While laser hair removal is one of the most well known methods of hair removal, pulsed light hair removal is a newer technology that is believed to offer good long-term results and can be a viable alternative to laser treatment.

Some forms of light-based hair removal might advertise themselves as offering permanent hair reduction which essentially means that while 100% hair removal might not be achieved, a long term decrease in the amount of unwanted hair might be.

It's often a matter of advertising so you need to do your research, find a good practitioner and have realistic expections if you're thinking about this sort of hair removal for yourself.

While electrolysis is the only hair removal method widely regarded to offer true permanent hair removal, it can be time consuming and expensive to remove large amounts of unwanted hair.

I used light-based hair removal to get rid of some excess hair on my shoulders and back and overall I have to say the experience has been positive.

I have not achieved 100% removal of unwanted hair but I've certainly noticed a significant improvement.

As far as how long the results will last, I'm going to find out in the next few years! We'll see if it grows back or not.

The bottom line is that you really need to learn to tell the difference between hype and truth when considering hair removal options.

The clinic I went to did not promise anything they couldn't deliver. Not once did they promise "permanent hair removal" instead suggesting that with repeated treatments, I should see a definite reduction in the amount of unwanted hair.

With repeated treatments, I have achieved this result.

Effective long term hair removal can be dependent on a number of factors such as your skin color, skin type, hair color, type of hair removal system used, quality of practitioner and other factors.