Rewind 15 years, and laser hair removal was only for the rich; one full-leg session would set you back around £1000. Now in 2023, the supply and demand have increased massively to the point where you can find clinics offering six full-body laser hair removal sessions for the exact cost or even cheaper.
Lockdown significantly impacted the beauty industry, where people realised the power of self-care and what they could and couldn’t comprise. Many endured countless video calls, forced to look at themselves on camera and couldn’t help but study their imperfections; people could also save money on beauty maintenance, which added to the increased demand for self-care.
Coupled with the forever-growing social media pressure to look more like your favourite flawless filter, celebrities undergoing enhancing injectables and laser treatments tagging their favourite clinics. This has massively impacted the beauty industry. Not only making it more usual to have monthly beauty or laser treatments but also highlighting the benefits that come along with them.
Although various companies have tried LED face masks and IPL hair removal devices, laser technology remains one of the few treatments that can’t be done at home. Most at-home devices lack the power and expertise to work well compared with industrial-size FDA-approved lasers costing hundreds of thousands of pounds. With the growth of ‘influencers’ promoting lasers and the influx in clinics in the UK, laser treatments, particularly hair removal, have never been more attainable.
A Hollywood wax may set you back £40 and will last around four weeks before hair regrows, versus £80 for a laser hair removal treatment that not only causes all the hair to disappear for around six weeks but also permanently destroys around 10% of the hair at each session. It is a no-brainer, especially if you struggle with ingrown hairs. Those that regularly wax realise long term the laser is more cost-effective. The question is, will the demand for waxing or other temporary hair removal services eventually dry up?
The development of new lasers and combining laser treatments is fast growing. Several years ago, there were only a few to choose from for hair, tattoo and skin treatments, and they were limited in what they could achieve and who they were suitable for. Now treatments are available for most skin types, ink types and skin concerns. Laser treatments are more affordable than they were, meaning more people will opt for a laser facial over a moisturising beauty facial.
Social media has allowed Medics and Practitioners, as well as influencers alike, to educate and share their experiences, before and afters and overall knowledge with their followers. Clients armed with knowledge of machines and results, keen to resolve their concerns, are now more willing to take that extra step for a faster and more long-term development with laser technology. The laser is set to continue to develop within a rapidly growing industry. There are more clinics than ever before in the UK, and personal care is a multi-million-pound industry. Laser technology is here for the long haul.
