Electrolysis or Laser Hair Removal For Men?

When it comes to unwanted hair removal for men, there are usually two options which are available.  The established method for hair removal for men is electrolysis.  The newcomer in this field is laser hair removal.   As men get older we have three main areas which cause us problems.  Ear hair is probably the worst problem followed by eyebrow hair and then nose hair.

What is the main difference between electrolysis and laser hair removal for men?  There seems to be a lot of confusion about the two.  I have personally experienced both of them so I can clearly state what the difference is.  Way before the laser was available for hair removal for men, I went to a lady who used electrolysis to remove hairs from my ears.  I hated ear hair and I was willing to do anything to eliminate it.

She used a machine which produced an electric current when she stepped on a foot pedal.  She would stick in a needle to the base of the hair to be removed.  When she had the needle in the correct location she would hit the pedal with her foot sending a hot electric current into the root of the hair.  This hot current would terminate the future hair growth, but it was one of the most painful things I have ever experienced.

There is probably not a woman alive who hasn’t experienced electrolysis at some time in her life.  Traditionally there were not a lot of desperate guys like me who used electrolysis for hair removal for men.  I did permanently remove almost all of the hair in my ears which was a big relief for me because I really couldn’t see it well.

When laser hair removal first was developed, it was only temporary.  But over the years researchers improved it to the point that it is now permanent.  The one advantage that electrolysis still has over the laser is that it works on all skin and hair types.

When that needle goes into the hair root it doesn’t matter if it is black, blonde or invisible.  It terminates the hair growth permanently.

The laser, however,  focuses on melanin or pigment in the hair which is damaged by the heat created by the laser.  So dark hair is an excellent candidate for laser hair removal for men.  But blond or velus hair is not a high probability that it will permanently stop hair growth.  Most laser technicians will tell you up front that it only works well on darker hair.

So if I were going to do hair removal for men today, which type of treatment would I choose.  They are both effective techniques—with an advantage going to electrolysis for lighter colored hair removal.  However, when you take into consideration PAIN as a factor, there is no competition.

Today’s laser hair removal for men is both cost effective and really no pain at all.  It is like somebody flipped their finger on your neck.  You can feel it but it is no big deal.   It has been decades since I did electrolysis on my ears, but it hurt so bad that I cringe just thinking about it.

One of my best friends is my client at our Salt Lake barber shop.  When I first started cutting his hair I thought he had a birth mark on his ears because the top of them was black.  When I was up close cutting his hair I was astonished to see he had the worst ear hair I had ever seen.   I made such a big deal about it that he agreed to get some laser hair removal for men.

I did some research for him and narrowed it down to two locations.  He picked the one he felt most comfortable with.  He was told he would need to get about five treatments spaced two months apart and then they would evaluate.

As bad as his ear hair was before the treatments, he was thrilled with the results.  So was his wife…and his daughter…and everyone who knew him.  It made a huge difference.

He told me he might stop in once per year just to clean up a few hairs which cycle in.  But he is extremely happy that he took the action to take advantage of new technology in hair removal for men.

Just think if you lived in the foreign country of the guy in the photo (above) and didn’t have laser hair removal for men, you could have the hair in your ears singed or burned off.  Be glad you have access to the technology!