2018: A Look into People’s Grooming Preferences and the Perks of Laser Hair Removal
Let’s talk hair removal. It may not be the most pleasant subject ever, but we all know how important it is for many people. And at the same time how difficult and time-consuming it can get. Grooming is essential behaviour and it is how we stay clean and healthy. But needs are diverse across genders. Across time, there have been many studies looking into this in an effort to gather insights about perceptions and trends to eventually improve the current offering and have more happy, satisfied consumers.
A study from Chicago’s Advanced Dermatology has created an interesting series of infographics about people’s grooming habits. As show in the visual, the front groin is right at the top, which would be expected considering 43% do it for their partner. It’s no mystery everyone wants to feel confident and good in their own skin and at the same time be as attractive as possible to their partner. Razors, waxing, foams, sprays and tools that take a lot of time and may not even give the desired outcomes, especially not for a long period of time.
The infographic also points out that the back is the area for which most people chose laser hair removal. Surprisingly, many also seem to resort to razers at least every few days or every month. While it may do the trick for some areas, there is always the risk of cutting too deep into skin, miss a couple of spots, potentially getting more resistant hairs and even infections. Not to mention the hair will grow right back in mere days. About 49% of people experienced a grooming accident with most vulnerable areas being legs, front of the groin, eyebrows or facial hear.
Within this context, a study was inspired because of a high number of grooming-related accidents reported. Dr. Benjamin Breyer, the study co-author from the University of California, San Francisco, started seeing an increasing number of people coming into the emergency room for pubic hair grooming emergencies. Their key findings included the fact that both men and women were most prone to nick themselves while shaving. Shockingly, the numbers of people with injuries related to burning came after. According to them, the main risk is getting small cuts can let in bacteria.
Getting soft, smooth skin for as long as possible is everyone’s dream. Laser hair removal is the best safest solution available on the market at the moment. For those who are not familiar with the procedure, it may sound like a Star Wars reference. But it’s actually there is a pretty simple mechanism behind it: using light to target the pigment in each individual hair. Much like how kids play with the sun’s power and a magnifying glass, the heat from the laser light destroys the hair follicle to stop it from growing.
Certainly, this does not mean skin is getting damaged in the process with side effects being extremely rare. On the other hand, there are many benefits such as being able to use it throughout the body depending on individual preferences and long-lasting effects with minimal long-term cost. People who have used it also consider it a time-saver as they avoided spending hours at salons and beauty centres and at home struggling to get each hair out. It can also offer that reassurance of having to worry about one less thing.
While exact numbers are not available in Canada, in the U.S. alone almost 16 million cosmetic minimally-invasive procedures were performed in 2017, with laser hair removal sitting proudly on the fourth place with 1.1 million people having had at least one procedure. It was outrun only by Botox injections, dermal fillers and chemical peels.
According to 2017 statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost of a hair removal session is $293, while in Canada they can start from as high as $350.Given the fact that at least several sessions are recommended, depending on area, it’s quite obvious that things can get pricey. However, proper exploring options can help save quite a good amount of money. By investing at little as little as $50 per month and 20 minutes, a specialized clinic can offer so much more, such as unlimited hair removal.
The annual Consumer Survey on Cosmetic Dermatologic Procedures highlights that the percentage of people considering a cosmetic medical procedure has doubled since 2013. In their latest study of 7,322 participants seven in ten people (nearly 70%) say they are considering a cosmetic procedure. With almost half (47%) looking into laser hair removal.
The reasons? For five years in a row, respondents said they would like to feel more confident, look as young as they feel and be more attractive. Which are all very valid reasons. Simultaneously, the reasons stopping most people have to do with the fact that they think it’s costly, painful, unsuccessful or do not have enough information about practitioners. And while we can all agree something like plastic surgery can raise all of these questions, deciding to undergo a hair removal procedure should have far less concerns.
Back in 2004, a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Procedures reported a 71% of respondents were satisfied with their hair removal treatment. And that was back in 2004. In the meantime, technologies have pushed boundaries and developed a wide range of innovative hair removal solutions.
All of these findings should be evidence enough to convince anybody who is in need of a hair removal solution that has been proven to be efficient, quick and a good investment along the way if taking into consideration the costs of products and appointments every month. It goes without saying that above all this sits the comfort, reassurance and confidence it stimulates. There are few things that can make a person feel as good as being happy and healthy in their own bodies and feeling like nothing is impossible.
Related article: The Naked Truth about Laser Hair Removal
