Two weeks ago, I put my fears aside and headed to Completely Bare for my first ever laser hair removal session. I’ve been loyal to Completely Bare for a while now. I love their waxing services… the wax they use is so much less painful than regular waxing (and the plush spa environment – see below – helps to put me at ease.)
Before I tell you about my experience, here’s the 411 on laser.
First of all, wherever you go, it’s best to buy a package because you need 6 treatments. After that, you’ll have about 60-80% permanent hair removal. (My aesthetician said that the average is about 80% for most of her clients.) After that you are considered “fully treated,” and you can get touch-ups here and there (which are incredibly less expensive than the regular sessions.)
Basically, the whole thing takes about 10-20 minutes. They zap the area being treated with a laser gun, which doesn’t feel particularly great (Your aesthetician will work with you to find the proper intensity level to ensure that you get the most effective results possible with least amount of pain.) The zap feels a lot like getting snapped with a hot rubber band… (Ouch, but still sooo much better than waxing.)
In between sessions, it’s OK to shave or depilate the area, but there is no waxing or plucking allowed. It’s best to go during the fall and winter as the treatment works best when there’s more contrast between the shade of your hair and skintone (i.e. your hair is darker and your skin is paler.)
Now, for my experience. First of all, I had talked myself beforehand into believing it wouldn’t hurt. Big mistake… It did. A lot. (But still, probably only 60% as bad as waxing. (Note – I have a terrible threshold for pain.) I’d recommend popping two advil 30 minutes beforehand.
My aesthetician, Ahuva, was patient, knowledgeable, and kind. At one (ok two) points, I needed a break, and she kindly obliged. I focused my attention on the (conveniently positioned) TV screen overhead, and before I knew it, we were done.
What happens next. The treated area was a bit sore for the rest of the night, but it was fine in the morning. The sort of gross part – the hairs were singed, and immediately became much darker & coarser than normal. After a week and a half, the hairs just fell out. After visit #1, I had about a 25-30% reduction in hair.
Personally, I find this worth it. Yes, it is pricey, and it hurts, but the idea of not having to deal with shaving, waxing, or in-grown hairs for the rest of my life seems pretty worthwhile to me.
I’ll be documenting the experience here… the next appointment is in December.
