I first realized that I was a hairy chick at the age of nine when one of the boys in my 4th grade class kindly pointed out that my eyebrows connected. I knew I looked like a young Frida Kahlo, I just wasn’t fly enough to know who she was at that point in my life.

As I got older, boys always seemed to point out the obvious: my sweet sideburns and 5 o’ clock shadow on my upper lip. Maybe they were hating because I had more body hair than most teenage boys. I’m not sure how I got to be the lucky gal with the hair, but I figured it had something to do with my Cuban heritage. After all, my dad looks like he is wearing a fur coat when he takes his shirt off.

Gross, but totally true.

My biggest problem area has always been my face. At this point of my life, I’m no longer talking about peach fuzz.

I’m talking about a legit beard, the kind that hipster dudes who pay big bucks for beard plugs would totally hate on. It may come off as if I’m proud of this, but it’s completely the opposite.

In fact, I hate it.

I have been doing my best to keep it on the down low for years by waxing one to two times per week and plucking rebellious chin hairs in between. After countless waxing burns, messes from wax spills, and expensive trips to the salon, I finally got tired of my facial hair. I spent most of my life dealing with it and I didn’t want to spend another Sunday morning waxing ever again.

A few months ago, I started to do some research on laser hair removal and discovered that because I have thick dark hair, I’d be an excellent candidate for the treatment. I went on Groupon and snatched up a full facial laser hair removal package from Palm Beach Medical for only $150. This package includes 7 sessions, which I figured should be enough to nip the problem once and for all. I booked my first appointment and started my journey with laser hair removal.

Now, before moving forward, I should tell you that this isn’t my first experience with laser hair removal. I had a rendezvous with laser for my underarm area a few years ago, but I didn’t complete my sessions, so most of the hairs have returned. This is my first experience with facial laser laser and this time I’m committed to seeing the process through.

When I went in for my first laser hair removal appointment, my technician Alyssa Napolitano explained a lot of things to me about laser that I didn’t know before. For starters, I finally learned how laser actually works. Basically, the laser beam shoots a concentrated amount of light at the pigment of each hair, in turn damaging the hair follicle from future growth. The amount of sessions that it takes for laser to work completely depends on the person since there are spots that are notorious for being stubborn. The most important thing that I learned is that laser hair removal is not completely permanent. Occasional maintenance sessions may be required to keep the fuzz away, especially if you have hormonal changes, such as pregnancy.

So far I’ve had three laser sessions. Before going in, I take a fresh razor and shave all of the areas that I have treated. I skip out on wearing makeup to the medical spa since makeup can block the effectiveness of the treatment. I also avoid using Retinol, Vitamin C, and stay out of the sun for a week before and after my treatment. All of these things can cause irritation, which I don’t want.

At each session Alyssa fires up the powerful Polaris laser and starts to zap away my hairs.  The laser has different power levels (Dr. Evil would dig this thing!), so Alyssa always asks if it’s OK to take it up a notch from the last session. I’m a wussy when it comes to pain, but I suck it up and say, “yes” each time. As far as pain goes, I’m not going to front, it does a hurt a little. It’s actually not painful, but it feels like you’ve had a quick confrontation with a bug zapper. The cooling tip on the laser helps a lot with the discomfort and it’s totally bearable for the 5 minutes that it takes to complete each session. Once she’s done, I take off my protective eye wear and I’m ready to go! No mess, no hairs, no redness, nothing!

I still have four more monthly sessions to go and possibly a few more since my lip area is being difficult. Apparently it’s common for this area to need more treatments, but I’m cool with it since this is a much more promising alternative to managing my facial hair for me. Heck, in only three sessions I’m already seeing a major difference. I don’t have anywhere as much hair as I used to and each time I see less and less hair. My entire face feels smoother than ever and I’ve noticed that my makeup applies like butter.

As cliché as it may sound, my only regret is not doing this sooner. I’m so happy with my results that I have officially re-homed my wax warmer into the dumpster.

Goodbye Mr. Wax machine, it’s been real!

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