Don't be afraid to try new hair removal options. Laser and Elos hair removal removes hair for a long time. The effect depends on hormones, skin, hair color. For some, six procedures are enough to forget about hair for five years. And some people need 10-12 procedures. And besides this, every year I also go to support sessions.
There is no procedure that will get rid of hair forever. If the doctor tells you to come for maintenance procedures, for example, once a year, come. Then you will forget about unwanted hairs on your body and face.
Laser and Elos hair removal: what is it?
Laser hair removal is exposure to light energy.
The laser suppresses the hormone melanin, which is contained in the follicle. The more it is in the hair, the blacker it is. Therefore, the procedure is suitable for dark hair.
Laser hair removal is not performed on blonde hair because it does not contain melanin. It's useless.
Melanin is also removed during hair removal using the ELOS device. It contains both light and optical energy. Flashes of light destroy the follicle and hair falls out.
Device for elos hair removal
The device removes those hairs that have grown by 3-4 mm and are actively growing during the session. The hair that you shaved before the procedure.
Therefore, procedures are prescribed in several stages. If a specialist makes an appointment for a session, for example, after 4 weeks, this means that the next active phase will begin and the device will remove about another 10-20% of hair.
It depends on the hormonal background, the amount of hair and its color. The break between procedures is 4-8 weeks. Depends on the body. Only the specialist you contact will tell you for sure.
Elos and laser hair removal only affect hair. If the procedure is performed by an experienced specialist, there will be no side effects on the skin. He will select the right impulse that will not damage the skin.
After the first laser hair removal or elos procedure, about 10-15% of follicles die. The hair that was growing at the time of the session falls out.
Elos and laser hair removal are performed every 4-8 weeks
Elos hair removal
Elos' work is based on the principle of electro-optical synergism, which gives the method its name. The irreversible destruction of the hair follicle occurs with a beam of two types of energy: IPL (light) and RF (radio frequency). At the same time, elos hair removal is much more effective than photo hair removal and is not as painful as electro hair removal. It easily copes with light and vellus hairs, which are the most difficult to remove. However, compared to a laser, this method is still more sensitive, and treatment of the same area takes approximately three times longer.
At the same time, the quality of hair removal, safety and painlessness of laser hair removal are directly related to its type and design features.
What is the difference between elos hair removal and laser hair removal?
Laser hair removal
Laser hair removal is recommended for black hair. If you have gray, red or blond hair, laser will not help. It's all about melanin. It is not present in blond hair and there is nothing for the laser to destroy.
The laser affects the follicle, which is under the skin at a depth of 2-3 millimeters. If the hair is deeper, it will remain.
If you decide to have laser hair removal, do not sunbathe at least 3-4 weeks before the procedure. And after another month. The interval between sessions is 4-8 weeks, so it turns out that sunbathing is not allowed. It is better to start the course in October, when the tan has already faded.
Elos hair removal
Elos is more effective than laser hair removal if some of the follicles are at a depth of 5-6 millimeters. It will also destroy distantly located hairs, unlike a laser.
Elos hair removal is suitable for black hair. But it also copes with blond, red and gray hair.
Before elos hair removal, sunbathe 10 days before the procedure. And after the session, after 10 days, it is also allowed.
Bikini area data:
| Laser hair removal | Elos hair removal | |
| Hair color | For black hair | For black, gray, blond, red hair |
| Color of the skin | For untanned skin | For any skin |
| Number of procedures | 3-8 | 5-10 |
| Price | From 1200 rubles | From 1600 rubles |
| Feel | Slight tingling | Need pain relief gel |
| Session duration | 30-40 minutes | 30-40 minutes |
What to choose elos or laser?
Laser hair removal is suitable for you if:
- You have dark hair and light skin;
- You have a low pain threshold (this procedure is much less painful than elos);
- Do you want to get rid of hair in your bikini area or armpits?
- Your skin is prone to irritation and scarring (when laser hair removal, the device does not come into contact with the skin, so there will be no negative consequences for it).
You can choose Elos hair removal if:
- You have dark, tanned skin and/or light, red hair;
- If the hairs are too thick, grow deep, and are difficult to remove by other means;
- If you want to get rid of excess hair quickly (elos requires fewer sessions than laser hair removal).
Of course, before choosing “your” method, you need to get a detailed consultation with a cosmetologist-dermatologist who will tell you about all the contraindications, nuances and possible consequences, as well as collect anamnesis, conduct tests and give accurate recommendations. This is a mandatory point in such procedures, since they can cause serious harm to your health without proper preparation.
Another difference between these procedures is that laser hair removal is cheaper than elos, because elos is more versatile, and the equipment for it is much more expensive than for laser.
Does it hurt or not?
