After several months of considering laser hair removal and a few consultations, I finally picked Assara Laser. I went in for my first treatment a month ago. The center used the Apogee Elite laser (both Yag and Alexandrite - more on this later). I’m male, 30 years old, type III-IV skin color (I am Indian with light skin), and very hairy all over (hair is black and mostly coarse). I went to Assara mainly because they offer full body treatments for $600 per session. My goal is more of a hair reduction than to be completely hairless (although I would not mind being hairless on my shoulders and back).
After using the Alexandrite for a test on my arm which resulted in minor burns, the technician decided to use the Yag for my tan areas (legs, neck) and the Alexandrite for the non-tanned areas (chest, back, stomach, shoulders). I asked what settings she used, but I have since forgotten them. I will make sure to write it down next time. I believe she said she used 12mm. The session took around 2 hours and was probably the most painful thing I’ve ever done. After the session, my skin was very inflamed (which I have read is normal), but there was no burning.
For the next few weeks, I noticed some shedding on my chest, stomach and back, but little to no shedding on my legs. I think the hair on my legs are “pepperspots” since they basically look like stubble. The hair is not growing back, which I think indicates that the hair is dead - and just needs to fall out. I have been exfoliating every day, but most of the hair still refuses to fall out even about a month later. I still notice some shedding in the shower, so I remain hopeful that the hair will eventually fall out.
The technician told me to come in for a touch-up two weeks after the first session. After I told her that most of the hair had not shed, she told me that the touch-up would help with shedding. Since it was impossible for her to tell what areas were missed since most of the hair had not fallen out, she basically re-lasered my entire body. From what I have read, she should have waited about a month for the touch up treatment to see what areas she missed. I can see a couple areas that she missed now that it has been a month. Those areas have longer hair instead of the stubbly look. I’ll make sure she doesn’t make that same mistake again.
So after all that, here are my questions:
What can I do (other than exfoliating - which seems to have made no difference) to make shedding occur faster? Will it help if I trim the hair very short with clippers (a #0) instead of shaving before my next session? Will applying lotion or aloe help? I have been using aloe, but I have not been consistently applying it.
I’ve recently started to notice red bumps on my legs and chest. Are these ingrown hairs that are growing back about a month later? Is this normal? What can I do to prevent it from occurring?
The technician wants me to come in now (about a month after my first treatment) for my second treatment, but I have refused since I read that I should wait at least 10 weeks before the second treatment. The technician has told me she has been doing laser treatments for 5 years or so. Does this indicate that she is not adequately trained? Should I find another place to continue treatments? I really like the price at this place, but I want to make sure that the treatment is effective.
Thanks in advance for your help. Let me know if you need any additional information or if pictures would help clarify anything.
It sounds like you had an effective treatment. It also sounds like they went above and beyond by touching up the entire area. That was good for you. Nothing bad about going over the same area a few weeks later.
So, you have pepperspots mostly just on your legs and the other areas have had good shedding? That’s normal. Unfortunately, on some areas they do stay longer. Scrubbing gently with a loofa in the shower helps after soaking for a few minutes. Also, they will be burned off on your next treatment anyway.
Not sure what you mean by bumps. Are these all over? Are they ingrowns? Are they pigmentation? Keep the area dry and clean to help reduce any irritation. Pictures would help. Also, show it to your clinic.
I would not argue with them over when you should come in again. Just schedule an appt or tell them that you will call to schedule an appt later, and do it or reschedule for whenever you see enough hair come in.
Also, be aware that shoulders don’t get great results. The other areas should be good, especially if they have coarse hair.
It would of course be helpful if you can find out joules and pulse settings.
I appreciate your helpful reply. I’m not sure what the red bumps are, but I think they are ingrowns. I’ve attached some pictures. I’m a little worried about the lack of shedding. I’ve had decent shedding on my chest and some shedding on my stomach and legs. Please tell me what you think about the treatment from the photos.
