Lasering My Bikini Line Made Me Feel 100 Times More Confident in a Swimsuit

Updated on 1/27/2019 at 5:55 PM

POPSUGAR Photography | Sarah Wasilak

The only beauty mistake I've made that's more embarrassing than tweezing half my eyebrows away is plucking the ingrowns on my bikini line. Because here's the thing: I didn't realize I was over-grooming in the first instance, and I was fully aware that I might not look so good in a swimsuit after destroying my nether regions. WTF was I thinking?

"You desperately need to try laser," my best friend told me, staring in disbelief at the scars I created on my bikini line from all that picking and squeezing. "Your skin will be smooth and hair-free in no time, and you'll never go apesh*t with the tweezers again."

When I got the chance to try the treatment at Romeo & Juliette salon in NYC, I took full advantage of the opportunity. With a mission to feel better about my body by Summer 2019 and a January vacation to St. Lucia on the horizon, I started treatments as soon as I could, in early December 2018.

But I didn't just jump right into my first session without asking the hundreds of questions that are probably going through your head. Like, is laser safe? How many times do you have to get treated? Do the sessions hurt, and do they get increasingly painful? Is the hair removal permanent? How permanent? Will it work for all skin types just the same? How about for all skin tones?

Before slipping on some nifty protection glasses and letting someone come at me with a tool I had never seen before, I sat down with Chris Karavolas of Romeo & Juliette Laser Hair Removal to understand what I was getting into. Read up on the process and safety precautions ahead, then check out my own personal takeaways from the experience to find out why I think lasering my bikini line was so very worth it.

So, What Is Laser Hair Removal Anyway?

How Does It Work? Laser hair removal uses a monochromatic beam of light that bypasses the epidermis so it doesn't damage the skin and it dissembles the reproductive cycle of the hair within the follicle. It's a very quick and effective process, and one treatment on my bikini line only took about 10-15 minutes.

The GentleMax Pro machine (pictured above) happens to work on both light and dark skin, like most newer models. The laser for darker skin penetrates 5 millimeters, while the laser for light skin penetrates 3 millimeters — that's the only difference. The laser doesn't work on white hair, light blond hair, or light gray hair, because it recognizes dark hair. Think of a dynamite with a fuse (the fuse being your hair, the dynamite being the follicle): if the hair is dark, the light travels to the fuse, zaps the follicle, and it disables the reproductive cycle of the hair follicle.

How Many Sessions Are Recommended? Usually about six or more total sessions, depending on how coarse your hair is, four to six weeks apart. You can shave in between sessions, but waxing is not advised.

Does Laser Last Forever? Unless you have a hormonal imbalance, pretty much. Usually after those six sessions, you lose anywhere from, on average, 75 to 95 percent of your hair, as long as your hair has some pigment.

What's the Process Like, and What Happens When It's Over?

What Does It Feel Like? Like somebody is taking a rubber band and lightly zapping you. With this particular machine, cold air is blown onto your skin before it zaps, which cools the area and makes for a less painful experience. As the sessions go on, the process will hurt less.

What Happens After the Treatment? You'll feel like you were bitten by a couple of mosquitoes. In other words, you might feel a little itchy. You might notice redness, but the erythema usually goes away within 20 minutes to a couple of hours. You can do normal activity, but no strenuous exercise the same day to avoid irritation. When you leave, it will be as if you just had a close shave. Whatever hairs are stuck in your skin will fall out with your normal growth cycle.

What If You're Going to Be in the Sun? You should cover the area and apply sunscreen. If you feel itchiness and notice redness, apply a little aloe or hydrocortisone.

What Was the Outcome?

After only three sessions treating my bikini area, I couldn't believe how smooth my skin felt. While it's definitely taking longer than I expected for the hairs to shed across the entire area, exfoliating helps, and I have little to no hair in the crease of my upper thigh.

In just one month's time, I was ready for my tropical getaway and — I kid you not — didn't have to shave once while I was away. I did bring a razor with me just in case, but it sat tucked away in my cosmetics case while I happily hit the beach to show off my new and improved bikini line.

Since I spent far too long picking and tweezing my bikini line (heck yes, I regret it), I do still have two to three blemishes (which you can see above), but they are diminishing every single day. I haven't noticed any ingrown hairs since starting the treatment, and I feel the desire to scratch, squeeze, and prod at my bikini line just as much as I feel the desire to shave. In other words, not at all.