Laser Hair Removal: A Luxury or an Investment?

Are you considering laser hair removal but feel that the cost is outside of your budget?  I once thought the same thing.  You may be surprised that the cost of shaving alone can add up pretty quickly.

First, let’s discuss the time that you invest in shaving. Let’s assume that you started shaving at 13 years old, and you will continue shaving until you are 50. In Florida, most women shave every day, spending about 15 minutes shaving each time. 50-13= 37 years of shaving. 37 years x 52 weeks/year= 1,924 weeks. 1,924 weeks x 6 times a week (we all occasionally take a day off)= 11,544 times that you will shave in your life. 11,544 times x 15 minutes = 173,160 minutes OR 2,886 hours OR 120.25 days spent shaving over a lifetime.

When choosing razors, you may opt for a cheaper, disposable razor. The average price for 8 cheap razors is $9.99. You will likely use 2 cheap razors a week. So, in 52 weeks, you will spend $130 a year on cheap razors. So, $130 a year x 37 years = $4810 in cheap razors. It’s impossible to shave without shaving cream, so you must consider that you will likely buy a can of shaving cream per month. If a can of shaving cream is $3.49 per can x 12 months, you will spend $42 a year on shaving cream. So, $42 a year x 37 years is $1554 in a lifetime on shaving cream. There’s a price to pay for using cheap razors, you’ll probably knick yourself from time to time. Let’s assume that you buy bandaids that are $5, once year. You’ll spend $185 in 37 years on bandaids to treat the knicks. In total, your cost of shaving with cheap razors in a lifetime is $6,549.

Let’s assume that you choose to use a higher quality razor. The handle itself is $12.99. Replacement heads are $19.99 for 4 cartridges. The quality is better, so you will probably get 2 weeks out of each cartridge. The razor manufacturers discontinues the handles every few years, sometimes you lose them or leave them behind in a hotel, so you’ll likely need to purchase a new handle every year. In a year, you’ll spend $142 on high quality razors. In 37 years, you will pay $5288 for high quality razors. Don’t forget to factor in $1554 for the shaving cream. You will save the $185 on bandaids because you are using a higher quality razor but your cost of shaving with higher quality razors is $6,842.

This means the average woman will spend over 120 days or her life shaving. She will also spend between $6,549 – $6,842. There are other drawbacks to shaving. These numbers don’t take into consideration the amount of water that we waste by shaving. Shaving is clearly not environmentally friendly. Another disadvantage to shaving is the uncomfortable, burning sensation that we experience when dipping into salt water. In Florida, it’s critical to time shaving with our beach trips to avoid the burning we get from the salt water – not to mention the razor bumps. Ingrown hairs are another major drawback. They look awful and they hurt!  Laser hair removal will eliminate ingrown hairs. It also eliminates the burning, uncomfortable sensations from the salt water.   I would also be prepared to say good-bye to the razor bumps.

The golden question is then, is Laser Hair Removal a luxury or an investment?  At Divinity Med Spa, we believe you can save yourself the time and the money by buying a package of Laser Hair Removal treatments.   By investing in six treatments of laser hair removal, you can save yourself 4 months of your life and over $4,000! At Divinity Med Spa, a six treatment package of full legs cost $2250. The time that you spend in a laser session is about 45 minutes. That’s 4.5 hours of your life. Laser hair removal offers PERMANENT reduction in hair. By investing in Laser Hair Removal, you can spend more time with your family and friends, and use your $4000+ savings on a fantastic Caribbean vacation.

Holly Boyd, ARNP-C