Laser Hair Removal: Reflections on privilege, fear, & femininity

What does my access to laser hair removal say about my privilege to perform beauty?

In this full beat, I consider why having laser hair removal felt like necessity.

I had my first round of laser hair removal in September 2021. I have PCOS and have struggled with unwanted hair growth for years. I was tired of waxing, sugaring, shaving, plucking, and tending to the subsequent ingrown hairs and scars. After the first session I went once a month for seven consecutive months in a row. Now, I only have to go in for maintenance. Prior to that first session I had a consultation with a practitioner who answered all of my questions in great detail. At my first session I was equally nervous about how much laser hair removal would hurt and if I was at risk of being burned and/or permanently scarred. Note that both of these questions were addressed during the consultation, but I could not shake them enough to relax on the day of my first session. Not to mention a newly developed fear that the procedure might not work at all. The doctor very patiently reiterated that I was in good hands and that the technology for laser hair removal had improved so much that I had nothing to fear. 

Since then I have wondered where the fear of being burned by laser hair removal came from. I was the only person I knew in my immediate family and friend group that ever had laser hair removal. I could not recall seeing any pictures or videos of Black women who had suffered severe burns as a result of laser treatments anywhere on their bodies. A quick Google search revealed multiple articles that sought to debunk the myth that Black people were likely to be physically harmed by laser hair removal.

“Laser Hair Removal for Dark Skin: What You Need to Know” 

“This Is Everything I Wish I Knew About Laser Hair Removal Before Getting It”

In this article, Aimee Simeon asked Dr. Jenna Lester, if the myth that “because lasers target pigment, a laser could get "confused" and target the natural pigment of darker skin rather than the hair follicle, resulting in a burn” was true? Dr. Lester replied that while it is possible, the advancements in laser technology have greatly reduced the likelihood of such an occurrence. In fact, the advancements in laser technology Dr. Lester may have been referring to are about twenty years old. This twenty year old article by Drs. T. Alster, H. Bryan, C. Williams was an early study on the effectiveness of Nd:YAG laser on twenty Black women over the course of a year. They concluded that this particular laser was safe and effective for those with “darkly pigmented skin” and have been supported in other research studies since. You can read more about how lasers work here. Despite the persistence of this 20+ year old myth, I pressed forward and am happy with my results.

I get my “beard” area (upper lip, cheeks, & chin) all at once. This entire process takes about 10 minutes. Until a recent move I did all of my sessions at a center in Maryland. I paid about $200  per session and  am fully aware that this is a very high price for many (if not most) people. To put this cost into perspective I calculated the average amount of money and time I spent on sugaring and waxing (about $100/month x twice monthly sessions x pain). At this point I only need to spend about $200 a quarter and will only deal with very fine hairs, if any, in between treatments. Again, I am fully aware of the extreme privilege that this kind of beauty treatment and maintenance reflects. Specifically, in a world that demands a hairless and feminine body to be in accordance with dominant social beauty standards.

In my brief research on women’s long history of removing body hair I found some interesting pieces that tackle the practices which I have linked in the footnotes.¹

Of course this has left me thinking about the financial privilege of being able to zap, pluck, laser away all of the things one doesn’t like about themselves.

1. “‘Plucked’: Race, gender, science, medicine converge in history of hair removal” by Doug Hubley (2015)

“How the beauty industry convinced women to shave their legs” by Phil Edwards ( 2015)

“Caucasian Female Body Hair and American Culture” by Christine Hope (1982)