Laser hair removal is a revolutionary process that presents various cosmetic benefits for those who wish to get rid of unwanted body hair.  But, given the investment and continual treatments required for full effectiveness, it’s easy to question whether or not the benefits are worth it.

To help you decide, we’ve prepared an in-depth guide containing some of the vital pros and cons of laser hair removal.  In addition, we’ve also included some helpful resources for dermatology, waxing, facials, and other cosmetic services.

The Pros and Cons of Laser Hair Removal

Done properly, hair removal can be highly effective

Laser hair removal works by targeting the hair follicles and cauterizing them so they no longer produce new hairs.  This ultimately leads to extremely smooth skin and the elimination of hair in a targeted treatment area.

When carried out by a professional dermatologist or a licensed hair removal clinic, this process does well to ensure that your body hair won’t grow back after treatment.  But, when performed improperly, laser hair removal can only guarantee several months of hair-free skin.

Because of this, those who want to fully eliminate body hair should seek out a licensed dermatologist or removal lab in order to receive a proper procedure.  

Laser hair removal is extremely convenient

Unlike shaving, which leaves hair follicles intact, laser hair removal directly cauterizes follicles and the blood vessels that nourish them.  This means instead of shaving every few weeks or so, you’ll only need to have a treatment carried out every few months.

Treatment ultimately continues until eventually, the hair follicles are fully dried out and no longer capable of producing new hair.  The same logic also applies to waxing which fails to cauterize hair-growing blood vessels.

Although the period between waxing sessions is much wider than shaving intervals, hair will eventually still grow back.  As a result, very few hair removal techniques can match the convenience provided by laser hair removal

Effective procedures usually require several treatments

Now although they are both convenient and effective, laser hair removal isn’t without its own inherent drawbacks.  The most glaring weakness of this procedure is the fact that multiple treatments are often required to achieve bare, hair-free skin.

This is due to the human body’s impressive ability to heal despite experiencing severe heat and mild cauterization.  So, to ultimately overcome this, patients must subject themselves to multiple treatments over the course of several months.

Those with sensitive skin and low pain tolerance should keep this in mind when considering laser hair removal.

Laser hair removal carries a considerable cost

Since patients will often require multiple treatments in order to achieve completely bare skin, there is a considerable cost associated with a full laser hair removal treatment.  Depending on the specific part of the body, a client can end up paying $200 to $400 for every session.

Over the course of several months, these costs can amount to thousands of dollars in cosmetic service expenses.  Beyond this, most health insurance companies consider laser hair removal purely as a cosmetic service which means it is rarely ever covered by a policy

From our perspective, if you can spare the money, we believe laser hair removal can indeed be a worthy investment to help you look and feel your best.  Alternatively, if you’re working with a budget it may be better to explore other cosmetic services.