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The buzz: They are messy and smelly. They can be irritating to the skin and cause an allergic reaction and contact dermatitis in some women. If you can tolerate them, they can keep your skin smooth for up to three weeks.

Bleaches
Bleaches don’t remove hair, they simply lighten and soften surface hair, Doctor says. They can be bought inexpensively in beauty supply and drugstores and applied at home. The chemicals in them can cause an allergic reaction and skin irritation in some women.

The buzz: They’re irritating and don’t get the job done.

Electrolysis
This is definitely not something you want to try at home. In fact, dermatologists say you probably don’t want to try this at all. It can cause burns, scarring, infection and usually temporary patches of darker pigment in the skin.

Electrolysis works like this: Hair growth is damaged at the root by inserting a needle into each individual hair follicle and zapping it with electric current. “Essentially, you’re paying an experienced professional to stick a burning needle into your hair follicles,” Doctor says.

Small areas are done over time and the results aren’t permanent. Even though electrolysis damages the hair’s root — leaving areas temporarily smooth — some hairs will grow back. Costs vary around the country and from professional to professional. But consider this: Whatever the cost, it is ongoing.

The buzz: Electrolysis is tedious and very painful. It can cause burns, scarring, infection and usually temporary patches of darker pigment in the skin — and it is not permanent.

“It’s barbaric,” says Doctor. “A thing of the past.”

Lasers
Lasers sound like something straight out of science fiction. But more and more they are becoming important tools in medical technology. Now physicians are using small, wand-like lasers to remove unwanted facial and body hair with very good results.

“They’re safe, quick, easy and not very painful for the patient,” says Doctor.

Lasers work like this: Pulses of laser light zap the unwanted hair in the follicle, which damages the hair-producing cells. Unlike most methods of hair removal, lasers can treat an entire area in one session. Treatment generally runs a course of several sessions spaced out over several weeks. And while laser hair removal isn’t permanent, results can last for several months. Lasers generally work best on fair-skinned, dark-haired patients. They don’t work well on white or blonde hair because there’s not enough contrast for the laser to read.

Right now, laser hair removal is not inexpensive. Again, costs vary around the country and from physician to physician. And procedures are not covered by medical insurance. Cost aside, it is the most permanent of all methods currently available.

“Eventually, lasers will be very routine for hair removal and much less expensive,” Doctor says. “In fact, in about five years, you’ll probably be able to buy a little laser for home use in your neighborhood drugstore.”

The buzz: They are good and the most permanent of all methods currently available. But right now, they are expensive. Experts predict as laser hair removal becomes more routine, costs will come down.