Although you probably won’t notice when you tune into the 2016 Summer Olympics, a significant number of the athletes will have little or no body hair. For most people, removing body hair is a time-consuming activity, but Olympians have a not so secret weapon up their sleeves: laser hair removal (LHR). While some Olympic competitions have rules regarding body hair, other athletes simply want to enhance their performance by reducing their body hair. Laser hair removal is a popular hair removal method, as it can eliminate unwanted hair safely, effectively and permanently.
Why Do Athletes Need Body Hair Removal?
As we mentioned above, certain sports require participants to remove body hair. Olympic events such as volleyball, tennis, swimming and gymnastics tend to have the highest percentage of hair-free competitors. Swimmers, in particular, look to LHR as they need their entire bodies to be hairless. Swimmers with no body hair consume less oxygen as well as having increased stroke lengths and lower blood lactate levels when competing.
Why Not Wax or Shave?
Waxing is a tried and true method for removing large amounts of body hair at once. A technician spreads warm wax over your body, which is allowed to cool before it’s stripped off in the opposite direction of where the hair grows. While waxing can provide results for 4 to 6 weeks in some cases, it can be uncomfortable or painful for some people. This is especially the case when waxing the more sensitive areas of the body.
Shaving is a bit of an old-fashioned way to remove body hair. It’s inexpensive, is done at home with a razor or special shaving equipment and only takes a few minutes at a time. However, you could find that ingrown hairs become a problem and shaving is only effective for a few days at a time.
What Does Laser Hair Removal Involve?
Laser technology has improved markedly in the last few years, which has led to a significant increase in laser body hair removal procedures. During laser hair removal, the laser tool emits pulsing light at varying wavelengths and targets the melanin in your hair, which disables the follicles and prevents hair from growing back.
Olympians must have a series of LHR procedures, as the treatment is only effective on hairs already in the growth stage. Although it depends on your individual needs, 6 to 9 sessions are usually required about 4 to 6 weeks apart.
Why Do Olympians Opt for the Laser?
When preparing for such a momentous occasion as the Olympics, the last thing a professional athlete wants to worry about is body hair. While shaving and waxing may be convenient, the results are short-lived. With LHR, Olympians know that they no longer need to concern themselves with body hair issues once they’ve concluded their treatments, which ensures complete focus on their given sport.
When it comes to the removal of unwanted body hair, laser hair removal is seen as the new gold standard. With the help of a certified laser technician who has experience treating a wide range of different hair types, Olympians can permanently eliminate hair that may otherwise interfere with their performance, so they can spend their energy going for the gold.