I am a firm believer that hot wax should only touch a person’s body if it came from a burning candle and strictly for the purpose of pleasure. This is why I was glad to hear that scientists developed IPL or Intense Pulse Light treatments which permanently spares one from unwelcome & unsightly hair and the drudgery and pain of shaving, threading & waxing. However, IPL treatments can be quite costly  and inconvenient because it requires repeated visits to the doctor for a span of several months and I for one am averse to the idea of parading my “hairy situation” to a doctor and his/her staff on a regular basis .

Now two new gadgets claim to provide permanent hair removal results similar to those achieved with IPL: The Silk’n SensEpil and Tria Laser Hair Removal system, both of which utilize medical-grade laser technology to zap away body hair permanently in the comfort and privacy of one’s home and at a price that is recession appropriate.

Both products use pulse light technology to zap hair pigment curbing regrowth permanently, within a period of 6-8 months. And just how much is the price of permanent hairlessness? Compared to conventional IPL treatments which may cost upwards of SGD 15000, the Silk’n SensEpil retails at a friendly US$499 and the Tria Laser Hair Removal system is a bit pricier at US$799. One might still be better off with the Tria though (not just ’cause it looks cooler but) because it comes with an unlimited number of treatments, whereas with the Silk’n SenEpil there may be a need to buy a replacement cartridge of after doing a number of  treatments, something that  is both costly and inconvenient.

Both men & women can use the two devices but treatment is limited to body parts such as the legs, arms, back, underarms & chest. It is not suitable for use on the facial hair and may not be effective on light-colored (blonde, gray or white) body hair. People with darker skin tones are also not advised to use these devices because of possible skin  damage, as the laser targets dark pigments quite indiscriminately.

Now all we need is an at-home liposuction machine and our generation’s all set to becoming some vain incarnation of The Jetsons.