These days, there are a variety of ways made available to us when it comes to removing unwanted body hairs. We’re not limited to razors anymore, we’re talking about shaving, waxing, tweezing, and zapping to name a few.

So what type of hair removal is best for you?

SHAVING: During World War II, shaving became quite popular due to the shortage of nylon stockings at the height of the “bare legs” trend. Shaving is considered to be the most convenient way of getting rid of unwanted body hair. It’s cheap and fast. Shaving is recommended on your legs and underarms. This method is usually pain- free when you use a sharp blade and a shaving cream, oil, or lotion. The effect usually lasts up to 3 days then stubble starts to appear on the shaved area.

WAXING: Waxing is another famous hair removal method. Waxing involves putting warm wax on a portion of the skin and letting it cool to make the hairs attach to the wax. The wax is then pulled off in the opposite direction that the hair is growing resulting to pulling out of hairs by their roots. This process can be done at home or in the salon depending on your preference.

The advantages of waxing are that it can be done quickly and it is affordable if you choose to do it at home. The effect can last up to two weeks or longer, making it one of the hair removal methods that have longer effects. The drawback is that for this method to be effective, your hair should be at least 1/4 inch long to ensure that they would have a firmer grip on the wax.

TWEEZING: Tweezing is the method that is highly recommended for the eyebrows. This method is usually done in- between waxing or threading to remove growing hairs. For this method to be effective, the hair should be long enough to be grasped by your tweezers so you better invest on reliable tweezers for best results.

THREADING: Threading is a famous method patronized by beauty experts and highly recommend for the brows. This method is usually done by an aesthetician who uses a double stranded thread made of cotton to twist and twirl around hairs then pull them out from the roots. This process usually takes 5 to 10 minutes to get done. The chin, eyebrows, and upper lip are considered to be the best sites for threading.

ELECTROLYSIS: Electrolysis focuses on zapping one hair at a time which guarantees that it is far more effective in removing unwanted body hair compared to lasers. Although it is more expensive, more painful, and takes longer to perform compared to laser treatments, most customers who undergo this procedure are quite satisfied with the results.

LASER: Laser treatment is not recommended for everyone. Lasers are only effective on people who have dark hair and light skin because lasers target the melanin on our skin which are mostly found on people with dark hair. Laser treatments aren’t as painful when compared to waxing but are more painful than tweezing and depilatory creams. After laser treatments, there is about 80% of reduction on hair growth. This treatment should be done under the supervision of an experienced technician to avoid any lasting side effects from occurring.

We’ve all made decisions in our lives that we’ve regretted and some of these decisions have had a much longer term impact than we initially anticipated. Getting a tattoo is one of those mistakes that you may be reminded of on a daily basis. Perhaps when you take a glance at your arm or the lower extremity of your leg memories from the past surge in your head, some which would rather wish remained forgotten. While a tattoo concealer product surely does the trick, it can be a pain to have to constantly reapply. Even quality products like Dermablend are susceptible to fading throughout the day from constant contact and whatnot, so they are a temporary solution at best.

Two of the most popular options for tattoo removal are skin peels and laser treatments. The former approach makes use of agents like trichloroacetic acid that help shed the outer layers of the skin, thus causing the tattoo to fade gradually. Skin peels might be confused with bleaching treatments, which instead modify the pigment of the tattoo to make it less noticeable. No skin turnover takes place with these products, which often contain hydroquinone. Laser treatments work in a similar fashion by concentrating intense bursts of light into the tattoo, allowing the ink pigment within the skin to disintegrate. Eventually, the body is able to dispose of the pigment.

All of these treatments have one central downside, that being that treatment often prolongs for several months. A single treatment is rarely enough to remove every possible trace of the tattoo, so patients have to splurge as much as $1,000 per session for maximum benefit.

One of the lesser known forms of tattoo removal is known as excision. This is a surgical form of tattoo removal that entails the removal of the skin to which the tattoo has been adhered to. Following removal, the surgeon stitches the area in preparation for the healing phase. The excision procedure is best reserved for small tattoos, since there is a significant risk for scarring. Unlike with the other procedures, the tattoo will be completely eradicated once the surgery is complete. That means no follow up appointments or frustration that the removal didn’t work out as you had hoped.

The cost of excision is comparatively reasonable. You can expect to pay upwards of $1,000 for smaller tattoos, and considerably more for anything bigger (these might require a skin graft to compensate for the skin that was removed). Always conduct research on the surgeon(s) you are considering – finding a doctor is not a matter of bargain hunting. Be sure to consider the alternative options as well, as your tattoo may be far too small to justify such drastic intervention.