Elle Tries Out The Motus for Painfree Laser Hair Removal

Elle's Beauty Director Kristina Rodulfo documented her experience with the Motus for pain-free laser hair removal. Below is an excerpt from Everything You Need To Know About Laser Hair Removal.

I came in specifically to try the Motus AX, a brand new Alexandrite laser (the strongest kind), which not only promised to work equally well for all skin tones, but be “painless.” I was skeptical as hell. But, as soon as we got started and I braced myself only to feel an ice-cool glass comfortably running up and down my skin, I was convinced. That’s it? It took less than five minutes and I felt ZERO pain. I have really low tolerance, for the record—even just threading or plucking a single hair makes me cry.

One month has passed and the thick, coarse hair on my underarms is already 70 percent gone. Poof! They’ve never looked smoother and I’m thrilled. I haven’t had ingrown hairs or razor bumps, and even though I still have to shave, for now, it has never been easier. I’ll come back for three to five more sessions to get the rest off (it’ll likely be less since I don’t have much left), and I plan to get my bikini line done as well. And maybe legs. And maybe arms. And maybe upper lip? Okay, I’m fully converted.

Know the different kinds of lasers available.

The Motus AX laser I tried is an Alexandrite laser, which is one of three technologies for laser hair removal and the most powerful. The second most powerful is a diode laser and the weakest but safest laser is the Nd:YAG, which is usually recommended for those with more pigment in their skin. “There are these three wavelengths incorporated into lasers from different brands—kind of like how you could have tissue paper and it’s Kleenex or Scott—and they’ll make minor tweaks but they’re all essentially the same,” Akhavan explains, “The Motus sets itself apart pretty significantly. It’s an Alexandrite but used in a way that’s safe enough for darker skin.”