Brazilian Wax vs Laser Hair Removal smooth for a few weeks, or less hair over time

The difference in one line

Waxing removes the hair; laser targets the follicle

Every hair grows from a follicle that cycles through a growth phase, a short transition phase and a resting phase, and only a portion of the hairs in an area are actively growing at any one time. Waxing pulls hairs out from the root, so the skin stays smooth until new hairs surface, usually in three to six weeks. The follicle itself is untouched, so the hair comes back.

Laser works on the follicle. Light is absorbed by the melanin in the hair shaft and bulb and turned into heat, which damages the follicle so that it produces finer, lighter hair or stops producing hair. Because only actively growing hairs carry that heat down to the root, laser is given as a course, spaced roughly four to eight weeks apart depending on the area.

Waxing at SkinRev Lab

A clean result today, in a private room

Every wax at SkinRev Lab is done behind a closed door by one therapist. A Brazilian takes about twenty minutes. The first session is the least comfortable and intimate areas are more sensitive than limbs; it tends to get easier with regular visits as regrowth comes back finer. We will not pretend it is comfortable.

Before you come, let the hair reach about 5 mm, roughly two to three weeks of growth. Exfoliate gently a day or two ahead and skip moisturiser on the day. Afterwards, avoid hot showers, sauna, pool and gym for 24 hours, keep the area clean and loosely clothed, and start exfoliating again after three days to keep ingrown hairs down.

Tell us first if you are on oral isotretinoin or using retinoids on the area, are pregnant, or have had recent laser or peels there. Some of these mean we reschedule rather than wax you.

Laser at IN Eternity Clinic

Long-term reduction, performed by a doctor

At IN Eternity Clinic, 9 Scotts Road, Pacific Plaza, laser hair removal is performed by Dr Sin Yong on the Lutronic Clarity II, which has two wavelengths in one machine. The 755 nm alexandrite wavelength is strongly absorbed by melanin, which suits fairer skin and finer hair. The 1064 nm Nd:YAG wavelength is absorbed less by skin pigment and reaches deeper, which makes it the safer choice for tanned or darker skin. The doctor chooses, area by area.

Each pulse feels like a quick snap or warm prick, and cooling is applied with every pass. Sensitive areas such as the bikini line feel sharper, and numbing cream can be used there. Expect redness and small bumps around the follicles for a few hours. On the day, avoid hot showers, saunas, the gym and strong sun, and do not wax or pluck between sessions; shaving is fine.

Laser cannot target white, grey, very blonde or red hair well, because there is too little pigment. Treatment is usually deferred during pregnancy, on freshly tanned or sunburnt skin, and while taking medicines that make skin light-sensitive.

Brazilian and Boyzilian

Why we steer the bikini area towards laser

Waxing works, and we do it well. But the intimate area is where repeated removal most often brings ingrown hairs, bumps and irritation, and a Brazilian has to be repeated every four to six weeks. If your goal is to stop dealing with the area, laser hair removal is usually the better long-term route, because it reduces the hair itself over a course of sessions, which also helps with the ingrown hairs that repeated removal causes.

So when clients ask about a Brazilian or Boyzilian, our team will ask what you want long term. If it is a clean result for a holiday or event, or your hair is too light for laser, we wax. If it is long-term reduction, we pass your enquiry to IN Eternity Clinic, three MRT stops away at Orchard, and you choose.

See a doctor first if

When hair growth needs checking, not removing

Hormonally driven hair can keep returning after laser and often needs maintenance sessions and medical review of the hormone side. That is part of why laser is planned by a doctor rather than sold as a fixed course.

• You have noticed new, coarse hair on the face, chest or tummy as a woman, especially with irregular periods, acne or scalp thinning, since these can point to a hormonal cause such as polycystic ovary syndrome.
• Hair growth has changed suddenly, which should be checked before any laser is planned.
• There are moles, an active rash or recent heavy tanning in the area to be treated.

What the research says

Reduction, not removal of every hair

A Cochrane systematic review of eleven randomised trials found that lasers produced a short-term reduction in hair, but none of the trials was of high methodological quality and long-term removal was not documented. For skin of colour, a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative trials in Fitzpatrick skin types III to VI found broadly similar outcomes across devices, with long-pulsed Nd:YAG associated with less post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation than intense pulsed light. That supports matching the wavelength to the skin, and describing the outcome as long-term reduction rather than a promise that every follicle is gone.

Sources

References & sources

1. Haedersdal M, Gøtzsche PC. Laser and photoepilation for unwanted hair growth. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006;(4):CD004684. PMID 17054211.
2. Dorgham NA, Dorgham DA. Lasers for reduction of unwanted hair in skin of colour: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2020;34(5):948-955. PMID 31587390.
3. Davoudi SM, Behnia F, Gorouhi F, et al. Comparison of long-pulsed alexandrite and Nd:YAG lasers, individually and in combination, for leg hair reduction: an assessor-blinded, randomized trial with 18 months of follow-up. Arch Dermatol. 2008;144(10):1323-1327. PMID 18936396.

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