Got questions about laser hair removal? Beverly Hills dermatologist Dr. Howard Lancer has answers. Check out our video to find out who it's right for, how much it costs, and the kind of results you should expect. Watch now!
BellaTV talks to dermatologist Dr. Lancer, who has worked with celebrities like Beyoncé, Renée Zellweger, and Victoria Beckham, to find out the details behind the laser hair removal process. He shares the dangers, benefits, and why it may be a better choice for you than waxing, shaving, or threading. Watch our video to find out what you need to know about laser hair removal.
If you've been following my recent adventures in at-home hair removal with the Silkn SensEpil ($499), then you know I've been using the device for approximately six weeks now. I just did my fourth round of zapping, and I have big news: I'm actually seeing results. My first two treatments didn't do anything, but my last two definitely have slowed my hair growth significantly. To get those results, though, I had to make adjustments to the way I used the machine, and had to troubleshoot a couple of operational issues. So to hear more about it, just keep reading.
A couple weeks back, I tried the hair removal gadget Silk'n SensEpil for the first time. It was fast, it was easy, it was blindingly bright. So over the weekend, I threw on my sunglasses just like the brave canine in the picture, cranked the zapper up a notch, and did my second session. I'm gonna make this report short but sweet. To see how it went, just keep reading.
In case you didn't catch it, on Monday I told you I was about to start using the Silk'n SensEpil ($499) to, with any luck, permanently depilate myself. Last night, I went ahead and zapped my underarms and bikini line for the first time. The experience was different than using Tria's laser, in-office laser hair removal, or the No!No!, so to find out what an Epil session is like, just keep reading.
Just when you thought it was safe to shave, another technologically advanced hair removal device has hit the market, and Bella's giving it a test drive. The Silk'n Sense Epil ($499) is the latest entrant into the high-end hair removal market, joining No!No!, Tria, and in-office laser procedures. The company sent us an Epil unit to try out, so I'll report on the progress over the next few months. To find out more about how it works and what it promises to do, just keep reading.
Lemme tell ya, a Bella editor's weekend is one nonstop party. On Saturday, in between reorganizing my closet and brushing the cats' fur, I went in for my third round of laser hair removal. As previously mentioned, I'm getting my bikini line and underarms zapped. This is, I have decided, one of the best grooming decisions I have made. Here's why: After only two sessions, at least 80 percent of my hair was gone, and the stuff that remained was soft and downy. I went three weeks without shaving my underarms, and you'd be able to see hair only if you looked closely. For a lazy girl, this is a big win.
This time around, my laser technician turned the machine up to 11 (figuratively speaking) to better target those very fine hairs. Each treatment hurts less, but there were still a few yeow! moments. Because I've already lost so much hair, we decided to take a few month break before the next session. Truthfully, I wish I'd waited a little while longer before going in for the third treatment; I just didn't have much hair to get rid of this time around, and it would have been nice to be slightly more hirsute before being lasered.
To find out why I wish I'd done this sooner (it's not for the reason you'd imagine), read more.
Two laser hair removal sessions down, three more to go. Or maybe not, as it turns out. Allow me to explain. After the first session on my bikini line and underarms, I lost a lot of hair. It was delightful to see small pieces of hair simply slip out of the follicle, leaving bare skin behind. It was like living in a balding man's Bizarro World, in which every shed strand brought me more and more glee.
My second appointment was scheduled for five weeks after the first, and the laser technician was similarly pleased by how much hair was gone. Even so, I was surprised by how much hair the laser picked up. Because some of my underarm hair was fine, zapping them required a higher setting. It was fine for the most part, but when it hit a stray thicker hair, it was Pain City, population: me. Still, the pain is over quickly, and the fact that I've shaved my underarms once in seven weeks is worth enduring it.
Because I'd lost so much hair from just one treatment, my technician recommended that I wait longer until my next visit. "It'll allow more hair to grow in, so we'll get rid of more," she explained. So from now until mid-April, I'll be letting my hair down. The good news is that there is significantly less fuzz as it is; the bad news is that my neuroses make me think that the early success was a fluke, and I'll wake up one morning to Chewbacca armpits. It's too early for me to give my final opinion of laser hair removal, but so far, "Why didn't I do this earlier?" keeps going through my mind.
Source: Flickr user pasukaru76
This Bella is kind of a shaving fanatic, so while I'm extremely conscious of my water consumption, I'm more of an unwilling lingerer when it comes to showering, all thanks to my long-term relationship with Gilette's Venus. Enter, the new and improved Tria. (Which, in full disclosure, was sent to us by the folks behind the brand.) It's been about a month since I made the commitment to utilize this hair removal device, promising myself I'd make baby steps to dedicate the time to zap hair from my bikini and underarm areas only. So far, I'm very impressed with the results, but I've suffered a major pitfall. Find out what I mean when you read more.
So! As previously mentioned, I am embarking on a months-long journey of laser hair removal. I'm doing the bikini line and underarms, and now that I've had my first session, here's the update.
My laser technician (who's much nicer than Vader here) doesn't use topical anaesthetics; instead, she prefers to use ice packs. Gulp. Therefore, I took an over-the-counter painkiller before the appointment. Now, here's the thing with LHR: you need to shave before the treatment, but you can't wax. This is because the laser targets the melanin in the hair follicle, so the less stubble you have, the less pain you'll experience. For the first time, I came in all hirsute to let the technician see just what kind of hair she'd be dealing with. She then whipped out some medical clippers and shaved me, which — let's be honest — was a little awkward.
To find out if the pain was as bad as people say it is, keep reading.
