The majority of hair removal methods developed for the market these days are temporary methods. They work for a short period of time then they need to be repeated. Some of these methods last longer than others, for example waxing lasts significantly longer than shaving, but all of them have an expiration date.

As a counterpoint there are two methods that are classified as “permanent” and claim that when you undergo them you’ll never need to perform a hair removal treatment again. These two methods are electrolysis and laser treatments. Read on to learn about how laser treatments work and whether they’re right for you.

While it sounds futuristic the most important thing you need to remember about laser treatment is the fact that it’s very, very simple. A laser is nothing more than a concentrated beam of light, and laser treatment doesn’t involve anything more than focusing that light so it goes through your skin and hits the roots of your hair follicles. Because the light in a laser is concentrated it holds a lot of energy that it essentially injects into your hair follicle. That energy builds and transforms into heat which denatures and “kills” the hair follicle, causing it to fall out and never grow back.

Compared to many other hair removal procedures, and compared to electrolysis specifically, laser treatments are very fast. That’s because with laser hair removal your technician will be able to target and denature hundreds of hair follicles at a time. In a lot of ways laser hair removal is to electrolysis what waxing is to tweezing. Instead of taking hours and hours a sitting, laser hair removal treatments rarely take more than twenty minutes. Very large body parts, like backs and legs, can take a few hours per treatment but these are the exception instead of the rule. Regardless of what body part you’re having treated expect to go in for multiple sessions. » Read more: Laser Hair Removal – Is It Right For You?