Were you late to that event because hair removal took so much time? You tried laser hair removal, but it is not long-lasting, so spending that much money after some years again doesn’t seem right?
Have you finally decided to go for permanent hair removal because removing hair after every second day seems so difficult? You made the right choice. But is there any method that can help you eliminate unwanted hair for a lifetime? It is electrolysis. You might have heard someone say the name, and if it is new to you, you can learn about it in this article.
In the below sections, we will discuss what electrolysis is and how much it costs. If the cost doesn’t fit well with your budget, we will also suggest another affordable long-lasting hair removal method in the end.
What is Electrolysis and How it Works?
Electrolysis is a treatment for hair removal popular for showing long-lasting results. In the process, a skilled practitioner uses a thin metallic wire or a small probe to insert it into your hair follicles. This probe uses electric current to damage the hair follicles responsible for hair growth. So, this procedure stops the further growth of hair and destroys the already-grown hair in your body.
Electrolysis started with the removal of ingrown eyelash hair and now it has been upgraded to remove all other unwanted body hair as well. It is FDA-cleared. The procedure is slightly painful and time-consuming.
Factors on Which Electrolysis Hair Removal Cost Depends Upon
Talking about the cost, it varies from person to person and from place to place depending upon some factors. Let’s take a look at those factors.
Area to be Treated
Just like Laser Hair Removal, the cost of electrolysis also depends upon the area that needs to be treated. The bigger the area is, the greater will be its cost. Upper lips, eyebrow hair, chin, and underarms are relatively smaller areas than your arms, legs, back, and chest. So, the latter will cost more than the former ones.
Sessions Required
Electrolysis requires an average of 8-12 sessions but it can vary from person to person depending upon the type of hair and treatment area. Coarser and darker hair will take more sessions so the cost of electrolysis will vary.
During your consultation, you can ask the consultant to inform you about how many sessions will you need. This will help you calculate your cost accordingly.
Location
Location greatly influences the cost of any treatment. It is quite obvious that more developed places cost more. So, specifically talking about electrolysis, cities are more expensive than suburban areas, and bigger cities like LA and New York will be relatively more costly than the smaller ones.
Practitioner
Lastly, the cost of electrolysis also depends upon the practitioner. His experience level, the instruments he is using, and the facilities provided by the clinic also decide your cost.
But, if a practitioner is charging you a lot of money, it doesn’t mean you should blindly choose them. Do complete research, know his abilities, and then make a choice.
How Much Does Electrolysis Hair Removal Cost?
As discussed earlier, the cost of electrolysis depends upon the area that needs to be treated. So, let’s discuss the average cost of all the sessions included for each area.
Eyebrows
The cost of removing the extra eyebrow hair is between $100 to $175. It can be done in a few minutes.
Upper Lips
Upper lips are a sensitive area of your body that requires more focus. The cost of removing upper lip hair can vary from $150 to $600 depending on the clinic you chose.
Chin
Removing chin hair can cost an average of minimum $150 and a maximum of $500.
Underarms
Similar to upper lips, underarms are a sensitive area that requires a more skillful practitioner. The area is bigger than facial parts so it can cost anywhere between $500-$4000.
Abdomen
The abdominal area has more hair, so the cost will also increase with increasing area. To remove hair in this area, you will have to pay between $2500 to $9000.
Chest
Abdominal hair removal does not cover your chest area. So, you will have to pay another $2500 to $9000 for it.
Back
Similar to the abdomen and chest, the cost of electrolysis for the back ranges between $2500 to $10000.
Bikini line
For your private parts, you will have to spend an average cost of $500-$2000 to get electrolysis done in those areas.
Legs
Legs are the largest area that requires hair removal so it will take maximum time as compared to other areas and cost the maximum amount. The price range for electrolysis for legs is $2000 to $10000.
At-Home Electrolysis device
If you are uncomfortable with going out for electrolysis, you can buy an at-home electrolysis device. You can buy an electrolysis machine for $50-$100 but for safer more effective treatment, buying a specialized device is better and can cost $900-$2000.
