If it were up to me, the only place I’d have hair on my body is on my head and my eyebrows. The rest could just disappear forever, never to be seen again. Unfortunately that’s not the case and I, like many women, spend countless hours shaving, waxing, plucking and enduring ridiculous amounts of pain, removing unwanted hair.

I’d tried Laser Hair Removal for certain parts of my body (none of which I’ll mention here) in the past without much success. The procedure was extremely painful and after two sessions with no results, I just couldn’t bear to continue.

So when I met Gloria Loney of Chi-Chi Laser Studio in Oakville, Ontario, I was skeptical. She insisted that the machine she uses (Soprano XL, continuous wave diode laser with a sophisticated cooling system) is both painless and effective, as well as safe and gentle to use. (Uh huh. Heard that before.) But as hesitant as I was, the thought of constantly shaving my bits and pieces to perfection was enough for me to decide to give it another go. What’s the worst that could happen?

I went into my first session with Gloria slightly terrified. (Keep in mind I have a very low pain threshold.) When she started the lasering, I felt a slight pinching or heat. “No problem,” said Gloria, as she turned down the machine. Presto. No heat, no pinching, no nothing. 100% completely pain-free. On all regions. The lady didn’t lie.

Ah, but what about the results? Gloria said I’d start seeing results in a few weeks. Right again. I started to notice less and less hair after each shave. And now, 5 weeks after my first session, we’ve decided to postpone the second session for a couple of weeks, until I see a bit more hair growth. Honestly, I’m truly amazed – especially since she worked on an area that hadn’t previously been lasered.

So how many sessions will I need? That depends. Gloria says that most women need approximately 8 sessions and that results vary. Fine by me. I’m so impressed by the outcome, I’m even considering lasering other body parts.

But as much as Laser Hair Removal, for me, is all about convenience, for some women, it’s a matter of confidence. There are some women, even young girls, that have excessive facial and/or body hair that leaves them feeling self conscious and insecure.

For these women and girls, hair removal is a necessary part of their daily routine – critical to them feeling good about themselves and their appearance, as well as essential to their self-esteem.

Gloria mentioned that for most of them, removing the hair permanently changes their lives. Once the hair is completely gone, so is the hiding and trying to cover it up. Gone is the insecurity and walking with heads down and shoulders slumped. Replacing it is confidence, heads held high and no fear of others staring for all the wrong reasons.

So whether you’re tired of the constant grooming or have unwanted hair that you’d like to say goodbye to forever, why not give Laser Hair Removal a try? You might even end up like me – happy, pain-free and probably, soon to be, practically hairless (other than my head and eyebrows of course).