By KARAN MINNIS, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter, karan@nasguard.com

Alicia Francis (name changed), 19, is looking for a way to permanently remove the thick, coarse hair that started growing under her chin when she started to put on weight three years ago. And she's giving serious thought to laser hair removal to solve her problem.

"I want to do this because I hate shaving and my hair keeps getting thicker and growing faster each time I shave," says the full-time student.

She wants the hair removed solely for vanity purposes, and so that people can stop nagging her. "My family and friends keep reminding me that the hair looks bad, and I'm a bit sick of hearing about it, so if this helps stop their compliant, I'll be happy. So really I'm doing it for my sanity. I know its doesn't look good, so I guess it's for me as well. So getting the hair on my chin removed will get rid of those problems," she says.

Alicia, is not alone in this area, as thousands of women and men suffer with unwanted hair, and have to daily suffer with its removal.

"I've tried [hair removal lotions] which still I use now. I've tried plucking, shaving, waxing and it's all very painful, expect for the [hair removal lotion]."

As she prepares for the expense of paying to have the hair removed via laser treatment, Alicia, a college student, says she's not afraid of any side effects, because the doctor assured her they would be minimal, if they happen at all.

From the beginning of time women and men have fought the long and personal battle of unsightly hair growth on their chin, face, underarms, back and legs, and have always done their best to rid themselves of what is viewed as aesthetically displeasing.

From gels and foams to razors to waxing, people have resorted to all sorts of things in an effort to rid themselves of their body hair, some of which grows in an excessive amount. After trying everything, most end up resorting to laser treatments.

In the general technique, a laser beam is converted into a concentrated source of light energy that passes through the skin to the hair root. The energy is then transformed into a heat source which destroys the hair follicle while only warming the skin. The hair root is disabled, stopping the hair from growing, according to Dr. Gregory Neil of Bahamas Plastic Surgery, East Ave., Centreville.

"When each hair root is disabled you'll get a little goose bump that will last for about two to three hours then it will disappear. That's the only thing you'll see."

Noting that any hair root disabled in this manner is not likely to grow again, Dr. Neil says that this technology can remove hair without harming even dark skin.

"When researching laser hair removal, consumers come across many concerns including, typical cost of laser hair removal, seeing before and after shots of laser hair removal pictures and any laser hair removal risk that could be involved, including side effects. However, we can address all these concerns because this is a safe and effective method of hair removal that can be permanent," says Dr. Neil who has been doing the service in The Bahamas since 2003. "This process has been in existence for almost 10 years even though it is still a relatively up-and-coming procedure. But, this is nothing new."

At Bahamas Plastic Surgery they use Altus Coolglide for permanent, safe hair removal on light or dark skin. "This laser is FDA approved for all skin types and its chillglide hand piece cools and protects the skin. With this machine you will experience little or no discomfort during or after the procedure. To ensure this we a use numbing cream and a lot of ice throughout the procedure."

Every individual will need at least three laser treatments, he says. They can cost any where from $150 to $350 per session.

"Some might need up to eight in order to maximize results," says Dr. Neil. "Skin tone, hair coloring and coarseness of hair are all contributing factors to how many treatments will be needed. This is because although each hair root is disabled, you still have new hair roots that become active and those have to be treated as well.

"So between each treatment which is about six to eight weeks later, new hair follicles will open up, and it's those that will be treated during other sessions. Your skin, my skin everybody's skin is programmed to grow hair for a lifetime. So now even though you're disabling some of the hair follicles, a new one will wake up and grow a new hair. That's what the other treatments will disable."

Dr. Neil says that in some people after their third or fourth treatment, no hair grows back, but in others it takes more treatments to stop and even then, six months or even a year later, hair may come back. "With the technology that we have we've gotten results where the hair doesn't come back or at least it comes back months or even a year later."

He says when people like Alicia, seek laser treatment for hair removal they should ensure that it is really a laser being used that is safe for their skin as complications can arise, and that they should be aware that there are side effects like infections, scarring, burns, color change and pain to deal with.

"These things rarely occur, however, I like to advise my patients of them. You may also be unsatisfied with your results, and the results may not be permanent, meaning that the hair may grow back. This is because the process is not perfect, and different people will have different results as with anything. But generally overall laser hair removal is a safe, effective, and speedy process to get rid of all those unwanted hairs.

"Over time, your current blemishes and dark spots from ingrown hairs, if you have them, will fade away, and your skin should return to an even tone. Most of the time your skin will return to a beautiful natural appearance once you have gotten rid of your offending hair. We have found that this is the most important benefit of this procedure."