I really think so. In the beginning epilating seemed fine but over the years my legs got more and more messed up! Even though I wasn't exclusively epilating; it was for between waxes.

I switched to just waxing (and more often), first just the legs, then the arms. My underarms seemed okay with it so I kept going but then they were the first place I started Laser in July 2008.

I liked to wax often so had my own wax heater but I did know how to wax properly, which is important. You would need to be professionally waxed at least a few times and see how they do it.

When I first epilated it seemed okay. I have only done it a handful of times. In those times twice I had really bad red bumps which hurt and has left marks which I didn't have before. Is not using wax strips okay?

Yes you can. Personally I don't like them as even the multiuse ones don't seem to work for more than one 'application', so you would go through a lot. Sometimes it can be hit and miss and lots of hairs get left behind, then you have to use another strip *sigh* lol

Lol oh okay so you prefer the hot wax then? Shivers. Looks better though.

piping in on the epilator talk - i have a braun silk epil that i use on my lower legs and knees, i had massively coarse hair on my legs, and i had to shave everyday.... even two times a day, and this method has really helped my hair to grow back finer, and it doesn't hurt very much anymore unless i leave it a couple of weeks which i would not have been able to do a couple of years ago..... andi find the least painful way to do it is to go in circles so you take more at the smae time, mine also has a'massager' that helps take the pain away, but its only a scratchy couple of spikes that scratch while i epilate!!!!!

The hair didn't get finer. You're just epilating it before it has a chance to fully go back to what it used to be. Don't do anything for 3-4 months and you'll see it all come back just the same. Epilating doesn't change the structure of the hair.

ah that makes sense, but i still don't want to wait for it to come back like that!

Just adding on to this - do any of you know of a 'silent' epilator?
Im quite paranoid using mine every 2nd day as i share accommodation and it's so noisy and obvious. please help!