I recently went in to get my first laser hair removal treatment. I’m a male and was getting it on my chest/stomach. The technician said not to shave it – only to trim it so I trimmed it about a week before I went in…the hairs were approximately 1/8th of an inch… Well during LHR the laser burned my hairs and the entire room smelled like burning hair. After treatment I got very bad scabbing. My question is why did the technician not ask me to shave it completely, she had to know that burning hairs would cause scabbing. How do I treat my scabbing so it doesnt turn into scarring and finally in my next treatment should I inform her that I heard shaving it completely is better? Or is leaving the hair above the skin more effective?
bump
And to add a question: Would waxing the area several weeks before I am getting treated cause all the hairs to be in the same growth phase then when I get the area treated the laser would be more effective?
Yes, it would help, but talk it over with your laser specialist first.
Shaving should really be done. You’re correct to assume that scabbing came from that. I would show her and explain that you read that shaving completely is better. You can shave 1-2 days before so there is tiny stubble if they’re worried about not being able to see where to treat.
Waxing could have helped, but at this point, it doesn’t matter.
What machine and settings are being used? What’s your skin type?
I would just moiturize the area with pure clear aloe vera gel until it heals. There shouldn’t be anything permanent left.
I would say I’m a type II but my I’m not “very sun sensitive” so maybe I’m in between a type II and type III (im white) and I have dark course chest/stomach hair. I would say I’ve experienced 50% shedding because the scabbing is going away and the hairs are falling out. The machine is a Apogee elite and I believe she told me the setting was at 23-24 which was higher than the test spot which she did at 18 and then 22.
Apogee Elite is both alex and a Yag. If you’re type II or III, they’re likely using the alex. 23-24 sounds like joules. You should find out the pulse width setting being used, which is important. The lower it is, the better.
How long has it been since your treatment? Shedding takes 3 weeks to complete.
I’ll call tomorrow and ask her what the pulse width setting was. It’s been about 2 weeks since treatment. Hairs that come out are necessarily dead though, am i correct? She did say I was a perfect candidate for LHR bc my skin is light and my hair is dark so I believe that’s why my shedding is at such a high %. The most resistant hairs were below my belly button.
My lower back has black hairs but they are not course, will LHR be effective against these? I tried to take pictures but when my digital camera flashes the hairs become invisible because of the brightness.
You can turn off the flash on the camera.
Shedding of all treated hair needs to happen, or at the very lease the hair needs to not be growing as usual (sometimes it remains as pepperspots until next treatment). Also, it takes 3 weeks, so there is still time. If you pull on the hair and it comes out without resistance, that’s fine as well. All of these are signs that it was affected.
Hair that’s not coarse shouldn’t be treated. GOOD candidate is not just one with dark hair, it’s one with COARSE DENSE dark hair. Finer dark hair wouldn’t get results. So your lower back needs electrolysis instead.