Laser hair removal vs Electrolysis: what is the difference?
This comparative study will demonstrate how laser hair removal and electrolysis hair removal work, and why electrolysis is the only truly permanent hair removal technique for all types of hair and skin color.
What are the major conclusions of our comparative study?
- Electrolysis is the only method of hair removal that can claim ‘permanent hair removal’
- Electrolysis works for everybody on all hairs and all skin types
- Laser doesn’t work in 60 percent of the cases
Anatomy of the hair
To understand the different types of hair removal we need to give a little anatomy lesson first. The hair is located in a downward inversion of the skin called the hair follicle. It gets his nutrients from a blood supply at the bottom of the follicle. At the bottom of the follicle you also find the pigment cells that give the hair its color. The growth cells are located at about one third from the skin’s surface. They are the real bad guys in our unwanted hair story.
Temporary solution: shaving and plucking
Shaving and plucking will cut or remove the hair, but as the follicle is left untouched, hair will always grow back. So this solution is temporary and has to be repeated regularly. The side effects most seen with this hair removal method are ingrown hairs. Also, if the hair is very dense a shadow often remains visible after shaving. Shaving at home is the most practiced method of hair removal.
Laser hair removal: permanent hair reduction
Laser hair removal technology became widespread from the 1990s onwards.
The laser is basically a lamp that produces a certain wavelength of light. This light is absorbed by the pigment cells at the bottom of the hair follicle, heating them up and destroying their surrounding tissue.
But here comes the problem: laser doesn’t work in 60% of cases.
Why?
- Well, imagine the hair is not brown but blond. What blonde girls are missing is actually not brain cells, but pigment cells. So: laser doesn’t work for blond, grey or red hair.
- Imagine the skin is not white but pigmented. Can you image the explosion at this level? Laser would burn the skin. So: Laser can not be used on dark skin.
- Last but not least: remember the real bad guys, the growth cells? They don’t contain pigment so chances are high the hair will just grow back in time anyway, brown or not. This is why the FDA only allows laser treatment to claim they can cause ‘permanent hair REDUCTION not ‘permanent hair REMOVAL.
Electrolysis: permanent hair removal
In electrolysis hair removal, a small probe is introduced in the natural opening of the skin. There is no perforation of the skin, making this introduction painless. The upper part of the probe is insulated as not to damage the skin. A small electrical current is subsequently sent through the probe which will heat up the surrounding tissue and destroy it. It will not only destroy the blood supply of the hair follicle but also the real bad guys: the growth cells. This is why electrolysis is the only FDA approved method that can claim the term “permanent hair REMOVAL”. So no matter which color of your hair or skin: electrolysis works for Everybody. All unwanted hairs can be removed permanently with electrolysis hair removal.
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