Oct 23, 2008 4:32 pm US/Eastern
At-Home Laser Hair Removal Gains Popularity
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Some women will try just about anything to get rid of unwanted hair, and most of them are unpleasant.
There's shaving or waxing. Not only are these methods uncomfortable and inconvenient, but they don't last.
Hair grows back within hours of shaving and after a few weeks with wax.
Lasers have become the high-tech way to remove hair, but that means dropping thousands of dollars at a doctor's office or a spa.
But now the FDA has approved a new portable at home laser you can use anytime, anywhere. It works with quick bursts of light energy that's absorbed by the targeted hair making it fall out in a week or two.
"It doesn't really kill the hair, it just makes it go into a very long resting phase. It can be for years," explained Dr. Eric Bernstein, a paid spokesperson for the 'Tria' laser.
Bernstein says hair grows in cycles so the laser has to be used every few weeks initially. The hair does eventually grow back, but it's thinner and lighter and can be zapped again. "Everyone's different," he said. "It can vary by skin type and by individual."
The laser is easy to use and is fairly painless. But some may find they are stuck with the traditional methods like shaving or waxing because the 'Tria' laser is not recommended for people with dark skin.
You can
purchase the Tria laser online for about $1000.
A heads-up for anybody living in Massachusetts. That is the one state where Tria does not ship its products.
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