Tag Archives: Permanent hair removal

Wouldn’t it be great if you could pay your money, have a treatment and “Zap!” that was the end of your excess hair problems for once and for all.

Unfortunately the hair remover product which does that has yet to be invented so don’t be taken in by the ads spouting nonsense about pain-free and permanent. In many cases it depends on your definition of permanent. Who can say whether hair which appears to be gone will be gone for good? Some manufacturers declare that their products offer permanent hair removal after tests show that skin remains hair-free for just a couple of months. Yet many temporary solutions such as waxing can last that long if you have slow regrowth.

While the true definition of permanent should be the complete destruction of a hair follicle’s ability to regenerate and grow hair, some authorities suggest that being able to go one year after your final treatment in a series without using another method of hair removal is a good definition of permanent. This seems sensible when you can’t measure whether complete destruction has taken place.

Why is Permanent Hair Removal so Difficult?

Any method designed to permanently destroy hair follicles has a difficult challenge – follicles have to be destroyed at the same time as the surrounding tissues are spared.

Our bodies are designed to continue to produce hair (except it seems sometimes where we want it – on our heads!) and hair is continually renewing itself. Unless you are able to treat it at the right point in the growing cycle in precisely the right way to “kill” it, then it simply regenerates after your treatment.

No matter how skilled the therapist, he or she can only properly treat hairs at the right stage of growth. Some hairs will grow back because they were not at that stage. Some will grow back because treating them is actually very tricky and precise and the root was missed.

It’s important to take this into account and factor in the cost of a number of hair removal treatments for each area you have decided to deal with using a “permanent” hair removal solution.

Is it Worth the Cost of Multiple Treatments?

Of course, the effect of a permanent treatment by a qualified therapist will eventually be that you will rid yourself of your unwanted hair problem, so if you are willing to bear the cost, time and any discomfort involved you WILL resolve your problem. You simply have to weigh up whether a permanent solution is worth the effort and cost of going through the treatment or whether you’d prefer dealing with your unwanted hair over and over again for the rest of your life (or until you don’t care about it any more).

Available Permanent Hair Removal Solutions

If you want to explore permanent hair removal solutions further then the methods to investigate are

electrolysis – the only truly permanent solution for removing hair (provided it is carried out correctly) and for most people well worth the effort and expense in particular for small troublesome areas of facial hair. See the section on Electrolysis for more information.

laser hair removal treatment – which appears to offer a degree of permanent hair reduction for some people. It is not as effective as electrolysis but it is less time consuming for treating larger areas. While it may not, in the end, offer a fully permanent solution for you, it is likely to mean that the amount of hair is reduced enough to be worth the cost of treatment. Take a look at the Laser Hair removal section for all the information you need to make a decision about this method.

Vaniqa – this is a cream which you rub into your skin only available on prescription. It requires continued use to remain effective. You would need to speak to your doctor about this solution, but you’ll find more details in the section on Vaniqa.

Hair Inhibitors – there are some prescription drugs which inhibit the growth of face and body hair with continued use. If you stop taking the drug the hair regrows. You need to discuss whether these are appropriate for you with your doctor.

A number of other methods and hair removal devices make claims about removing hair permanently but care should be taken with these as they are of doubtful effectiveness. See the section on Unproven Hair Removal Methods for information about detecting hair removal scams.