Laser hair removal and electrolysis together!

Laser hair removal and electrolysis, in the end, do the exact same thing: They disable the cells at the base of the follicle that grow the hair.  But they do so by completely different methods.  Each method has advantages, and each has liabilities.  Utilized together, they will bring our clients to 100% removal, forever, faster, and for less cost, than either method used alone!  

At Bluebird we use the advantages of each, in conjunction with each other, because experience has shown us that this is what is best for our clients.

Let’s begin by talking about how each method works, and then we’ll talk about how and why we take advantage of both.

Laser hair removal became commercially available in the mid 1990s.  In laser hair removal, very bright light is broadcast at the skin’s surface. This light penetrates the skin 2-3mm deep, and is absorbed as heat by dark objects underneath the skin’s surface.  For folks with black, dark brown, and medium brown hair, these dark objects are the length of the hair shaft below the skin.  These sub-dermal hairs absorb heat from the laser light, conduct that heat down to the cells that grow the hair, and disable them.  It’s that simple.  The hair beneath the skin’s surface is used as a conduit to get heat down to the cells that produce it.

The advantage of laser hair removal is that it is fast, making it very inexpensive on a per-hair basis.  When treating large areas like legs, chests and backs, laser is the obvious choice.  And when treating small areas where hair is very dense, laser is also much more efficient.  The disadvantage of laser hair removal is that it only works on black, dark brown, and medium brown hair.  And of that, only on hair that is medium and coarse in texture.  Luckily, this makes it the best choice for more than 80% of the human population!

Electrolysis was first invented in the 1870s, and the technique has been honed and much refined in the century since.  In this modality, an electrolysis technician inserts a tiny electrical probe down into each follicle and delivers a small jolt of electricity.  The technician has to trace each follicle to its base and deliver the correct amount of energy, at the correct depth, and at the correct location, to get a successful “kill”.  Even the best technicians have a 60-80% success rate.  

The advantage of electrolysis is that it works on hair of every colour and of all textures.  The disadvantage is that it is very slow, and therefore much more expensive on a per-hair basis, than laser.  This makes electrolysis great for treating small areas where hair is not very dense, but not so good on large areas, and areas of high density.

At Bluebird, rather than choosing one modality over the other, we recognise the advantages of both, and use them in combination to get our clients better results, faster for less expense than any other clinic.

For our clients with black, dark brown, and medium brown facial and body hair, we are typically able to eliminate 80-95% of this hair with laser alone.  If clients want further reduction, we then switch them to electrolysis to take care of the fine, sparse hair that remains.

For our clients of European descent with a mix of hair colours, we again begin with laser, taking care of all the darker hairs, quickly.  This typically results in a fast 30-70% reduction.  We then switch these clients to electrolysis for what remains.

For prospective clients who come to us with over 90% white, red, or blonde hair, we send them directly to electrolysis.  Hair of these colours doesn’t absorb enough light energy for laser to be effective.  For these clients, electrolysis will be the best bet from the start.

We don’t do electrolysis in-house at Toronto laser hair removal clinic.  But we work seamlessly with Art of Electrolysis, NV Electrolysis, and AS Electrolysis.  They are all here in Toronto, and they all understand this process.

If this is the level of care you are looking for, we would love to see you!

Djuna Day