Laser hair removal has been a common procedure for women for years, but only recently has the trend started to attract large numbers of men. Having performed over 10,000 laser procedures, Dr. Tattoff’s Sarah Brice, RN, recently published an article entitled Laser Hair Removal for Men in the dermatological journal Healthy Aging. From the article:
One of the more significant trends in cosmetic procedures is the increase in men opting for aesthetic touchups. From Botox and facials to liposuction and gynecomastia (male breast reduction), men are looking for professional solutions to common problems. Among those problems is excess body hair. Where laser hair removal was once a procedure only for women, men now seek "manscaping" services almost as much.
Most men who opt for a laser approach to hair removal are concerned with back hair. While chest hair has phased in and out of fashion, back hair is never in. After back hair, the chest and abdomen areas are also popular, and we even get the occasional request for a Brazilian Bikini treatment for a male client.
The neck, face and scalp are also sometimes treated. With those areas, it’s important to remember that the goal is improvement, not perfection. Facial and scalp hair cannot be 100 percent removed, but it can be reduced by as much as 85 to 95 percent with appropriate treatment.
Multiple devices can be used for laser hair removal. Many practitioners choose diode lasers or IPL (intense pulsed light) devices because of the low incidence of adverse events. The optimal client will have fair or light colored-skin with dark, course hair. Because the laser targets the dark melanin pigment in the hair, men with blonde, red or grey hair are not good candidates for laser hair removal and will likely not experience acceptable results regardless of the device. Sun avoidance and sunscreen are especially important because sun exposure triggers melanin production in the skin, which will make removal more difficult.
While the process of hair removal in men and women is technically the same, men’s thicker and courser hair can be more challenging and require more treatments. In addition, any area on the face or neck will require more treatments than other areas on the body – this is true for both men and women. Men like to think they’re tough, but women typically have a higher pain tolerance. The process tends to feel like getting snapped with a rubber band each time the laser is fired.
Areas with courser hair such as the face, neck, chest and bikini area may be slightly more uncomfortable than other areas of the body. This is also true of areas with less subcutaneous fat such as the knees, elbows and ankles. Numbing creams and cool air can help make the process more tolerable.
I tell my male patients to let their guard down – they’ll like the end results and their partner will appreciate it too. Men have to understand that there is absolutely no shame in looking great and they should embrace newer grooming options available to them.
Sarah Brice, RN, has performed more than 10,000 laser and IPL procedures at "Dr. Tattoff" (www.DrTattoff.com) where she serves as director of medical services with Dr. Will Kirby.
Visit www.drtattoff.com to book an appointment for laser hair removal.