Hair Removal Creams vs. Laser Hair Removal

It is an easy decision to remove hairs from the face and body but it is very tricky to choose one method out of many. There are many methods to remove hairs either temporarily or permanently.

Waxing, shaving, and epilating can be done at home with different tools while IPL and laser hair removal methods are used to remove hairs permanently. IPL devices are termed at-home hair removal devices while laser hair removal is carried out at a salon or clinic under strict supervision of skilled workers.

What if you are given a chance to select one method from laser hair removal and hair removal cream? Is it difficult to decide for you because one is easy, cheap, and home-based while the other is professional, expensive, and takes a longer time? Let’s have a look at the details of both to make the right decision.

What are Hair Removing Creams?

Hair-removing creams are also known as depilatories because they depilate the hairs from the skin. The chemical formulation of the cream consists of sodium hydroxide and calcium thioglycolate that work on the protein structure of hairs.

This chemical combination of cream has alkaline properties that work on hair strands to break down the protein structures. After application, hairs lose their integrity and become jelly-like material.

Working of Hair Removing Creams:

Hair-removing creams contain depilating chemicals that directly interact with hair strands and break down the keratin structure of hairs. It is available in lotion, cream, and gel forms and applied to clean skin. It is left for 4-5 minutes and in this period hairs become soft and jelly-like.

After 5 minutes, the hairs are removed gently with a soft and wet towel. In this way, you can remove unwanted hairs instantly but to maintain safety you should carry out a patch test. Patch test helps to avoid irritation, burning, stinging, and peeling because all chemicals are not safe for all skin types.

Edge of Using Hair Removing Creams:

Hair-removing creams give the following benefits;

·         It can be easily applied to skin

·         It is available everywhere in the market

·         It is a quick and discrete way to remove hairs

·         You can use it at home easily and does not leave any trace even

·         The chemical composition of creams includes a nourishing formula to leave skin soft and silky

·         It is a very affordable and pain-free method.

Why you Shouldn’t Use Hair Removing Cream:

Hair-removing creams are the quickest and easiest way to remove hair but;

·         Contains a lot of harsh chemicals

·         It has a powerful smell that irritates badly

·         There are efficient chances to increase the number of ingrown hairs

·         It is not suitable for sensitive skin

·         Chemicals in the cream can cause allergies leading to skin irritation, rashes, discomfort, and burns

·         Hair-removing creams are not suitable for facial hair-removing

·         Hair regrowth is very quick

Let’s have a look at the laser hair removal method.

What is the Laser Hair Removal Method:

As the name indicates, this method uses laser light as a hair-removing agent. Laser hair removal is a noninvasive and very safe method to remove hairs permanently from all parts of the body including face, legs, arms, bikini, back, and underarms.

A laser hair removal machine uses a laser beam of a specific wavelength to target the hair follicles because laser light emitted from the laser machine is transformed into heat energy. This heat energy evaporates the hair by damaging the hair follicles therefore no chance of hair growth is left.

Here’s a blog post on IPL hair removal to read about both laser light in IPL devices and laser machines.

How Laser Machine Works:

Laser machines work on the principle of conversion of light energy into heat or thermal energy. Heat energy reaches beneath the skin and damages hair follicles which are in the growing phase. At specific times almost 25 % of hair follicles are in the growing phase.

Therefore continuous sessions of laser treatment for hair removal are required to damage all hair follicles. After 3-4 sessions you will see a visible reduction of hairs and after continuous treatment hairs are permanently removed.

Benefits of Laser Hair Treatment:

Following are the perks of enjoying laser hair removal;

·         It is a comfortable and painless hair removal method

·         There is no risk of dark areas and ingrown hairs

·         Sessions are safe and easy because carried out by skilled personnel

·         It is a permanent method of hair removal

Losses of Laser Hair Removal:

There are some disadvantages of laser hair removal such as;

·         It is an expensive hair removal method with long-term results

·         It may have temporary adverse effects like irritation, burns, or redness

·         It can cause pigmentation in some areas of the body

In a nutshell, hair-removing creams are a fast, easy, and temporary way to remove hair and hair regrow in 7-10 days. On the other hand, laser hair treatment is a permanent way to remove hairs in a professional setup but it is not cost-effective.