Eight reasons to start laser hair removal

Same every year: Summer is just around the corner and taking care of your unwanted body hair becomes one of those things you wish you never had to worry about again. Whether it's on your legs, your bikini line or your armpits, you want those hairs gone for good. Or for a really long time. Here our top reasons to choose laser hair removal and end your (hair) problems:

#1 Treatments do not take long

Laser hair removal treatments are much quicker than you might expect. It takes about 20-30 minutes to treat armpits or your bikini line and only about an hour for areas like arms and legs. Don't expect to spend the whole day in the treatment room when you have a laser treatment - you'll be gone in no time.

#2 Boost your self-confidence

For many people, unwanted hair on their bodies affects their self-confidence. Whether it is unwanted hair on the bikini line and inner thighs, arms or legs, regardless of the location, many people may feel insecure about this unwanted hair growth.

In winter, you might be able to get away with not shaving or waxing your legs, but in summer, you need to spend a long time on it if you want to keep unwanted hair to a minimum. With laser hair removal, you don't have to worry about disturbing hair growth all year round. Moreover, you can put on tank tops, shorts or a bathing suit at any time without extra shaving or waxing.

#3 You will save a serious sum of money in the long run

When you consider the amount of time and money spent on hair removal in a lifetime, it is really a huge sum. The amount spent on razors and waxing in a lifetime is actually very high. With laser hair removal, you will never think about unwanted hair again because there is no hair left. The savings in time and money are priceless.

The initial cost of laser hair removal may seem high, but if you add up all the visits to the salon, razors, shaving cream and your precious time, you will find that it is not difficult to breakeven relatively quickly by opting for this long-term solution.

Read more in our article on hair removal methods

#4 Laser hair removal saves time

Sleep for another 15 minutes after laser hair removal, because you won't need that extra shower time for shaving anyway. The time you spend shaving your legs or getting your bikini line waxed could almost certainly be better spent.

Research by British beauty brand Escentual found that over the course of their lives, women shave their legs for 72 days, amounting to about 1,728 hours. Moreover, shaving is also women's most hated beauty ritual, with 35 per cent of women surveyed stating they dislike shaving their legs more than anything else.

Remington's survey of 3,000 women shows that 88 per cent of women spend four months of their entire life removing unwanted body hair with an array of tools such as razors, epilators and waxes.

#5 No more ingrown hairs

Both shaving and waxing can cause ingrown hairs. This is because the hair is shaved and waxed in the opposite direction of its growth. This allows the hairs to curl under the skin and never break through. Ingrown hairs cause inflammation, itching, pain and sometimes even discolouration or scarring of the skin.

Laser hair removal prevents ingrown hairs simply because laser hair removal eliminates the reason why this can happen: the hairs themselves.

#6 No maintenance / low maintenance

No more hair regrowth! When you get waxed, regrowth of your hair is necessary to have enough hair for the wax to stick to. This makes for an awkward time between appointments and can cause itching and discomfort. Since laser hair removal targets the hair follicle, shaving before and between appointments is encouraged.

After a series of treatments (usually 4-8) every 4-6 weeks, most people are then in the "touch-up" phase and need a few maintenance treatments at most.

#7 Comfort

Those few thin hairs that remain after laser treatment are no longer so noticeable. So even with an unexpected visit to the pool or beach or unexpected exercise in the summer months, you can feel at ease with your lasered armpits, bikini line or legs.

#8 Laser hair removal is an environmentally friendly alternative

The impact of razors on our planet is undeniable. Because of their convenience, disposable razors are a popular choice. Unfortunately, they are not easy to recycle as they are usually made of different materials such as metal, rubber and plastic. So razors almost always end up in the trash. Research shows that more than 2 billion razors are thrown away every year in the US alone, and with this, regular shaving creates a huge amount of waste. And that's just the razors themselves. Also, waxing is not environmentally friendly : Petroleum-based waxes such as paraffin are not biodegradable, and they take thousands of years to break down (if at all).

You can also find more information on the cost of hair removal methods and environmental impact in our article.

Laser treatment may require several visits for optimal results. In most cases, 4 to 8 treatments are needed, every 4 to 8 weeks. After that, you can throw away your razors for good.