I go to Smooth Solutions here in Lewisville Texas. I like them for the pay as you go option. I know that they use an Alex laser but I am not sure of the brand or settings. I will get that information at my next appointment.
Below is a photo. I just want to reset my expectations. I do get full shedding, however I get very quick regrowth. I have shaved three times since the treatment since the hair gets so long. My upper back just does not seem to be making any progress.
I will try and post a pic
There is no photo that I can see. You can post via photobucket.com.
What area are you treating? What type of hair? Male or female? How many treatments? We don’t have enough information to help here.
Are you only treating the upper back? Is the hair coarse and dense? How quick is “quick”? How many treatments have you had? How far apart?
Sorry for the delay. Yes I have dark course hair. The clinic uses a candela gentlelase alexandrite. I had my third treatment this past week and tried to ask questions. The technician was very friendly and helpful. The settings were 16 joules, 3milisecond pulse and 18 diameter spot. I started at 12, second treatment 14(which I actually burned a bit) then the third treatment was 16. She mentioned I would be at 18 for my next treatment. At 16 although painful I did not have the light swelling or burn. Hopefully with the higher setting I will start thinning out. I understand that it is a process just want to be a smart consumer and verify that I am on the right track.
Oh. Male 38 years. Full back. I do not have a sweater but more than I like. Black and course. Not excessive but it gets long and drives me nuts.
I have been told I an a Fitzgerald 2 border line one but I live in Texas and rarely burn unless I skip the sunscreen in may. But June through September I will not burn without sunscreen unless I am in direct sun for 6 plus hours.
Dense on shoulders and lower flanks.
You should only be treating patches with actual dense coarse growth. Is your entire back like this? Don’t have them touch any areas with finer and more sparse hair because it can become worse.
16J on 18mm is good. Anything lower than that is iffy. Are you seeing all hair shed within 3 weeks of each treatment? That’s what should be happening.
How far apart are your treatments?
I’m curious why you burned at 14J/18mm but not 16J/18mm. Did you have a tan?
I went 9 weeks this past time but shaved in between. I had full shedding. Full regrowth at week 6. I have talked them into letting me come back in 7 weeks versus waiting 12.
No I actually have some bare spots or spots with peach fuzz. Its funny I was looking in a mirror on Monday to take photos and thought that I had much more hair. I figured I was being paranoid.
No sun when I did on a 14 setting. I had more of a reaction than this time or the first time. I actually had swelling and burns. Everything was fine this time. Redness was gone by the evening except for the small red dots.
I hope that my bare areas do not become worse 
I wish they had told me that. I went to 3 clinics and they all priced Full Back for me. Not one of them said that.
You really should ask them to only treat spots with dense coarse growth. This area is very prone to induced growth. And the new hair will be too fine for laser.
If you see full regrowth that early, either the settings are too low or the hair is too fine. You shouldn’t need treatments more often than 10 weeks apart or so on this area.
Can you post photos? I suspect a lot of the hair is not coarse enough for laser.
You just had your treatment yesterday?
If the skin reactions you describe subsided by that same evening, then they were most likely not burns.
Erythema (redness) and swelling are actually normal reactions, so long as they disappear within a day or so after treatment. Like urticaria (hives), laser-induced redness and lesions do not permanently damage skin.
The subsequent development of perifolliculitis (red inflammation at the site of the follicles) 12-24 hrs after treatment is also normal, and indicative of damage to the hair follicle. Actually, failure to observe this side effect most likely indicates poor treatment. This can occur when low fluences are used.
Oops, re-reading this I now see that you didn’t have adverse reactions with this treatment.
I was reading quickly and thought you meant you got burned with this treatment.
Best,
-JM
I am one week out from treatment and have a ton of stubble. I normally do not get any noticeable stubble. It also has a sore kind of feeling when I run my hand across it. No visible red dots. I just have not had this type of reaction. I normally do get full shed could this be a sign that I had a good treatment finally. The soreness that is. Almost feels like really bad razor burn.
Could you post a picture?
Stubble look is normal. Everything should shed within 3 weeks.
I see very few hairs in that photo and most of them are very light in color.
Is that your back hair?
Even if that sheds, it looks too fine/light for laser.
Yes upper shoulder about a week after shaving.
Too light and fine for laser.