I am a 17 year old male with light skin and dark hair. I have a substantial amount on my stomach and an enormus amount on my thighs. The problm is that the hair is really dry so that even after it grows out it still iches. Latly I have gotten a medium amount on the sides of my face and chin. I have to shave two or three times a day and it is really anoying. I am wondering what would really be the best treatment for these things, as in which type of laser would be best, or if electroylis would be better. I only have about a hundred hairs on my face, that are actually full sized and dark. Money isn’t an enormus issue, but I wouldn’t like to spend more than neccisary.
Firstly, I would say 17 is a bit too young for starting treatment. (Okay I started to shave my face when I was 23.)
Light skin and dark colour hair is generally a good candidate for laser hair removal, but it also need to depends on how your skin react to sun (Do you get tan easily etc)
The problem that you feel itch is because there are other hairs still growing out, most likely around existing hairs. If you are looking to thin them all, instead of completely removing them, my recommendation is going for Laser.
Please note, Laser is classified as permanent hair reduction; it is fast and effective (if you are the suitable candidate.) Electrolysis is generally time wasting and it requires to work on one hair at a time.
Both methods are not cheap, and not pain-free.
I would start with laser since you have dark hair and light skin. I don’t see anything wrong with starting with laser at 17, but check with a dermatologist. The age at which hair growth peaks varies a lot. I started shaving my beard at age 14.
Do a lot of research and find the most qualified practitioner you can. There are guidelines and questions on the hairfacts.com site you can ask when looking around. There is no substitute for experience as long as it is good experience.
RJC2001
Okay it is just that my dad got laser which went sort of alright, but then they switched to flashlamp and he got burned, and the stripes stilll haven’t gone away after 2 months. I was looking at electrolysis because I was worried and I only have about 100 individual follicles on my face that are active so I didn’t think it would take that long.
Any advice though on a good laser place in the greater boston area
Hi Danboy–
Doing it at your age is fine, but there are always many more follicles with hairs than you might think. At any given time, fewer than half your hairs are visible on most areas, so you probably have about 3 times the hairs you think you do.
IPL/flashlamp is known for causing side effects-- I hope your dad’s striping clears up! 