About shaving after the laser thingy....

Hey,
Im a new user…and I gotta say this site is amazing first off…everyone who replies is totally supportive and helpful and stuff. Amazing site!
Ok, Im 17 yrs old and I just had my very first laser treatment done for my entire face. It wasnt very painful…just a minor zap that made me kinda jerk. My skin didnt even get red! My problem is that the hair , especially in the sideburn area, was pretty long, so the lady who did it shaved it all off and then used the laser. Well, I dunno bout everyone else,but I was totally scared when she SHAVED my face!! I mean, thats something my dad and bro do…Im a girl…so it got shaven off and now there’s this stubble…I gotta go back to school on Monday and Im totally freaked about the stubble…ppl r gonna think I shaved my face over the holidays!! WEll anyway, do I keep shaving it off till my next visit? I know I cant wax or bleach. I had to get this done because Ive been made fun of since I was little bout the hair…had to do something abt it! Anyway, doesnt shaving make it come back thicker and coarser? Or am I totally missing something? Thanks for any help u can give me!

Don’t wax your face. Shaving is the only thing you should do between sessions.
The “stubble” would most likely be the hair that will fall out in about 1 to 2 weeks’ time, if you really worried, just shave it.

Did you have the sides and your cheeks lasered? I too am a female with hair on my face. I am desperatley looking for a laser clinic that I can trust. I have pretty long white course hair all over and I want it GONE. I have not heard anything about “shaving” that scares me. I know for a fact it will come back darker and more course. Was the hair on your face white too? What kind of laser did this clinic have? Did you have a technician or a dermatologist do the procedure?

Well, the hair on my face was black and Im very fair. So it stuck out unusually…but it wasnt coarse. It was like, you know how, well at least Indian baby’s like I once was, have that hair on them…its really soft. Thats what it was. I did my entire face, sides anc cheeks, yes. If I were you, I’d definately go for it…although none of the hair fell out yet (it’s only been 4 days), there was no discolouration and my face didn’t even go red…which were the two things I was most afraid of. I know how it is to have that unwanted hair. I started waxing my upper lip when I was 14…and it killed. It’s not worth the pain when u know it’s coming back. Hopefully this laser treatment will at least reduce the amount I originally had…anything is a plus. Anyway, I hope that helped, if not, ask some more and I’ll definately try my best to help you. I dont know any good places to go to specifically…since I live in Canada and u live in Seattle…but just make sure u dont go to one of those laser clinics. Oh, and thanks ants!

oops, I didnt answer ure two questions at the end, lol. It was done at a dermatologists office by a technician under the dermatologists supervision. You have to attend a consultation first though. The laser they had was the latest one that deals with darker skin types.

Sorry to inform you that laser does not work on white hair. You’ll need electrolysis for that.

You can shave as soon as 2-3 days after laser. Hairs than have been singed may not come out right away, even with shaving, but they will eventually. May take a week or two.

RJC201

sorry to inform you, but the latest laser technology does get rid of white and gray hair now. The clinic I am dealing with has it and so does my dermatologist.

So what type of laser is this that supposedly works on white and gray hair? My understanding is that for laser to work there has to be contrast between the hair and the surrounding skin. Blonde hair on fair skin does not provide this. There is a product called Meladine that purports to absorb deeply enough into the follicle to allow the hair to be “seen” by the laser. You have to apply it twice a day for several weeks for it to work. My electrologist had heard about it. We tried a bottle and found the results disappointing at best. :frowning: The laser my electrologist uses is a “light sheer”. It has been very effective at removing pigmented hair. We are now getting rid of all the blonde hairs one one at a time.

Cheers,

Paula

The name of the laser is “Aurora” by syneron from Canada. It’s the latest technology to remove white and gray hair and of course the black ones. I went in today for a consultation with the technician. She said this laser is gentle and effective. One question though for everyone…do all these types of laser clinics ask you to sign a consent form? My husband thinks that is a red flag right there. Hope the info helps…

I guess I’m a little sceptical. I looked on the syneron website and they don’t mention anywhere that they have some new technology capable of seeing blonde and gray hair. If they did it would be a fairly significant breakthrough. It sounds like hype to me. There’s a lot of it in this area. If its a legitamate claim you would think they would talk about it in the explanation of the product.

cynical in Austin,

Paula :roll_eyes:

Paula,

website that I got my information
http://www.lasernews.net/lasernews/lasernewsv3.nsf/5256975a129ad8ee882568b300179157/ff56e96131255ead85256c1e0005494b?OpenDocument

The Aurora DS hair removal system is designed to provide maximum safety and efficacy in removing unwanted hair from all parts of the body regardless of skin or hair type, with minimal patient discomfort

The clinical study and experience from the field proves that our unique ELOS technology is superior to any light-based technology for the long-term removal of all hair and skin types, including blond, red, and gr ay hair .

