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Laser Hair Reduction- From a Man’s Point of View

Laser Hair Reduction- From a Man’s Point of View

For years, I have been self-conscious about my back hair. It’s not horrible and I do not resemble an ape-man in the slightest, but I still hate it.

The only real times when I became self-conscious were when I knew that I would be taking my shirt off. Beach holidays, trips to Bali, summertime etc… When it was cold, I rarely gave it a second thought, but the thought of me in a bathing suit sent me into back hair removal mode.

For many years, like many men, I simply tried to ignore it. I couldn’t see it so it couldn’t exist, right? I eventually learned that burying my head in the sand was not a viable option.

I  tried to deal with it at home. At first, I got my partner to shave it all off. This ended up being a huge mistake. The smooth feeling would last for one or two days and then my back would erupt in ingrown hairs. Not a good look.

I then bought a home waxing kit. I figured that it wasn’t so bad that I needed to pay money to have a professional do it. This turned out to be a horrible idea. My partner was a horrible waxer. Sometimes, the wax would be too hot and I would get scalded. Sometimes, it would be too cold and I could feel it ripping my skin off.

Eventually, I broke down and found a salon that would wax my unruly back for much cheaper than I thought. My first experience with a professional waxer was heaven. It didn’t hurt and only took about 15 minutes. I thought I had found my solution.

Two things eventually popped my waxing daydream.

1. I was spending $45 for every treatment and I was going once a month to keep the hair at bay. That’s $490 a year on hair removal. That seemed a bit expensive for a temporary solution.

2. If I get cold after a wax, I can actually feel the hair pushing itself out back through the skin. It is very uncomfortable and I end up prickly. This is especially annoying if I get a wax right before an overseas holiday.

After all of these trials and tribulations, I finally broke down and decided to have laser hair reduction. I had been thinking about it for a few years, but always decided against it for two reasons. Firstly, I always thought it was going to be wildly expensive. I somehow came to this conclusion without doing any research at all.

Secondly, I knew that I had to stay out of the sun for the course of my treatments and I had never really come across a 6 month stretch where I knew that I would be out of the sun.For some reason, this had me worried even though I rarely go out in the sun anyway. Even on holiday, I tend to hide underneath a beach umbrella.

I must admit that I was a little scared for my first session. I wasn’t sure what it was going to feel like. They shaved my back and placed a rather scary looking device on my skin. I held my breath in anticipation for the pain, which, thankfully never came.

Now don’t get me wrong. Laser hair reduction is not a procedure you could nap through, but was nowhere near as painful as I had feared. It felt like someone was flicking a rubber band on my skin. It hurt far less than waxing. I really fell in love with it when a couple of days later, I walked outside in the freezing cold. I was underdressed and immediately got goose bumps all over my skin. However, I did not get that prickly painful feeling on my back. It felt like heaven. A very silky smooth heaven.

I am nearing my fifth treatment and I could not be happier. Almost all of the hair is gone. What remains is nothing that 10 seconds and a pair of tweezers couldn’t handle. I can’t wait until summer when I don’t have to think about how long it’s been since my last wax before deciding to head to the beach.