How does shaving compare with laser hair removal?

Shaving and laser hair removal answer the same wish in different ways, and the comparison is easiest to run in a fixed order. A reader in Dexter, Michigan can walk through it in three steps.

Step one: the shaving side

aad.org describes the upkeep in a single sentence: "The results are short-lived, so you may need to shave daily or every few days to maintain your results." Shaving gives a result you repeat on a schedule.

Step two: the comfort side

On discomfort, the same source says: "Shaving is painless (unless you cut yourself), unlike waxing or laser hair removal." That puts laser hair removal on the side of methods with some discomfort, and shaving on the painless side.

Step three: put the two side by side

Set the frequency from step one next to the comfort point from step two. Which one matters more to you decides which method to ask a clinic about.

What to gather

• A note of how often you shave now
• Your own sense of how much discomfort you will accept
• A list of questions for the clinic

The next step

Read the aad.org overview of laser hair removal first. Then look at a case series comparing intense pulsed light, alexandrite and Nd:YAG lasers on lower legs to see how devices are compared.