The Complete Guide To Laser Hair Removal For Men

Hair removal is not just for women. Men know that too well. Of course, men will focus on other areas of their body than women. But the principle remains the same. Getting rid of unwanted hair. Moustache, beard, cheeks and neck usually are prime targets for hair removal. Men are required to come to work clean-shaven after all. But that's the thing. The word. Shaven. Shaving. As if there were no other hair removal methods out there worth mentioning? Well there is and it is laser hair removal. And this is the complete guide to laser hair removal for men.

We have established laser hair removal for men as a valid hair removal alternative to waxing and shaving. Men usually shave, especially when it comes to their facial hair. It is easy, painless and quick. Yet, it is inconvenient. Hair that was cut flat and short regrows back immediately, requiring even more shaving. It is a daily process that many men are tired of. Waxing, sounds like a better idea at first. Sure it is more painful but more time-efficient and contributes to reducing hair growth. In the very long-term though. Waxing can also have negative side effects.

You got it, laser hair removal for men seems to be the best, most-cost effective, time-saving hair removal solution. But because we are aware that laser hair removal remains a bit of a mystery for some, we put up together the complete guide to laser hair removal for men. If you want more information, you can check out our other post on laser hair removal for men.

The Complete Guide To Laser Hair Removal For Men

1. What is laser hair removal?

First thing first, we need to give some explanations in the guide to laser hair removal for men. What is indeed laser hair removal? Laser hair removal is a procedure where a specific beam of light bypasses the epidermis and targets the follicle, disabling the reproductive cycle of the hair without hurting the skin. One key element to the whole process is the color pigment in the hair. The laser targets the pigment through to the root of the hair and to the follicle. The heat generated then damages the follicle, preventing any further growth.

Laser hair removal works best when the hair is in the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle. Indeed, it is when the hair is still attached to the follicle. If the hair no longer connects to the follicle, then the heat of the laser can not be transferred to it. 20% off the hair will be in the anagen phase at any point in time, explaining why people need several sessions to see good results. Indeed, only 18 to 20% of all the hair will be treated at once by the laser.

After the treatment, the hair will slowly be expelled from the hair shaft to the surface of the skin and fall. Most laser hair removal clinics and spas use Diode and Nd: YAG laser, which are the latest technologies available on the market and work on darker skins. Unfortunately, blond, grey and white hair will not be very good conduits for the laser since they do not have strong pigments.

2. Why doing laser hair removal?

Part two of the complete guide to laser hair removal for men. There may be plenty of reason for a man to undergo laser hair removal. A reason that has been very commonly used in the past is that hair is not aerodynamic. It slows you down, especially if you are a swimmer, when even a nano-second can make the difference. Others will remove hair to avoid irritation and chaffing. But shaving will not really improve it all. There are a few more reasons why men do laser hair removal.

Excessive body hair or aesthetics

Laser hair removal can be very helpful to men who are uncomfortable with excessive hair on their back, neck, chest or anywhere else. Different men will use their treatment in different ways. As a matter of fact, not all men want to remove all their body hair completely. A lot of men will undergo laser hair removal to thin out their hair. They want it thinner and sparser.

Very often, both chest and back can be a source of lack of confidence for men and removing hair on those areas can help them feel more confident in their skin. Or they might just like their body hairless better and decide to get a smooth body all over.

Hygiene

A huge misconception that affects both men and women is that hair is not hygienic nor clean. On the contrary, the main reason why hair surrounds intimate body parts is to protect them against any hostile elements and keeps them clean.

Men choose to remove their body hair because manscaping helps them relieve irritation. Some might do it to reduce bushiness and any itchiness that can be intensified by hair in the summer months. Some guys just have really hairy butts, too. Less hair also means less loose hair all over the house, and thus, less intense cleaning.

Easier facial grooming

The complete guide to laser hair removal now moves onto the third most common reason why men do get into manscaping. Shaving is part of men's daily life. Most men need to do it every single day, but will still end up with a shadow over their beard area. The hair will also keep on growing back, darker and ticker.

So of course, men want less hair to make shaving easier, especially if they get ingrown hairs (which is going to be addressed in the next point of the guide to laser hair removal for men). Laser hair removal will reduce hair growth sessions after sessions. Male patients can choose to stop the treatment at any point in time upon deciding what hair quantity they are happy with.

Laser hair removal is also beneficial in patients with recurrent folliculitis—inflamed hair follicles that can appear as small, white-headed pimples. Pretty much anyone who can’t tolerate shaving and waxing is an ideal candidate for laser.

Ingrown hairs

Shaving, just like waxing, can incur ingrown hair. The hair is cut or removed in the opposite way to its growth, disturbing its regrowth and essentially making it grow back in a curl. The hair will be unable to pierce through the skin, stay under, may inflame or even become infected.

Laser is the only way to effectively treat a condition called PFD, pseudofolliculitis. Clusters of inflamed, red, or dark bumps will appear around hair follicles from shaving. Essentially, they’re ingrown hairs that grow in all sorts of directions, which can leave scars. Even after two sessions the ingrowns can disappear, and the skin comes back to its natural condition

Save money

Now, probably our main and strongest argument in favor of laser hair removal for men. A misconception, which we already spent time debunking, is that laser hair removal is very expensive. It is true that it is a short-term investment but it is very worth it in the long-term.

Think about all the money you will spend in razors, cartridges, cream and after-shave several times a month, every months, every year for your entire life. You'd probably be able to buy a small car with all that money. With laser hair removal, you make an upfront investment for at least six sessions over a year but when the follicle is damaged, the hair is gone and does not grows back. You will thus no longer need to buy razors or if you do decide to keep some facial hair, it will barely need any attention.

3. What areas can be treated?

Laser hair removal can be performed on any area of the body, except for the nose, eyebrows and ears. They are areas too close to the eye to risk nearing a laser device. Otherwise, any other area is safe to perform laser hair removal on. Basically, those areas are the same for men and women. The difference is that men usually have bigger body and thus sessions may take a bit longer.

At Infinity Laser Spa, we treat the following areas for men: upper lip, jawline, beard, cheeks, extended chin, half-back, full-back, chest, arms, back of neck, full legs, mankini, buttocks, abdomen trail, feet.

4. Is laser hair removal permanent?

Laser hair removal is not permanent per se. The reason why is because it is too new of a hair removal method without enough long-term research and results to assess whether it is actually permanent. The only FDA-approved permanent hair removal method is electrolysis, which still is not as convenient as laser hair removal.

For now, laser hair removal is considered a long-term hair reduction method since it can help reduce hair growth by up to 90%. If the laser manages to target and damage every single follicle, preventing any further growth, then it can be permanent. Again, this will vary depending on each person and their hair growth cycle.

Some patients will see complete and permanent hair removal while other will need some touch ups over the year. Other factors such as medication and hormones may bring some hair back.

5. How to prepare for your session?

Last but not least, our last point in the complete guide to laser hair removal for men. Laser hair removal does not have downtime. You may get back to your daily routine pretty quick, beyond following a few recommendations in the twenty-four hours after the session.

Where male patients need to be more careful is on how to prepare for a laser hair removal session. Since the laser detects the difference in pigmentation between hair and skin, it is better when the contrast is the sharpest. Thus, avoid staying in the sun too much and avoid tanning. SPF is essential to protect the skin. Customers need to come to their appointment clean-shaven and with their skin free of any lotion or cream. Remember to inform the technician of any medical history they may need to be aware of.

That is it for the complete guide to laser hair removal for men. In the end, it is pretty similar to laser hair removal for women when it comes to the preparing for the session. As per the reasons why men do laser hair removal, each to their own as always.