Thanks largely to ’70s sci-fi, lasers have something of an image problem. Capable of slicing a man in two and even – as evidenced by Star Wars – destroying an entire planet, few of us would jump at the chance to thrust our soft, doughy bodies into their merciless path, unless there was some sort of brilliant reward involved (a go on the Millennium Falcon, say).
Zapping the life out of follicles across the Middle East since 1997, hair removal experts Silkor have made it their business to provide cosmetic laser treatments to the hairy masses, pitching it as an affordable, more effective alternative to traditional hair removal techniques. Armed with two furry shoulders, we went along to their Zayed First Street clinic see what all the fuss was about.
With its plush sofas and flat screen TVs, the waiting room couldn’t look less like the inside of the Death Star if it tried. After a couple of minutes of nervous thumb-twiddling, our first stop was a brief pre-treatment consultation, where we were talked through the process and discussed the sort of results we were looking for.
The treatment itself was surprisingly swift – the sort of thing you could do in your lunch hour and still have time to neck a sizeable sandwich. This is all down to the super-efficient equipment, which works on a patch of hair in a single shot, rather than the follicle-by-follicle slog of electrolysis.
T-shirt whipped off, we were asked to lie face-down on the table in front of us and relax. First, the area to be treated (in this case our prickly shoulders and fluffy neckline) was given a quick dry shave, before being liberally smeared with a cooling gel. We were told that anaesthetic cream was also an option, but in the interest of research, we declined with a chuckle of false bravado.
Next, the moment of truth. We were handed a foam stress ball to hold (‘some people find it helps’, the laser lady explained) as a device reminiscent of a hand-held bar code scanner was pressed on to our skin. Teeth clenched, we braced ourselves for agony as the gun began to glide across our skin. But, to our surprise, the pain was fairly minimal, causing us to audibly yelp on only a couple of occasions. The discomfort came in the form of a short, sharp prick once every second or so, which was more intense as it frazzled coarser, more stubborn follicles. Unless your pain threshold is particularly low, chances are you’ll handle the ordeal without so much as a wince, though everyone’s skin is different and reactions can vary. Far more disconcerting for us was the smell of burning hair that filled the room as the treatment was carried out, transporting out minds to some sort of barbecue party gone wrong.
It’s crucial to note, however, that this is no one-shot cure for your unwanted fuzz. While most hairs in the treated area will simply fall out a week after treatment (as ours did), most sessions require a follow-up appointment to deal with persistent strands, usually booked in for 10 days after the original treatment. Even then, it typically takes up to five treatments (generally spaced six-eight weeks apart) to put those pesky follicles to bed for good. Given the expense this entails, we probably wouldn’t bother staying the course for the sake of being permanently silky smooth. But with the beach season upon us, it’s a great way to ensure you don’t rock up to the Corniche looking like an unkempt Wookiee.
Prices vary from person to person, with a neck and shoulder treatment costing from Dhs800-1,500 per session. Silkor Laser Hair Removal. Open Sat-Thu 9am-9pm. Sheikh Zayed 1st Street, next to BMW showroom, Al Khalidiyah, www.silkor.com (02 681 6070).
