Comparison of Laser Hair Removal and Electrolysis

How do you know which form of hair removal treatment works best for you? Is it laser hair removal or is it electrolysis? Is it shaving or it depilatory creams? At the outset, it looks like a tough question to find the answer for, but the fundamental knowledge of how each of these technologies works is the key to making an educated choice. Here we compare how laser hair removal and electrolysis measure up against each other. Hopefully, after you are done with this article, you should have a lucid idea of what each of laser hair removal or electrolysis can do for you.

Let’s first understand how laser hair removal works: Human hair grows from beneath the skin, at a growth core called the bulb which is present at the base of the hair follicle. In order to permanently inhibit the growth of hair and prevent hirsuteness, the growth of the hair from this very bulb under the skin needs to be stopped. This is where laser treatment for hair removal comes in. The laser beams, being of very high focused energy agitate thermally the bulbs of the hair follicle and destabilize it. In particular, the laser beams react with a pigment in the skin called Melanin present in the bulb. The destabilized bulb breaks down its growth cells and becomes incapable of showing re-growth resulting in a permanence of the removed hair or a reasonably acceptable long lasting duration of the treatment.

Now for electrolysis: While the fundamental concept of destabilizing the bulb remains the same, the means to do it is different from laser hair removal. In electrolysis for hair removal, fine metal probes are inserted just under the base of the skin and a small amount of electric current is passed. This electrical current is what causes the bulb to breakdown due to thermal agitation and thus prevents further growth of the unwanted hair.

The advantages of laser hair removal over electrolysis hair removal is manifold: it’s easier to administer, negative body reactions are minimal, number of treatments required for the same level of hair removal is typically less, the treatment session itself is shorter than electrolysis hair removal and above all, the effectiveness of the treatment easily rivals if not outperforms the effect given by electrolysis hair removal. Finally, it also boils down to the relative cost of laser hair removal as compared to electrolysis hair removal and here while the line separating the two quick hair removal methods are fine in nature, the cost-benefit analysis of the laser hair treatment gives it the winning edge.

In our opinion, laser hair removal has taken the world by storm, rightfully so and has changed the way several thousands of people view their future!