Paula, I am not making this up…here is some damn proof for ya. See there are others that have some knowledge!!!

Bajoey,

While the info you found certainly looks promising, I think it’s important to point out that the URL you list is a link to a press release (read: free ad) put out by the manufacturer of the ELOS machine. Click on the “News and Views” link and you’ll see that it’s one of several press releases in this issue of LaserNews.

So I would not personally view the information written as clear evidence of “proof”. And FDA “clearance to market” does not constitute approval or validation of effectiveness. In fact, it doesn’t seem to mean much at all, if you read several other posts and links referenced throughout this forum.

Still, it might work for you. But you may want to get feedback from a few people who have used it first before believing the claims of the manufacturer. Painful visions of “Epil-Stop and Spray” come to mind… :roll_eyes:

Okay how come everything I say comes back as a smart ass remark or make me feel like I am dumb in this subject? I’m trying to give other people with my facial hair type some good information that might just help them…Isn’t this a support forum? I went in for my consultation and the technician feels VERY positive about this type of new laser that will get rid of my annoying white hair. I also brought my information they gave me to my DERMATOLOGIST and she said “yes this type of laser is KNOWN to get rid of white hair” I wish you people would stop acting like you know more info then the professionals. Instead of making me feel like I know nothing about this or ruin any hope of getting rid of this hair…please support me and wish me great success. I too have been doing research on Perm laser and am well aware of laser only working on dark hair. I was estatic to hear about syneron-aurora. Keep me happy by saying nice things to me …I would love to come back on here with awsome results so that others with my hair type has some hope!!!

Hi! This is my first reply to a post on this site, although I have been visiting for a while to get the feel of things. Regarding the discussion of the Elos “Aura” maching from Syneron. I have test the machine. It is NOT, by the way, a laser. It is an IPL (intense pulsed light) machine with the addition of a Radio Frequency feature on each side of the aperture for the light spot. There is no study information as yet on the unit - it seems to work just like an IPL, which is not really effective in hair removal. It is more of an incandescent “waxing” - the hair will grow back completely in about 4 months. IPL treatments are usually cheaper than laser (the machine itself is cheaper), so if you don’t want to spend too much and don’t want permanent reduction, then it could do the trick. The rep couldn’t convince us, however, that it could effectively target white or vellus hairs. In the end, we are at the mercy of the reps unless there are studies that prove otherwise. I work at a laser hair removal facility and we use the Altus Coolglide Vantage machine. If I may toot the Altus horn a little, this is a great machine and has great results. It is a long-pulse NDYAG 1064 wavelength, extremely effective in treating all skin types, especially Fitzpatrick III-VI. Like any machine, it is operator-sensitive, but in the right hands has virtually no negative side-effects or down-time. I’m sorry I do sound like a commercial, but we started out with Lightsheer and got rid of it because of the side-effects - scabbing, crusting and hypo- or hyperpigmentation aren’t really acceptable for our patients. Anyway, hope this information helps.

Hi! This is my first reply to a post on this site, although I have been visiting for a while to get the feel of things. Regarding the discussion of the Elos “Aura” maching from Syneron. I have test the machine. It is NOT, by the way, a laser. It is an IPL (intense pulsed light) machine with the addition of a Radio Frequency feature on each side of the aperture for the light spot. There is no study information as yet on the unit - it seems to work just like an IPL, which is not really effective in hair removal. It is more of an incandescent “waxing” - the hair will grow back completely in about 4 months. IPL treatments are usually cheaper than laser (the machine itself is cheaper), so if you don’t want to spend too much and don’t want permanent reduction, then it could do the trick. The rep couldn’t convince us, however, that it could effectively target white or vellus hairs. In the end, we are at the mercy of the reps unless there are studies that prove otherwise. I work at a laser hair removal facility and we use the Altus Coolglide Vantage machine. If I may toot the Altus horn a little, this is a great machine and has great results. It is a long-pulse NDYAG 1064 wavelength, extremely effective in treating all skin types, especially Fitzpatrick III-VI. Like any machine, it is operator-sensitive, but in the right hands has virtually no negative side-effects or down-time. I’m sorry I do sound like a commercial, but we started out with Lightsheer and got rid of it because of the side-effects - scabbing, crusting and hypo- or hyperpigmentation aren’t really acceptable for our patients. Anyway, hope this information helps.

I have read Aurora’s press mateirals and studies, and I am skeptical. I will need to see some more proof, especially published clinical data before I recommend it.

Hairfetish, do you mean that the side effects with the Lightsheer occur by FitzPatrick type 3 till 6 patients?

I heard that Longe pulsed YAG lasers are better for patients with FP type 3 till 6.

gregor, long-pulse lasers can reduce the risk of side effects on darker skin when used properly, but there are no guarantees.