Also, a couple additional questions:
Ideally, how long should I wait for a touch-up? Is it better for them to re-laser the entire region two weeks later or wait a month to find any missed spots?
Secondly, if pepperspots burn off with laser treatments, shouldn’t the touch-up have burned off the pepperspots I had at that time? I didn’t notice any burning off during the touch-up.
Thanks again for all your help! This forum is a great resource.
Edit: Not sure what’s happening with the attachments. Trying another way.
First question, are you shaving the area? Shedding can take longer if you are because the hairs don’t have anything to rub against. It’s best not to shave for 3 weeks after each treatment to let the hairs fall out. Also, pepperspots are more prevalent on areas with finer hair.
I would get touch-ups 3-4 weeks post-treatment. That’s when you can tell what has shed or stayed as pepperspots (i.e. what was affectd) and what was missed (i.s. growing as usual). If you wait too long, new hairs start to come in and cycles get confused.
And yes, treatments usually burn off some of the pepperspots. Not sure why some of yours did not, really…
Your skin definitely looks dark. It’s good that they’re using a Yag.
No, I have not shaved the area. Of all the places that was lasered, my lower back has responded with the most shedding. Most of the hair fell out there. In all other places, I’ve had pepperspots all over so it’s difficult to tell what has shed and what is growing back. I saw some more shedding in the shower today, so it continues to fall out.
I think the lighting makes my skin look darker in the pictures than it really is. Do you think it’s a good idea to use the Alexandrite on the lighter areas as my technician is doing?
Also, did you see the red bumps in the pictures? Are they ingrowns? Any suggestions on how to prevent or minimize them?
Could be ingrowns or pigmentation. Did they use an alex on those areas that have them?
Hard to tell which laser should be using without knowing what settings they used on the alex. It does look like, in the pictures at least, like you’re getting some pigmentation. Even if the area is not tanned, there is underlying pigment in the skin.
I have red bumps in areas that were treated with the Alex and the Yag. I still have pepperspots all over - it has now been 5 weeks since my first treatment. Hair still continues to fall out in the shower, but I have started noticing less shedding. I also have a more pressing concern that I would appreciate any advice on how to deal with.
I originally signed up for a full body package: six treatments - to occur every month costing about $650 per session. After researching here and on other sites, I learned that it is best to spread out the sessions longer than monthly. So yesterday, I told the laser practicioner that I wanted to spread out the treatments. She told me that I would not be eligible for the special deal I had signed up for unless I came in each month.
I explained to her that most places recommend coming in 8-12 weeks. She responded by saying that I would lose effectiveness if I waited that long (she told me that by waiting, I would allow the hair to grow back thicker and waste the previous session). She also told me that other places were telling me 8-12 weeks because they want to take more money from me.
I finally told her that my schedule would not allow me to come in every month, and I told her to ask her boss to allow me to come in less often for the same deal. She is now going to ask her boss if I can come in once every two months instead. Overall, I think her knowledge of laser hair removal technology is poor, but I feel like she is competent handling the laser physically. She has also been practicing laser hair removal for about five years.
The laser center is also the cheapest place I have found by far, and price is a big concern to me. Any recommendations? If her boss allows sessions once every two months, is that better? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
2 months is correct. When hair is thicker, laser works better as it’s attracted to pigment. You shouldn’t talk to them about it at all. Just call and schedule an appt when you want to. Or schedule and then reschedule. If you bring this to their attention, they’re more likely to care. But no one can blame you for rescheduling due to conflicts etc after the fact, and likely no one will pay attention to the dates. I wouldn’t do the treatments any more often than 2 months apart. As you can tell, it takes a long time for shedding to occur. After that, it takes at least that long for new hair to come in.
What kind of red bumps are you seeing? Are these ingrown hairs? Did you show them to your clinic? Are they using the Alex or the Yag, or a combination of both depending on the area treated? Pepperspots are fine. They’re dead hairs. They’ll fall out or be burned off on your next treatment.
