Whilst this isn’t my usual kinda blog post, I wanted to share with you all my experience with laser hair removal that I’m currently having at Hampshire Laser Clinic.
If you follow me on Instagram (IG stories, in particular) then you’ll know that 2 months ago I decided to go down the route of laser hair removal. Since my teenage days, I’ve always been my biggest enemy when it comes to body hair. Now don’t get me wrong, I have a lovely head of thick, shiny and strong hair, however, thanks to my amazing genes, this meant that I was also blessed with thick and very quickly growing hair on the lower half of my body. Lucky me, eh? Whilst some ladies may love their body hair (and I don’t judge at all), my opinion differs slightly and since my teenage days I’ve epilated, razored and waxed to my heart’s content.
Why laser hair removal?
Consider this to be TMI but for as long as I can remember I’ve suffered from numerous amount of ingrown hairs, hideous shaving bumps, 5’oclock shadows and some hair that would grow back within 6 hours. 6 HOURS! For years I’ve been conscious of my hair – particularly my bikini line. So, at the beginning of the year (after waxing failed me and left me with further ingrown hairs), I bit the bullet and decided that I had nothing to lose – apart from my hair!
Almost 3 months in, I’m discussing my experience with laser hair removal so far. Not just because it’s changed my life already but also because it’s drastically altered how I feel about my body. However, what works for me may not work for everyone. Note: we all have different hair types and this is a key thing to note when starting laser hair removal.
The beginning of laser hair removal
Luckily, I came across Lottie and Lois’s clinic – a family run business made up of mother and daughter – and before I knew it, I had booked my first appointment to start treatment on my bikini line. Ekkk. My first appointment was a consultation – where Lottie tested my skin, talked me through the process and then confirmed my skin was ok to continue with the treatment. Amazing. 2 sessions in 1. According to Lottie, my hair was perfect for laser hair removal – dark and coarse – and of course, that was music to my ears!
Most people nowadays have heard of laser hair removal, however, some people (including me) may not have heard of Soprano ICE Laser – which is what Hampshire Laser Clinic use for their treatments. This particular laser uses SHR technology meaning that it’s unique gradual heating method effectively damages the hair follicles while avoiding injury to the surrounding skin. It also meant that it was virtually pain-free. Winner.
The first treatment (end of January) took roughly 10 minutes. After Lottie applied the gel, she then began gliding the laser over my bikini line backwards and forth very quickly. If you’ve ever had an ultrasound before, then it’s exactly like that. In fact, the gel was quite soothing and thanks to its coolness, you barely feel the laser zapping away. Within 10 minutes my treatment was done and I was free to leave with a post-care leaflet.
Aftercare is pretty simple when it comes to laser hair removal, and if I’m honest, I didn’t experience any side effects such as redness and soreness. In fact, it was as if I had never been lasered!
The results
Probably the only reason you’re here, right? If I’m honest, I didn’t see any results straight away – which isn’t unusual. That’s just me being mega impatient *inserts halo emoji*. In fact, my hair started growing just two days after my treatment. BUT, wait for it… The results came a week after my treatment when I shaved my bikini line for the first time.
So, a week and a few days after I shaved my bikini line for the first time after laser hair removal, I was relieved (and quite surprised) to see that the hairs on my bikini line were simply… not there. Aka, they hadn’t grown back as quickly as they would have before my treatment. Bullseye. In fact, my bikini line hair started to regrow about 2 weeks after – just in time to shave again for my second treatment. Pretty impressive for hair that usually regrows a day after shaving, huh?
When it came to my second laser hair removal treatment (exactly a month later), I decided to bite the bullet again and asked Lottie to go a little further and remove the lot. Yes, the lot! Bye bye hair in my entire ladies region. Lols. Lottie made me feel completely at ease during my entire treatment, because let’s face it, having someone noise around in your ladies region isn’t the most relaxing thing, huh. Especially when they’re zapping away! But, with Lottie’s chatter and friendliness, I felt completely at ease. So with the slight extra work, my second treatment lasted roughly 15 minutes – if that!
As for the results after my second treatment, my hair has completely changed! Yes, it’s still growing back, but nowhere near like it used to! Here are the results I’ve experienced after just two treatments…
- Most of my hair takes slightly longer than two weeks to grow back
- However, my bikini line barely grows back within the space of 4 weeks (that’s had a total of two treatments)
- No more itchypost-shave nightmares
- No more red shaving bumps
- My hair has gone from being extremely coarse to extremely soft. I’m still suffering from ingrown hairs but I’ve come to learn that this is simply down to the type of skin I have, sadly. However, I’m hopeful that in a few months time, the hairs will continue to fall out (yup, they’re also doing that) and there will be no more left for
ingrowns
Would I recommend laser hair removal?
100%! Whilst it’s not the cheapest option out there for hair removal, it’s totally worth it and as I like to say it, it’s an investment to freedom! Plus, if you’re already paying for monthly waxes (like I was), it works out that you’ll end up saving money in the long run. The thing I love most about my results? I’m now able to chuck on my swimsuit without worrying about my bikini line, and trust me, for a coarse hair girl like me, it’s bliss. Pure bliss.
Speaking of money, Hampshire Laser Clinic easily work around your budget – whatever it may be! Something that many clinics out there don’t do and instead, work with a set price. Prices start from £20 including a free consultation and they’re able to cover lots of areas including lip, chin, chest, back, legs, bikini, underarms and arms.
For more info about Hampshire Laser Clinic, be sure to check out their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/hampshirelaserclinic/
I’m back to the clinic next week for my third treatment and hopefully, the results will continue to shine! If you’re interested in hearing about my results a little later down the line – particularly after – then let me know in the comments below! Here’s to no more razors and a lot more freedom! Woop.
