Angel Locsin has nothing to hide

MANILA, Philippines - Actress Angel Locsin is ready for summer. Not only because the former national swimmer is in tiptop, bikini shape, but because she has been undergoing Facial Care Centre’s LaserLight hair removal treatments for the past two months.

She loves the outdoors and says that for people in show business, summer means TV specials and appearances. You must have already seen Angel’s Facial Care Centre billboards along EDSA — the girl in a silver swimsuit with an arm and a leg raised, showing off smooth, hairless skin.

“At first I was very hesitant about undergoing LaserLight hair removal because I thought it would be painful,” she says. “But those who have done it before told me, ‘Hindi siya masakit, okay ito.’ I didn’t want to endorse a product without trying it first, so I did.”

Angel is currently undergoing treatments in three parts of her body: underarms, legs and bikini area. “During my first session, I said, ‘Ate, sabihin mo talaga sa akin kung masakit kasi mababa ang threshold ko sa pain.’ She said, ‘Ma’am gusto ninyo lagyan namin ng topical anesthesia.’ I said, no, I was ready, I wanted to see how it felt. Before I realized it, the procedure was done, nakatulog ako!”

Any woman who has had her legs or bikini area waxed can relate to the kind of pain Angel was worried about. Waxing is painful and the results temporary. So when something like LaserLight promises to reduce hair permanently, it seems like too good to be true. But Angel says she’s ready to do the whole program, which is about from six to eight sessions, the average number of procedures of a “medium balbon” person. “I was really happy with LaserLight — no pain, no downtime, no need for anesthesia. Plus it’s also great for sensitive skin like mine. No rashes or irritations, which I used to get from shaving before.”

In the beginning, Angel was very shy about having her bikini line done, but soon enough she felt comfortable with the therapist doing the procedure. “Di ka madi-diyahe kasi chichikahin ka ng therapist mo, mawawala ang ilang mo sa kanila, especially if you have the same girl doing the entire program with you.”

How does LaserLight work? Dr. Shyla Valdez of FCC explains that the procedure uses pulses of light energy that are absorbed by the pigment of the hair. “The diode laser system works through a process called ‘selective photothermolysis’ to remove unwanted hair, penetrating deeply into the dermis where the optical energy is absorbed by the melanin in the hair, disabling the follicle and preventing new hair growth.”

Because it targets the melanin, it works better for dark-haired Asians than light-haired Caucasians. Though Dr. Valdez admits that there is no such thing as a complete hair removal, “LaserLight is a long-term reduction in the number of hairs growing. After only one treatment, there will be significant permanent reduction in hair as high as 40 percent. In general, it takes six to eight sessions until all hair is removed in an area.”

The most common parts of the body for women are the underarms, legs, upper lip and bikini areas; for men it’s the face and chest. While we know how frustrating it is for women to have hair growing in the wrong places, Valdez says you’d be surprised that men feel just as strongly about their hair, especially those with a hairy chest like Robin Williams.

“The biggest factor that contributes to a person’s hairiness is genetics,” she says. “They say you inherit it from your mother rather than your father, but there are many exceptions to this generalization. Other factors that influence the fast growth of the hair are age and hormonal levels. If you notice, the older you get, hair begins to reduce on its own, like you may experience thinning hair on your arms or armpits. Some pregnant women experience telogen effluvium, when the resting state of the scalp’s hair follicles becomes longer than the usual cycle.”

With body hair, there is just no accounting for how people feel about it. Some cultures (Europeans come to mind) don’t mind women having hairy underarms, while others feel that being hairless is a sign of good hygiene. Some women like their men with facial hair while others feel that a hairy chest is a deal breaker (one girl we know was so shocked to see her date’s chest for the fist time when they went to a beach, she nearly screamed in panic!).   

“We’ve noticed that Filipinos are very conscious about their body hair, even the men — they want their beards permanently removed because they find it a hassle to keep shaving it off every day,” says Valdez.

Angel says she first started shaving her legs when she was in high school, “just because my classmates were doing it” even though she didn’t have much hair growth at the time. While it may have started as an exciting teenage ritual, she soon realized that it was such a hassle to do it on a regular basis, so she agreed to endorse LaserLight. 

“Even just after the first session, ang tagal bago mag regrow yung hair. And when the hair grows back, it’s finer, and most of them just fall off. That means damaged na yung root permanently. After my first session, I was so excited to do the treatment again. Excited na akong maging completely hair-free! I also noticed that the skin on my underarms, legs and bikini lines got smoother.”

Valdez explains that since you no longer regularly have to shave or pluck the hair, your skin is subjected to less irritation, scratching and subsequent darkening, and improves over time.

LaserLight works on all skin types with medium to coarse pigmented hair. The only people advised against having it are those with active infection on the treatment area, those who have used other depilatory methods (waxing, plucking or electrolysis) in the past six weeks, those who are taking oral retinoids for the past six months, those with a history of herpes simplex infection and keloid formation. 

Angel admits that she’s more confident now. “There were times when I would be at a pictorial or taping and I’d realize, oh no, I have to shave, so I’d have to look for a tweezer or razor or someone who knows how to do threading because I wouldn’t feel at ease knowing there might be unsightly hair peeking out.”

With the LaserLight treatment, she says, she can focus on her work more since she doesn’t have to spend hours on depilatory sessions every so often. “I can raise my arms anytime and if I have a shoot that requires me in shorts, I can do it, too. I don’t have to worry about hair removal if I have to wear a swimsuit or sporty outfit. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

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For inquiries, call Facial Care Centre at 892-SKIN (7546); 233-7631/33/35 in Cebu; and 961-3404/08 in Pampanga.