Why this treatment?
A permanent solution to the bikini line issue? The real question is, ‘Why wouldn't you do it?'
What's it all about?
Laser therapy works by setting a laser at a certain wavelength so that it targets some cells rather than others. Using the laser, a therapist can effectively kill a hair follicle, thereby preventing it from producing hair, without harming any of the surrounding cells. Laser hair removal can be used to remove hair anywhere on the body.
What happened?
I wasn't nervous about the appointment - just looking forward to never having to think about waxing or ‘Veet-ing' ever again. Not that waxing was a huge issue in my life, but it was an annoyance and hassle that I could happily do without. However, sitting in the waiting room at the Euromed Clinic on Jumeirah Beach Road, I was suddenly hit by fear of impending pain.
Once led through to laser therapist Rebecca Treston's office, I was asked some questions about my bikini-line-management history. Having divulged this information and agreed on the results I was looking for (in terms of what amount of hair you want left and where), she asked me about my pain threshold. Well, I've had two children and a few tattoos (outside of the UAE), so I'm no stranger to pain, but it's not something I welcome. Rebecca explained that there is an anaesthetising gel that can be applied first, but I would have to hang around for half an hour to wait for the gel to take effect. Being pushed for time, I said, "Let's just do it - I'll get some gel and pre-apply next time."
Once propped up on the treatment bed, naked from the waist down and legs akimbo, I was handed a pair of very retro-looking glasses to protect my eyes from the laser.
At this point, the nervous giggles set in. I wasn't sure what I was expecting exactly, but I didn't think the feeling of having your hair follicle sizzled to death by a high-frequency laser gun would be pleasant - a prediction that proved to be correct. I would say on a pain scale of one to ten, one being stubbing your toe and ten being having your arm sawn off, laser hair removal would probably hit an easy four. That sounds quite painful, but as it's delivered in short bursts, it comes down to an uncomfortable, but bearable, three. It was painful enough for me to giggle in a this-isn't-actually-funny way, and to need little breaks, but not so bad that I had to stop.
The session took about ten minutes. Afterwards, the area was a bit red and sore for 24 hours.
Did it really work?
Within a few days, the singed follicles ejected whatever hair was in them to the skin's surface - which looks a bit like iron filings, but just brushes away - and the hair didn't grow back.
By my second session six weeks later, there was minimal hair to be lasered. Six weeks on again, I'm about to go for my final session to get any last follicles that were in the wrong stage of the hair cycle on the previous two visits.
Did it work? Yes it did. Bikini line issues are not something people generally open up to strangers about, but we all know the issues (ingrown hairs) and hassles (having to let it grow long enough to be waxed) that arise - not to mention the pain of the constant upkeep. Now, thanks to the laser hair removal, I can safely say that the irritation of bikini line management is a thing of the past for me, which is brilliant. At the very least, it's one less beauty chore to worry about.
Need to know
The number of sessions you need, and how effective the treatment is, depends largely on your skin tone and hair colour. For the laser to be able to identify the hair follicle, the hair colour needs to be contrasting to the skin. So, people with dark hair normally have more success with laser hair removal, while people with blonde hair have less success. The number of sessions you need can vary from three to seven, depending on hair type and the part of the body being treated. The amount of time needed between appointments also varies.
Dh800 to Dh1,000 per session. Call Rebecca Treston on 04 394 5422.