Cost of Electrolysis Across U.S
The cost of electrolysis is different in each country and even in different cities of the same country. In this section, we will discuss the cost of electrolysis across the U.S. The table below shows the cost per session in different US cities. Each session is between 15 minutes to one hour.
|
State |
Cost per session |
|
New York |
$50- 130 |
|
Chicago |
$45-105 |
|
Austin |
$35-105 |
|
Los Angeles |
$50-130 |
|
Miami |
$40-135 |
|
Birmingham |
$30-100 |
Will Insurance Companies Cover the Cost of Electrolysis?
There are two different types of surgeries, cosmetic surgery, and reconstructive surgery. Insurance companies usually cover the cost of reconstructive surgeries that are mainly performed for treating any defect in your body parts interfering with the normal functioning of your body.
Electrolysis hair removal is a cosmetic surgery so your insurance company will not cover its cost. Even if you need long-lasting hair removal for any medical condition, your insurance company might deny the coverage. However, they allow coverage in case of vaginoplasty or phalloplasty.
Just to be sure, if you have any other medical condition you can contact your insurance company to ask about covering the cost of electrolysis.
Is Electrolysis Worth it?
Electrolysis is a costly procedure, so no one will blindly trust it and go for it, right? Therefore, let’s discuss some pros and cons of electrolysis to know whether it is suitable for you or not.
Pros:
Following are the benefits electrolysis can provide you with:
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As we all know, it is a long-lasting solution for getting rid of all unwanted body hair.
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Electrolysis saves your time as you won’t have to shave or wax again and again after electrolysis.
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It is a safe method of hair removal as it is the only long-lasting hair removal technique cleared by FDA.
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It is effective against all skin types and all kinds of hair regardless of how coarse they are. So, even those with dark skin can get long-lasting hair removal now.
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It is an ideal method of hair removal for facial regions including upper lips, eyebrows, cheeks, and chin.
Cons:
The following are the cons of electrolysis:
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It is costly compared to other hair removal procedures.
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It is painful. As current flows through your hair follicles, it causes pain.
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As every follicle needs to be destroyed one by one by hand, it is quite time taking especially on larger body parts.
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It can cause skin irritation, skin discoloration and possibly scarring if the practitioner is not skilled.
Another Long-lasting and Affordable Hair Removal Method
Electrolysis is safe and effective but the pain and the cost can scare anyone. So, we have another suggestion for a nearly painless long-lasting hair removal method that is also less costly. It is IPL hair removal. You can use the Ulike Sapphire Air 3 IPL Hanset for this purpose. Let’s see what makes it a better option for you.
Affordable
The cost of electrolysis is a little extravagant especially when you require a lot of sessions. Unlike electrolysis, the Ulike Sapphire Air 3 handset is only $329. It is even less than half of the price you were going to spend on electrolysis.
Nearly painless
IPL hair removal is nearly painless. You might feel a slight stinging sensation but Ulike IPL Sapphire Air 3 handset has a patented cooling sensation that won’t let you even that slight stinging sensation.
Quick and User-friendly
Electrolysis takes minutes to hours per session and you only need to use the Ullike Sapphire Air 3 hair removal handset for 7 minutes on the area you want to treat. You will see results in just 3 months.
It is easy to hold and its thumb-free auto glide mode makes it easy to use.
Comfortable
It is a comfortable at-home treatment that saves you from going to different clinics, unknown people touching your body, and traveling from place to place. Additionally, its soft mode, power body, and body mode can help you use it according to your skin type and area to be treated.
To know further about IPL hair removal, Check out How Does IPL Hair Removal Work?
Conclusion
Electrolysis is the only FDA-cleared long-lasting hair removal method to get rid of unwanted hair. Its cost depends upon the area you are getting treated, the number of sessions, the practitioner, and the location of the clinic. It can cost anywhere between $150 to $10000 including all the sessions depending on the area.
It is painful and time taking so if you want long-lasting hair removal at a lesser cost, and minimum pain, you can also go for IPL hair removal.
If you are still confused between Electrolysis, Laser hair removal, And IPL, read out Laser Hair Removal vs Electrolysis which gives a detailed comparison of the three.
