Aesthetic Medicine Physicians & Surgeons Erase The Wrinkles Painless Laser Makeovers 
Clinical Information
Alternative Methods of Hair Removal
Shaving:
Shaving can be accomplished with an electric or straight razor but only cuts off hair at the surface of the skin. This causes the hair to grow back quickly, often in less than a day. Men generally tolerate the 5 o’clock shadow on the face but most women do not.
Waxing:
A liquid wax is poured over the desired area, allowed to harden and then rapidly pulled off usually causing a lot of pain. Hairs are pulled out by the roots and therefore regrowth can take some time depending on the area. However waxing does not permanently eliminate any hair and may cause the hair to come back thicker and stronger. Waxing is contraindicated prior to laser hair removal because the roots cannot be destroyed by the laser if they have been removed.
Plucking:
Plucking like waxing removes the hair shaft and root but is also a temporary and painful solution. Plucking is also contraindicated before laser treatments because it removes the root of the growing hair which is heated and destroyed by the laser.
Electolysis:
Electrolysis is a painful, expensive and tedious process in which an electrode is passed into the hair follicle and a small burst of electricity destroys only that one hair. It can cause scarring and can take years to complete often costing thousands of dollars just to clear a small area. Long ago the FDA allowed electrologists to use the phrase “permanent” hair removal but only after many years of documentation. Ten seconds of laser hair removal ( 3-5 ) pulses can remove as much hair as an hour of electrolysis.
