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A painless way to de-prickle.
One of my closest girlfriends may be caucasian with light brown hair and hazel eyes, but I’m pretty sure she has Persian genes somewhere in her genetic makeup. Frankly put, that girl is hairy. Or at least she was…
A couple of months ago, I stopped by her office and she couldn’t contain herself describing a painless hair removal place she had found in Beverly Hills. I stroked her baby soft arms and examined her hairless legs and indeed was impressed. Knowing I’m always on the lookout for new beauty secrets to share on BOND EN AVANT, she insisted I go see Mary at Beverly Hills Laser Clinic.
Let’s keep it real. Painless hair removal sounds just a little too good to be true. I mean, I’ve been hearing girlfriends recount painful laser hair removal stories for years, or fumbling around with at home devices that produce negligible results. If there was a painless medical grade option, why wasn’t everyone doing it? Or maybe no one knows about it…? I decided to experience it for myself and booked an appointment.
Mary, the owner of Beverly Hills Laser Clinic and a registered nurse, former midwife and holder of a masters in public health, hugged me like a long lost relative when I arrived. Her thick Iranian accent, string of pearls and smiling eyes remind you of the babushka you never had, but wished you did. Her small five room clinic is simple and unassuming, located just a stone’s throw away from decadent Rodeo Drive, and wall lined with celebrity testimonials.
Mary ushered me into one of the treatment rooms and delved right into the details.
HOW IT WORKS
Mary’s pain free hair removal device is a diode laser. The light and heat of said laser target the melanin in the hair shaft, destroying the follicle and hair bulb.
The diode laser destroys the hair bulb. But as Mary explained to me, there are multiple “hair bulbs” below the surface which sprout growing a new hair once the previous bulb has “died.” This cycle of death and re-bulbing is why multiple (typically 4-6 sessions) are recommended.
But Mary did say that hormonal triggers, such as pregnancy, can cause new hair bulbs to sprout.
Compared to the IPL or Nd:Yag lasers, two most frequently used laser hair removal options available, the diode laser’s wavelengths are longer than the IPL (meaning it bypasses the surface of the skin and therefore can be used on darker skin tones; IPL is only recommend for lighter skin tones), but aren’t as long as the Nd:Yag, which when removing the follicles actually vaporizes the hair itself (ouch!). Both require numbing cream. The diode laser does not.
Type of laser: Diode
How it works: Medium length wavelengths target melanin in the hair shaft. Dead hair falls out and a new hair sprouts. Cycle must be repeated until all hair bulbs are removed.
Number of treatments: 4-6
Laser hair removal cost: $98 – $149 (depending on body area) per session; packages of 3-6 sessions purchased cost less.
Appropriate candidates: All skin types
After listening to Mary’s explanation, I decided to go for it and chose full leg, bikini and arm pit hair removal. I undressed and waited tensed as she applied ultrasound cream to my skin. I looked at her through hazy googles and saw her hands moving, heard the laser beeping, but all I could feel was a smooth plastic surface tracing my skin. No pain, no discomfort. Just plastic sliding over jelly on my skin. My girlfriend was right…
-by Amy Chang
Image source: society6
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