High-tech Hair Removal
Illawarra Mercury
Wednesday October 22, 2008
Technology has created new ways to rid your body of unwanted hair, writes KILMENY ADIE.
For some people, the fear of baring their body on the beach this summer is not only about revealing those extra kilograms that went on to your waist in winter.It can also be about the challenge of maintaining a body that is free of hair in all the wrong places.To combat this hairy issue, there is an assortment of options which range from the cheap, cheerful and easy option of a razor and shaving cream to more complex options like laser treatments.However, with rapid developments in technology it could be time to explore another option.For more than 20 years Lynn Hetherington-Briggs has watched as technology in the beauty industry has developed dramatically.Skin therapist Hetherington-Briggs says the hair removal industry is a fast changing field, which demands those working within it to constantly update their skills.While shaving is an easy home choice, within a beauty business there can be an assortment of other options.Hetherington-Briggs says at her Dapto clinic people can have more traditional removal methods like hot wax or newer technology like electrolysis or variable pulsed light (VPL), which is a laser treatment.She is also trialling a method, Epilar, where the product is applied to the area which has already had hair removed from it."I haven't launched it in a big way," she says."But I'm very happy with the result. It slows down the regrowth."Hetherington-Briggs says it doesn't matter how the hair is removed prior to using Epilar, as long as the product goes on to the skin within 15 minutes.It is suited to people with red, blonde and grey hair who can struggle a little more with regrowth problems than those with dark hair.The technology surrounding electrolysis - where electricity is sent down a probe into the hair follicle - has also developed.Hetherington-Briggs says there is more control with new electrolysis machines. For instance, her machine has 157 ways to set it, allowing for different skin types.The most important thing a person can do if they're considering changing their method of hair removal is to ask questions."What you're looking for is performance, knowledge, personal experience, whether you build a rapport with the person and if they know what they're doing," she says.Hetherington-Briggs says it is also vital people understand the technological developments and what it means to them.Furthermore, if a person is undergoing a treatment for the first time, it is a legal requirement to have a test patch done to ensure their skin does not react negatively.People need also be aware it takes time for the body to recover from a treatment such as laser and Hetherington-Briggs says it is important this is factored in. "We have grown up in the last 10 to 15 years seeing before and after shots and expectations can be unrealistic," she says."We live in an age of the instant fix and one thing we'll never be able to change is how the human body functions."
© 2008 Illawarra Mercury