Laser hair removal is comfortable. You will only feel a tingling sensation and warmth from the flash.
But elos is painful on delicate areas of the skin.
Emla will numb the skin before elos hair removal
I did elos hair removal for a deep bikini and armpits. Before the procedure, it was recommended to apply Emla anesthetic gel. It cooled the skin and I felt a slight numbness. But even after this gel it was painful.
The doctor said that I endure like a warrior. She said that some girls even cried and stopped the procedure. It all depends on the sensitivity threshold. You may not experience as much pain.
I don't want to scare you. In general, the procedure is tolerable. And if the doctor is also experienced and encourages you with conversations, stories and jokes, that’s generally fine.
If your hair does not grow excessively and you do not suffer from ingrown hairs, laser hair removal is not necessary. For example, my hair grows quickly, there is a lot of it, it is coarse and black. Even after removal from the roots, after 2-3 days it’s right there. It's horrible. They are also growing.
Epilation of legs takes 1-1.5 hours
If you have a similar situation, try it. This will help. After the third procedure, I no longer shaved my bikini area every day, but once every 3-4 days. The hairs became thin and light. It's nice to see such changes.
Before you go for the procedure, study the information.
My main mistake was the epilator. I pulled the hairs out by the roots again. I do not know why. Over time, a third of the hairs grew back. It's a pity for wasted money and months.
Before and after the procedure, just shave. Pulling out hairs by the roots is pointless. Over time they will grow back.
Advantages and disadvantages of ELOS hair removal
Experts highlight the following advantages of the method:
- Hair removal of all types and any length.
- By correctly determining the number of necessary procedures, the result is permanent.
- Possibility of treating all areas of the body, including the face.
With all its advantages, ELOS also has quite serious disadvantages. In particular, this concerns the painfulness of the procedure and the presence of a serious list of contraindications.
Hair removal using ELOS should be abandoned in cases where people wishing to have it done have one of the following diagnoses:
- Epilepsy.
- The presence of benign, malignant neoplasms or suspicion of their presence.
- Venereal diseases.
- Decreased immunity, HIV. There is a risk of complications due to exposure of the skin to a combination of light and electrical energy.
- Metal implants in the affected area, piercing.
- Skin diseases, rashes, redness in the treated area.
- Taking medications that prevent blood clotting. The usual aspirin also falls into this category.
- Scars on the treated area.
- Blood diseases.
- Varicose veins
- Hypertension and other disorders of the cardiovascular system.
- Diabetes.
- Pregnancy and lactation period.
You may be interested in: Cryotherapy - a non-injection alternative to rejuvenation
Despite the large number of contraindications, many people prefer ELOS hair removal, as it allows you to destroy the hair follicle to a depth of 0.6 cm. The next big plus is the removal of all types of hair, including light brown, blond, and red.
What is ELOS hair removal?
The hair removal method is based on the effect of radiation on the follicle. When performing treatment, the applicator should touch the skin tightly. If the device is set up incorrectly and there is a high sensitivity to physical impact, there is a risk of redness and pain during procedures.
The next disadvantage is due to the fact that the destruction of the follicle on tanned and dark skin can lead to damage to the epidermis. To obtain a lasting result, a series of 4-7 procedures is required. Their number depends on the structure of the hair. The most painful places for ELOS hair removal are the bikini area and face. In terms of price, foot treatment is the most expensive due to the large surface area of the skin.
Side effects of Elos and laser hair removal
Before the procedure, a specialist will talk with you and determine whether hair removal can be done or not. He will ask questions about past operations, illnesses, skin type, allergies. If your esthetician allows you to undergo the procedure, side effects are rare.
Perhaps the red spots will disappear not in a few hours, but in 3 days. But this is not the case. It's just not scary. Avoid taking hot showers, baths, and shaving to avoid damaging your skin.
Horror stories are written on forums about the side effects of hair removal. But elos and laser hair removal will not cause harm if the cosmetologist is experienced and you follow his advice.
Laser hair removal - advantages and disadvantages
In modern cosmetology in general, laser technologies have become very widespread, and hair removal is no exception. The essence of laser removal is quite simple - with a special laser, the hair shaft and root are heated to the temperature of tissue damage, after which they die and the growth of “vegetation” stops. This technique is successfully used on almost all areas of the body that are susceptible to the appearance of unwanted hair. You can easily be convinced of the high effectiveness of this technique just by reading reviews about it - it is quite simple to implement, and in recent years even the smallest salon can afford to purchase such equipment. Usually, when it comes to the main criteria for the superiority of laser hair removal, the following factors are mentioned:
- Availability of the procedure - over the years of working with the laser, many installations of the most diverse types have been created, and many specialists are trained to handle it. Therefore, it is usually not difficult to find an institution where they will conduct a laser hair removal course.
