15 joules on Lightsheer for the male beard, this is my 4th treatment, very white skin, very very dark black thick hair.
I got good results on my cheeks and sideburns but my chin is NOT shedding at all, do I need higher energies?
sorry to post a reply and not reply the question youre posing:
but i will be treated using 13 joules using an IPL laser, does that mean that im also being undertreated?!
15 Joules does sound a little bit low, even for the beard. How are you tolerating the treatmensts so far?
RJC2001
They sting, last time I was treated with no Emla but it didnt hurt NEARLY as much as I thought it would. It was all tolerable.
Im concerned cos my chin isnt shedding right. My cheeks and neck are perfectly smooth but my chin and upper lip are not shedding… only in small places…
I look like I have a disease or something, should I ask for higher energies next time Im treated?
Well, if you were talking about the Gentlelase Alexandrite laser, I’d say yes. Not sure about the Lightsheer, I’ve heard it uses less power for the same results. In my case, I had the Gentlelase on my buttocks (very pale skin, dark black hairs), hardly felt a thing. I asked what level she used, it was 13. It all grew back and I see no reduction at all. I’m starting over with a new practitioner soon. The one I’m talking with now, uses power levels of 30 to 35 joules for my type skin and hair.
Hey James: You might be undertreated, but then again, better safe than sorry. The male beard is a very tough area to treat, and usually requires almost twice the number of treatments than body parts (this is true also for female facial hair). This area reduces from the sides in to the lip/chin area. I find that across the board, the upper lip corners and the small egg-shaped chin areas are the last areas to go. As your density of beard hair reduces, your practitioner should be able to increase the joules incrementally. Regardless of skin color, I treat male beard hair (usually extremely dark, dense and coarse) as if my client was a Fitzpatrick 5/6 skin type: low joules, high milliseconds, until I see significant reduction of density and texture, then I increase joules and decrease the milliseconds accordingly. This is not an area you want to be a cowboy about - no burns, blisters or pigmentation problems are acceptable. Be patient and talk this over with your practitioner. Ciao 
Light Sheer & Male Beard:
I also have very dense & coarse black hair and white skin. The clinic where I went always gives the first treatment for male beard at 14 J/cm2
My second treatment was 15J, third 16J, fourth 20J.
At this point I moved and changed clinic. The fifth was at 30J. I can’t begin to describe how much it hurt. I had awful blisters for 3 weeks. Everyone asked me what had happened to me.
Sixth treatment was down to 22J and well tolerated but still quite painful even with topicaine. Seventh was also 22J. Eighth was up at 24J.
As was said above, as hair becomes less dense fluence can be increased. I am not sure that giving a first treatment at 30J is very wise.
Thanks.
My problem is I have near PERFECT results on my cheeks and sideburns after only the first treatment, but 4 treatments later and my chin has not shed ONCE. Im not talking about missed spots, there are no spots that ever shed on my chin.
My upper lip is patchy.
Im beginning to think I need higher energies just for the chin area. Am I wrong?
James, you most certainly should ask your technician to increase the fluence. 15J is ok to start with but at your 4th treatment you might want to start getting higher (unless you had big problems before).
I now ask them to change the setting during the treatment depending on the area.
Neck has responded very well and I can stand higher energy there, say 25-26J.
Upper lip & chin is still very dense so I ask them to decrease a little when they get there, say 22-23J.
Good luck. Perseverance is the key.
when everyone here are referring to the energy, are you all talking about the energy per ONE square centimetre or the WHOLE area of the flashlamp?