About to start LHR and needing advice

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hi all-

I’m a male, type III, who is going to have my chest, abs, full arms and underarms treated. My problem is that I don’t know if I am going with a good price quote or not. My first quote was for an epitouch: underarms $200, chest and abs $450, arms $450 all with no quantity discount. My second quote was for a gentlelase: underarms $150, chest and abs $390, arms $300, all before a 20% discount. I’m clearly leaning towards the gentlelase, both given the price and the positive attitude of those on the forum towards the gentlelase. But some postings here make me think that even the second quote is too high.
Should I keep looking or go with the cheaper of the two options above?

#2

The first place already sounds like a worse deal to me. If you’re a candidate for GentleLASE, and they are cheaper, then assuming the practitioners are skilled, I think that would be a great option.

The GentleLASE prices are on the high side, but not unheard of. My place uses a GentleLASE and charges $75 for underarms and something like $200 for full arms. No clue about abs. I have heard of others paying much much more than me though, so I still think you’re within reasonable range if you choose them. Especially with the 20% discount tacked on.

#3

It all depends the location.
I see no harm in looking for other place.

My place for example charges $79 underarms and $189 for the front and $200 for the arms. But then again, I’m in Canada.

#4

You should probably look around some more. You’re in a big city, which means you should have plenty of options. Check Candela’s website for GentleLASE (or GentleMAX) listings using your zip code.

Also, I would HIGHLY recommend trying one smaller area like underarms FIRST before committing to so many areas. See how shedding goes, what settings they use, etc. Then judge from there.

And make sure you’re ONLY treating DENSE COARSE hair. I’m specifically concerned about your upper arms where most men don’t have DENSE coarse hair and induced growth is common.

Don’t forget that you can bargain! Most prices are not set in stone.

#5

Thank you, Kitty.

#6

Thanks, also, LAgirl. My city is NOT so bid. The Candella website lists 1 guy who is dead (he also does gentlemax), 1 guy who is too far away, 1 “mobile” laser center, and 2 other practitioners, one of whom I’ve seen and spoken about above. She did do a test patch on my chest, which was not at all effective. It was a 15mm spot, but she refused to disclose the joules, saying that she would crank up the power as the hair got thinner. If I do go to her, I will insist on the “rubber band snap” feel. As for my upper arms, the hair is quite coarse.

#7

If she’s not telling you the joules, that’s not fair. I dunno if that’s customary, but I would flat out demand it. You have a right to your medical information. Imagine having a surgery and the doctor refuses to tell you what kind of anesthetic he will use or whether or not he will use sutures vs medical adhesive, or what type of pacemaker he will be inserting. You should always be as familiar with a medical procedure as you can be, and to me, this counts as a procedure.

#8

I strongly agree with LAGirl as well, try a small area like underarms first to see how it goes. $150 is a lot to me, my underarms are $60 and my last clinic was $89 (In Canada as well). The Candela website doesn’t search for people in Canada, but the CynoSure one does, and from experience, the few it came up with in Toronto were all very high end clinics or doctors which $300+ for underarms type pricing. Your best bet is google, but I’d recommend googling laser hair removal pittsburg. Or use google maps, zoom in on downtown then type laser hair removal. It will drop pins on all the locations. Go to each one’s website and look into it and see what laser they use. Some won’t say so you’ll have to ask. Others you’ll find are IPL but I find this is really the best way to find clinics and then narrow it down.

#9

Yes, also don’t disregard clinics that use Apogee alex lasers.

Candela search feature is not perfect. Try entering other zip codes from your city. You will often get more results. Also, use Google.

#10

Hi all -

Well, I went through with it 9 weeks ago - we made a deal (20% discount for 3 prepaid sessions and an additional 20% off for cash), with any additional sessions at the same prices. I have been thrilled with the results - underarms - no regrowth; legs - almost no regrowth, chest and arms - uuck. Lots of growth, but I can’t tell if it was subcutaneous before my treatment, or the settings just weren’t right. My settings on all areas on the gentlelase were spot size of 18mm at 16 joules. Here’s what I need to get resolved before I go in for my second session at 10-12 weeks. After the first session, I noticed about a dozen randomly spaced bright red spots on my chest. They are about the diameter of the point of a large ball point pen or sharpie marker. They haven’t faded or disappeared. Is this hyperpigmentation, and what can I do about it?

#11

They could be pigmentation, they could be ingrowns. Lower settings and not tanning the area is a solution. Did you show it to the clinic? What did they say?

Btw, you’re not seeing “regrowth”. You’re seeing different hair from the next hair growth phase.

#12

They’re not ingrowns, I will show them to the clinic before I return. Re a lower setting, it’s weird - I didn’t get this on any other part of my body, just the chest and abs, yet the setting was uniform for all body areas.

#13

There could be pigmentation differences on various parts of the body. Skin thickness varies too.