- Lack of physical penetration into the skin - for example, injections during electrolysis can cause infection, which is fraught with the development of complications. In the same situation, only a laser beam penetrates deep into the skin, which does not violate the integrity of the skin.
- The procedure is painless - the vast majority of patients feel only warmth, which very rarely turns into a slight burning sensation.
Considering how painful and unpleasant other methods of removing unwanted hair are (for example, special wax), laser really seems like a panacea in comparison. Especially when you consider that the effect of a properly conducted full course of laser hair removal lasts for several years.
However, despite the fact that many advertising campaigns suggest this, laser hair removal is not a universal technique and has a number of limitations and disadvantages. It is because of this that the search for newer methods continues, some of which led to the emergence of Elos technology. The main negative aspects of laser hair removal are:
- Ineffective on some hair and skin types. Heating of tissue occurs due to the fact that the melanin pigment located in the hair roots absorbs laser radiation and converts it into thermal energy. If there is little of this pigment in the hair (gray, blond, red hair), then most of the radiation will dissipate, but the root will not be destroyed. And if there is a lot of melanin in the skin tissues surrounding the hair (dark, tanned skin), then heating will lead to their damage, which can lead to burns.
- Limited depth of influence. Laser heating will be effective if the hair root lies at a depth of no more than 2-3 mm. But sometimes it can be located at a distance of 5-6 mm from the surface (armpits, bikini area). In this case, laser hair removal is ineffective.
These main disadvantages of the technique lead to the fact that not every person can undergo laser hair removal.
We answer the main question
Experts assure that Elos hair removal is much better, let’s find out the reasons:
- The device is capable of removing even light, even noticeable hairs, which are called “fuzz”;
- The procedure can be performed on tanned skin. Now there is no need to hide in the shadows, and you can visit the solarium;
- When performing laser hair removal, you need to have hairs of a certain length. To do this, you should shave them 2-3 days in advance; this can cause irritation to the skin. The Elos device does not require this; it removes hairs of any length;
- During laser use, a special anesthetic cream is used extremely rarely, unlike the Elos method. There, the gel is a prerequisite for the procedure;
- Well, now the most important thing. When a light beam penetrates, the follicle does not die completely. The problem may occur again after 4-5 years. In the case of Elos hair removal this will not happen.
Experts indicate what to look for when choosing hair removal methods. So, laser intervention is suitable if:
- You will get rid of hair in the bikini area and armpits;
- You have a low pain threshold;
- Wounds on the skin take a very long time to heal, and scars and cicatrices may remain;
- The hair is dark in color.
But Elos hair removal will work in other cases:
- Your skin has a dark tone;
- The hair is light, more like fluff;
- The growth process happens very quickly;
- There is finance to pay for 4-5 procedures.
Pros and cons of laser hair removal
Surely, many girls have seen advertisements that laser hair removal will help you get rid of unwanted hair forever. What is this myth or reality? Experts say there are minor amendments. After completing the full course of procedures, they need to be repeated periodically (every 5-8 years).
The essence of laser hair removal is that the hair is exposed to a light beam. Thus, getting deep into the inner layer of the epidermis, it destroys the follicle. This happens in 7-10 sessions. The process is absolutely painless and harmless to human health. Therefore, many women opt for it.
The procedure lasts on average about 1 hour, it all depends on the selected area. There are no complex events. Overall the picture looks like this:
- The patient is taken into a specially equipped room and placed on a couch;
- The cosmetologist must choose a comfortable position so that all vegetation is clearly visible;
- Hair removal begins with the help of a laser. At this time, the girl may feel a slight tingling sensation. There should be no pain;
- After the process is completed, a special cream is applied to the skin. Mild irritation and redness may occur. It will go away within a day.
There are girls whose pain threshold is very low.
In this case, the cosmetologist may suggest using the special product “Emla”. The cream “freezes” the skin a little, so you can forget about the unpleasant sensations during hair removal. So, when choosing this method of getting rid of unwanted hair, you should know its positive aspects:
- Availability. It is carried out in many centers and beauty salons;
- Painless. Even the bikini area is treated without anesthesia;
- The process takes a little time;
- The only side effects that can be noted are slight redness.
- Don't forget about the shortcomings. They are as follows:
- Not every laser is suitable for a particular skin type. This should be taken into account by the specialist performing the procedure;
- Hair removal should not be performed on tanned skin. This can lead to cancer;
- The laser dries the epidermis;
- The “fluff” will remain undeleted;
- For a positive effect, you need to undergo at least 14 procedures with a difference of 1-2 months;
- Cost from 12,000 rubles (foot treatment).
Now you know all the pitfalls of the procedure, the decision is yours.
