With Covid restrictions lifting on what has been called ‘Freedom Day’ in the UK today, I couldn’t wait to treat myself to a a well needed pamper and spot of grooming by removing unwanted body hair in preparation summer.
At my first visit to Halcyon Aesthetics today, just a couple of minutes walk from Bond Street Station in London, I had laser hair removal to my sideburns and neckline and here I’ll share my results which I’m thrilled with!
I first started plucking my sideburns around two years ago after years of trimming them with scissors because they have always been so tough, wiry and never grow long enough to tuck behind my ears.
I progressed from trimming the curls with my scissors to plucking when I decided to go a lighter shade of blonde and my hairdresser advised she would be unable to use foils on my sideburns as they were too short to colour so remained a dark triangle of hair on each side of my face which I felt flabbergasted by and needed a more longterm solution to control, hence why I decided upon laser hair removal for this purpose.
In preparation for my laser hair removal the laser practitioner first asked me the amount of hair I would like removed as well as the shape to ensure that I would receive a look that I am happy with. I like to have all of my side burns removed to the point of where hair would tuck behind the ear, as well as the baby hairs which grow curly and thick at the base of my neck and never grow long enough to tuck into a ponytail.
Following the decision of how and where to remove the hair from I then had the hair shaved away so that the laser can target the hair follicle directly. The results for this 30min procedure are permanent after 4-6 sessions and is suitable for men and women alike with all skin tones. Unwanted hair can be removed from all areas of the body with the most popular areas for this procedure being the face, legs, bikini line, underarms, back and chest.
Whilst I’m not new to laser hair removal and love the results that I have experienced, this is the first time I have experienced a Aerolase laser with a new technology that removes pain from the treatment by sealing the laser generated heat within the hair follicle to increase its temperature faster making this treatment method more effective on fair skin and lighter hairs as well as on tanned and darker skin.
Because of this new technology no skin cooling or anaesthetics are necessary and in a matter of minutes my treatment was complete. This treatment was performed whilst seated with protective eyewear worn whilst the laser is in use.
I feel that the most commonly asked questions when it comes to laser hair removal are “is it painful?” and “is it worth it?” and I’d say that it’s very much down to the individual for how you cope with the sensation of laser hair removal and how much money you spend on grooming.
Personally for me, laser hair removal feels like a warm pinging sensation on the skin and isn’t painful or uncomfortable for me at all. In some places I cannot even feel the laser and others it feels warm like sunlight touching the skin. So I find this a very quick and extremely easy treatment to have. Ultimately the very first treatment that you have will be on new strong hair which will be the thickest and darkest creating the maximum amount of sensation and each session that follows will weaken and lighten the hair to the point of having nothing left at all with little to no sensation from the laser.
When it comes to cost I measure this in two ways; the cost and pain of the treatment and the cost and pain of the alternate treatments that I have been using for lesser results. Plucking side burns is obviously free to do from home if you have a pair of tweezers but I find this very painful and time consuming as my hair constantly regrows and I find myself forever tugging at eye-watering sideburn stubble which comes through in annoying patches as my hair grows in cycles – it’s never a quick once per week groom!
The laser takes several seconds in comparison and I hardly felt it which makes the process an absolute dream for me and for this there really is no comparison, laser hair removal for sideburns all the way! When it comes to neck hair my hair dresser gives it a trim every 6 weeks whilst having my routine cut and colour, but tying my hair up for the gym or on a hot day I am constantly left with curly dark hairs up my neck that won’t behave.
I don’t personally attempt to cut, wax or pluck the back of my neck as this is an area of my body that I can’t get to easily and the hair grows very fast and thick and wiry which would be torture to continuously pluck, not to mention very time consuming.
Having the back of my neck lasered, once again, was very quick, comfortable and easy for me to experience; instantly leaving me with the perfect results I had hoped for, in precisely the shape that I had asked for. Neck hair and sideburns on women are entirely normal and nothing to be ashamed of, I think that it suits a lot of women and can look very pretty, but personally for me I prefer not to have them as these areas of hair grow very wild and curly, unlike the rest of my hair which makes it stand out and look out of place.
I am absolutely thrilled with my results and am happy to share them honestly here in my blog in the hope that I can help others to understand what hair removal options are available for permanent results. If you struggle with unwanted body hair or in-growing hairs that you wish to remove permanently then Halcyon Aesthetics is a clinic that I would certainly recommend.
The clinic is so perfectly situated, just a short walk from Oxford Street for sight seeing and shopping and the staff are very professional and polite. I recognise that discussing unwanted body hair can seem embarrassing and it may even be difficult to ask for help or seek treatment, but I felt so welcome and free to discuss my concerns with the practitioner and as a result of this felt no embarrassment or shame. Maybe this may not seem like a big deal to many and sideburns and neck hair isn’t something you think about often, but to me this feels huge and makes such a big difference to my day and self-confidence and I couldn’t be happier with my results!
Sending you all love and warm wishes for your own hair removal journeys; if there’s an area of body hair that you’ve been thinking about having removed then laser hair removal is by far the quickest and most cost effective method to permanent removal which saves you years of buying razors and waxes, not to mention hours of painful waxing and plucking only for it to return after; I must prefer a comfortable and quick laser hair removal session which leaves me permanently hair free.
Use code TRACY10 for a 10% discount on treatments.
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