Despite being blessed with luscious eyebrows and a head full of naturally voluminous hair, the one sh*tty genetic I inherited and loathe is being hairy. It’s a perpetual fight against unwanted body hair, and whatever quick fixes there are that alleviate my struggles the slightest, I’ve tried them – be it depilatory creams, plucking, threading, epilating, shaving or waxing.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) hair removal treatments have been around for the longest time, but laser and machinery put together, especially near the bikini line area, sounds all sorts of horrifying. It’s also absurdly expensive. But out of frustration and based on the notion that the hair could be gone forever, I finally gave the Brazilian IPL treatment a shot at Strip.
How it works is that a device emits laser energy (heat) that is targeted to certain parts of the body with unwanted hair. This energy penetrates each strand of hair at the root to destroy the hair follicle, which then prevents it from producing new hair. It’s easy to be a convert once you’ve experienced it on your own, so here are five reasons why I’m sold:
Pain is minimal – My pain threshold is pathetic and although many have concurred that IPL hair removal is completely painless, it isn’t for me. With that said, all that is felt during the process is short yet concise zaps on the skin. This pain is a far cry compared to that of waxing. Besides, the cooling gel applied onto the skin prior enhances comfort levels by miles.
Quick and easy – Here’s what goes down during a treatment: The therapist trims off any excess length of hair and applies a cooling gel all over the targeted area. After, the device gets switched on and is glided across the skin. Once the entire area is covered, she scrapes off the gel and that completes the treatment. It literally takes no time at all and there’s no mess.
Longer-lasting results – With just one treatment, hair growth gets significantly stumped and there is no longer a need for me to groom as often as I have been doing previously. Even if you decide to stop after three IPL treatments, you’ll notice that you’ll have to schedule a wax less frequently. Think about all the time you can spend on far more substantial things!
Skin is left undamaged – Traditional waxing always leaves my skin red, irritated and bumpy, but IPL hair removal does not affect the skin as much. Aside from the fact that the targeted area gets a little itchy, the treatment doesn’t leave a trace on the skin and thoroughly eliminates the risks of having ingrown hairs, which are the bane of my existence.
Semi-permanent solution – The number of sessions needed to achieve complete, permanent damage to the hair follicles (100% hairless) varies from individual to individual. Nonetheless, the hair becomes more sparse and will appear finer with each session you commit to. Most people have permanent hair loss after an average of three to seven sessions.
The Brazilian IPL hair removal service at Strip: Ministry of Waxing is priced at RM900 per session. In Malaysia, Strip is located in Bangsar, Sunway Pyramid, The Curve, Solaris, Suria KLCC, Mid Valley, Avenue K, and Gurney Paragon (Penang).
