Epilation, on the other hand, involves the possible removal of the entire hair follicle, thereby slowing down the re-growth of unwanted hair. Since epilation involves removal of hair from the roots, hair re-growth takes longer time (of up to a few weeks) compared to depilation processes.
Epilation Methods
Waxing
The beauty of waxing is that it allows removal of large amounts of unwanted hair at once. In this method, wax is heated up for easy application on the skin. As the wax cools down, it firmly holds the hair, making it easier to be pulled off. Cold wax can also be used. These kinds of wax are commonly attached to strips, which are then plastered to the skin. Any wax left on the skin is either peeled or scraped off.
Best For: Legs, public hair, upper lip and eyebrows.
Of course don’t try it on your face.
Pain: We wouldn’t lie to you – yes it hurts! This is the most prominent drawback in waxing – it can be very painful. Also it may cause skin irritation
how often? You may need to perform waxing every two weeks to a month varies individually.
Cost: depends on the area. Most beauty salons will ask a fee of $12 for eyebrow wax,
$70 for full legs, and a couple of hundreds for a full body.
Laser Hair Removal
One of the most common techniques in the United states for hair removal.
This technique uses beams of highly concentrated light to kills the hair follicles.
The laser will pass through your dermis and your epidermis and will reach the hair follicles. The dark pigment in the hair follicle will absorb the light from the laser and will turn it to heat. This extraordinary amount of heat will them kill the areas that cause your hair to grow, leaving you with smooth and hair-free skin.
This will prevent the hair from re growing, leaving you with smooth and hair-free skin.
Best For: Laser Hair Removal will achieve the best results with those who have light skin color and dark hair. Treatment is not recommended for blond or red-haired people, dark-skinned people and those with gray hair.
How often? the results obtained from laser hair removal are not permanent. It is, therefore, necessary to repeat the process. It usually takes around 5-6 sessions, 4 weeks apart.
Is it painful? Many people find it very painful, depends on how much hair you have and how coarse it is. Many people say they feel like little pin pokes on the affected areas. You may use pain killers like Advil or Tylenol before treatment.
How much time it affects? May last for years. Even if hair reappears, it tends to be very thin and fine.
Cost? Each session may cost up to $500 and the total cost may range from $2000-3000 depends on the areas selected. It is quite an expensive procedure.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis involves needles, which are inserted to the hair follicle together with an electrical current which flows to the root. By doing this, the root is burned, therefore preventing hair re-growth. This procedure might take several sessions since each hair follicle must be treated one at a time. Electrolysis is also a permanent hair removal technique. Side effects include the formation of keloid and possible infection.
Best For: ideal for small size areas: upper lip, eyebrows, chin and the face.
How often?
A typical treatment can take from fifteen minutes to an hour; the number of session varies from patient to patient. In most cases requires more sessions than laser hair removal.
Lasts for? It is viewed as permanent – no hair supposes to grow for all the rest of your life. But there are exceptions, and clients need to return for a cleanup. That may occur once or twice a year Depending on the patient.
Is it painful? Varies personally. Some people report a slightly painful sensation or tingling or during the session, and other complain of excessive pain. A good professional
can minimize the pain.
Price: more expensive than laser treatments. A 30-minute electrolysis treatment can cost at about $60, and you will need to have 15-30 sessions to achieve the best result.
Other Epilation methods include
Plucking
Hair can be pulled out using tweezers or sometimes using the fingers. Plucking is an efficient method of hair removal, albeit time consuming. It is mostly done on eyebrows but the hair must be long enough that it can be gripped by the tweezers.
Sugar Waxing
Sugar waxing is quite similar to traditional waxing. Here, a thick sugary substance made from the mixture of lemon juice, sugar, and water is applied to the skin, in which a cloth or paper strip is placed onto the sugary substance and then swiftly yanked off, pulling the hairs out.
Sugar waxing is preferred over traditional waxing because the wax can be removed easily by washing it off with water.
Threading
Threading works best on the eyebrows, chin, and on the upper lip. This is done using strands of cotton thread, twirled around the hairs and then pulling them out.
Intense pulsed light (IPL)
Intense pulsed light is a permanent hair removal technique similar to Laser Hair Removal. Unlike Laser Hair Removal, IPL uses optimum light wavelengths to minimize any damage to the skin. In fact, IPL is believed to be safe for people with dark skin.
Epilation devices or Epilators
An epilator is an electrical device, with rotating or tweezer-like heads, used to remove multiple hairs at once. It offers a quick solution to hair removal. It is portable, battery-powered or rechargeable. Despite all of these, epilators do not suit everybody since thick-haired people may find the use of such devices, painful. Also, fine hairs will not be properly removed by epilators.
Epilators are normally used on legs, arms, underarms, faces, and chests.
To summarize Epilation involves damaging the hair follicle, In some cases it maybe painful, but it also lasts for a long period of time.
