At The Laser Beautique, we recommend that if you, like most, want to live smoothly ever after, the best solution is first to have laser treatments, this will rid you of any dark unwanted hair. Once you have gotten rid of all the pigmented dark hair, we recommend having Apilus electrolysis treatments to permanently and virtually painlessly remove the remaining light, blond, red, grey or white vellus hair.

Laser hair removal and electrolysis are two popular types of long-term hair removal methods. Both work by targeting hair follicles located under the skin’s surface.

According to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, laser hair removal is on the rise, with an increase of nearly 30% from 2013. Though electrolysis is also increasing in popularity, it’s not as common as laser therapy. 

In short, the reason for this is because laser is quicker. When one has laser hair removal, they have an area treated. For example, one would have their underarm lasered. Underarm laser treatment takes about 15 minutes whereas during an electrolysis treatment hair by hair is treated BUT don’t let this scare you off. If an electrologist is using an Apilus device and she is experienced, she can clear an area of hair pretty quickly. 

It’s best to understand both laser and electrolysis procedures before you decide which is best for you. Some would benefit from the laser, some from electrolysis and some would best benefit from a combination of both treatments. 

Did you know that electrolysis is the only FDA-approved treatment for 100% permanent hair removal? This is because laser hair removal is not effective on light hair. 

Reason to opt for Apilus Electrolysis 

  • Permanently remove unwanted light, blond, ginger, grey or white hair. The laser does not work on hair that has little to no pigment.
  • Permanently shape your brows
  • Remove hair on or around a tattoo or a. mole
  • Get rid of hair in areas that a laser can’t reach, for example, ears or nose.
  • Another very popular reason to have electrolysis is to get rid of ingrown hairs in areas which you don’t particularly want to remove all the hair from. For example, men who suffer from ingrown hair in their beards. Ingrown hair is very painful and can get infected and may even need to be cut out if not treated. You can now laser your entire beard or you can have electrolysis to remove just the ingrown hair for good!

What to expect from electrolysis

Electrolysis is a method of permanently removing individual hairs from the face or body. A probe is inserted down the natural opening of the hair follicle, a quick and painless current is released, the probe is removed, the hair is then detached and the therapist easily slides the hair out with a tweezer. See the below explanation with the diagram.

Did you know that during an electrolysis treatment a probe, as thin and delicate as a hair,  is inserted down a natural opening? As you can see from the image on the left. Inserting a probe down a natural opening would not be painful as one is not puncturing the skin

What is the difference between traditional electrolysis and Apilus Electrolysis Reinvented? 

TLB Electrolysis

  • Probe used is extremely fine and flexible, as fine and as flexible as a strand of hair.
  • Probes used are insulated. Current only pass at the tip.
  • 27. 12mhz Current is so fast the body doesn’t have time to register any discomfort.
TLB-probe-03

Traditional Electrolysis

  • Probe is thicker and rigid.
  • Traditional electrolysis use a slow and very painful current.
  • Probes used are insulated. Current only pass at the tip. Traditional probes are not insulated. Current is applied from tip to end which burns skin and leaves burns and scars.
TLB-probe-02

The differences between electrolysis and laser hair removal

Electrolysis

  • Hair by hair treatments
  • effective and safe for all skin and hair types including light blonde, ginger, grey and white hair.
  • Don’t shave or wax between treatments.
  • Charged according to time.
  • Electrolysis is performed whenever you can see hair, this can be everyday, week or until the area is bare.

Laser hair removal

  • Treatment by area.
  • Laser is safe and effective for all skin types but is only effective on pigmented hair.
  • Shave between treatments.
  • Charged for according to area.
  • Laser treatments are initially booked every 4-6 weeks. Duration between treatments increases as the hair depletes and grows back slower.

For more information on electrolysis click on the below links

What to expect from laser hair removal

During laser hair removal, a laser emits light that is absorbed by the pigment (melanin) in the hair. The light energy is converted to heat which melts and closes capillaries that supply the hair with oxygen and nutrients. Now, this may sound painful, but trust us, it’s really not! And this is how:

The energy from our lasers is delivered gradually as we increase the heat as opposed to treating using high heat. Old-school lasers feel like an elastic band stretching (far!) and snapping on one’s skin. Yes, this is torture!

To best explain, we like to use the analogy of having a hot bath. We draw you a boiling hot bath, and you burn yourself, just like many old-school lasers have burnt and scarred people. But if we draw you a lukewarm bath and gradually increase the temperature, we can get the bath boiling without feeling any discomfort. Gradual increase in temperature allows you to withstand high temperatures without pain.

Treatment is more aggressive, yet painless and results in you needing fewer treatments, saving time and money.

You have to bear in mind that pain is subjective. What one finds pain-free may be painful to someone else. It’s very important to communicate with your Beau-gician (TLB laser technician) and explain if you feeling any pain at all. She will simply decrease the energy but treat for longer. This way you will still reach the same temperature, it will just not hurt. You, see, no pain and all gain!

8-12 treatments and voile, you are living smoothly ever after!

Why would laser not work?

  • If you have mechanically removed hair from the root (wax, pluck, epilator).
  • If you have had treatments where a substandard laser was used.
  • If your therapist is not qualified,. She can have the best laser and still not give an effective treatment.
  • Biological factors. Hormonal issue/imbalance (e.g. PCOS). We do not recommend laser for anyone with an untreated hormonal issues.
  • Laser targets colour. It does not see a light, blonde, red, grey or white hair.
  • The courser and darker the hair the better the result. If the hair on your treatment site is fine it will not treat well, if at all.

FEAR NOT! AS WE HAVE A COMFORTABLE AND PERMANENT SOLUTION FOR UNWANTED AND EMBARRASSING LIGHT HAIR!

For more information on laser hair removal please click below links

Which is best, electrolysis or laser hair removal?

Laser therapy and electrolysis both produce longer-lasting effects compared to shaving, waxing and threading. Laser is the fastest way to permanently remove dark hair whereas electrolysis is the only way to permanently remove light hair. Both laser and electrolysis offered at The Laser Beautique are virtually pain-free and permanent and both require some maintenance in the long run. This is because hair can stay dormant for years. There are a number of factors that can influence how long hair follicles stay dormant. Some of the most important factors include the person’s age, health, hormones and genetics.

The advantage of laser is that the treatments take quicker whereas electrolysis is hair by hair.  Covering large areas at once like laser hair removal is pretty time-consuming. Your choice may depend on how quickly you want to achieve short-term hair removal.

If one has dark and light unwanted hair, for example, if one has dark and light hair they would like to remove on their chin, we could either first laser the dark hair and then opt for electrolysis to remove the light hair or vice versa. In special instances, we could treat both dark and light hair in one day. 

The best is to book a FREE consultation with one of our aestheticians. Click here to book. During a consultation, all benefits, risks and step-by-step procedures will be discussed. Even the science behind the procedure will be explained.