural fluctuations can affect this, not to mention hormonal disorders or imbalances. Laser hair removal can commonly be subject to more regrowth than electrolysis. Now this affects different people differently, and different areas of the body as well so there is always people who experience more or less of this, it’s just something to be aware of in making your decisions. Electrolysis cannot prevent your body from creating new hairs (turning vellus hairs to terminal) but that growth is new hairs that were not present at the time of your original treatment series, not the same hairs coming back.
Both laser and electrolysis are a time comminitment. Both options are usaully take on avg 12 or more months. Laser hair removal is faster per session, you can treat an entire Brazilian in 15 min vs electrolysis you are treating each individual hair one by one so it takes a lot more patience before your going to see significant results. Both treatments require a fairly significant financial investment.
In conclussion - if your hair is very dark and very coarse, laser might be a good choice for you. Just keep in mind the results are faster but less permanent.
If your hair is light brown, blonde, gray, white, red, dark but fine, or the hair is in a tattooed area, you are getting hair removed to surgically prepare an area then electrolysis is the best choice for you. Just keep in mind that slow and steady wins the race so patience is required but your results will be permanent.
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/laser-hair-removal/about/pac-20394555
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21757-laser-hair-removal
https://www.webmd.com/beauty/cosmetic-procedures-electrolysis
