Permanent Hair Removal Cream

What a wonderful idea. You rub some cream into your skin and the hair just stops growing. If only it was really like that.

Most of the creams and lotions that fall under the permanent hair removal cream category are designed to be hair growth inhibitors. At the moment there is only one medically proven cream that works and that is Vaniqa cream. Its active ingredient is eflornithine and it works by blocking an enzyme needed for hair growth. It is only for use on the face and you'll need a prescription to buy it in the UK.

It takes about two months for it to start to be effective and needs to be used on a regular basis to prevent the hair growth restarting again. There is no guarantee it will work.

Other types of permanent hair removal, or more accurately, hair inhibitor creams can be bought quite readily but you'll have to take the manufacturers' word for it that they work. The usual claims for these creams are that they weaken the hair growth over time until the hairs can no longer grow. You have to keep using them to prevent regrowth occurring. They also often state that they are based on natural ingredients.

If you go ahead and try some make sure you do a skin test first to check for any adverse reactions. You'll need to apply the cream as instructed for at least two months before you can start to assess the outcome.

Do they work? Well some people say they do, and some people say they don't. I tried some a few years ago and saw no difference. Perhaps they might work on people with fine hair growth but my unwanted hair just kept growing.

So if you decide to try one of these over the counter products be realistic about the outcome. At best you might find it does slow down, if not eradicate, the hair growth. At worst you'll have spent your time moisturising your skin on a regular basis.