I had really bad ingrown hairs on my beard from ages 17-18, so in the past five years i’ve had about 15 treatments (i’ve lost count) with lightsheer. After about 8 or 9 treatments it seemed that about 30-40% of the hair was totally gone or lost its pigment and turned white, but since then no more hair has permanently been destroyed. It usually stays gone for 4 months max then grows back. Hopefully something better will come out soon 
The better thing is and has been out since the 1870’s. It is called Electrolysis and works on any and all hairs for permanent removal 100% of the time when performed correctly by a competent practitioner. In the best case situation reduction of visible hairs is all LASER can offer.
The better thing if you want to treat large areas is NOT electrolysis.TIME PAIN AGGRAVATION are ALL considerations.What you can accomplish with laser in 5 minutes will take HOURS with electrolysis.
Im not saying laser is the “cure” but one should give it a shot before electrolysis because if it does work well ,you can accomplish much more in so much less time.Of course choosing a good practioner is a must in either case.
Interesting how electrologists come into the laser forum constantly throwing jabs yet i’ve never seen once a laser practioner in the electrolysis forum trying to win the crowd over.Hmmm…are you afraid of something ?
[ January 27, 2004, 10:38 PM: Message edited by: Anthonyy ]
Hi Thrashy, I cut and pasted this post from a consumer in another Forum for you :
"I am a male of 24 years old. I am almost getting laser treatment for about 5 years now. In the beginning i started with the epilight laser and my most recent treatments were with the smartepil II yag laser. before this laser did get treatments with the lightsheer diode system
i have skin type IV and i can say that this laser has made gorgeous results for me. My beard growth was soooo heavy… and almost after 15 treatments everything is gone. i did needed 15 treatments because a lot of treatments were done at a low level of energy in the beginning, because my dark skin and pain level. after the hairs were not that many anymore the energy could go higher and it was not much more painfull.
I can say from my experiences that the lightsheer laser is very very good, in my opinion for hair removal and not that painfull as exampole the yag laser. Only what i think is if you have a bit dark skin skin type IV or higher then when your hairs are thin or will getting thinner it is much more difficult for the lightsheer then to treat this hair with these skin conditions. then u have to find another laser i guess… AND I GUESS THEN THE AURORA IS THE BEST, AND NOW I AM USING THE AURORA FOR THESE FINE HAIRS… TO SEE WHAT THIS MACHINE WILL DO…
i will keep my experiences up to date on this site so keep it in mind and have a look regularly. bUT IN MY opinion the lightsheer is one of the best lasers for hair removal !! and permanent reduction that this laser has prooven that this laser does give permanent reduction of hair!!"…Hope this helps.
Hi Anthonyy.
As you suggested, thrashy already did the laser thing FIRST to his/her face and it didn’t work. All the hair grows back in 4 months. He “gave it a shot” and although he/she didn’t say if electrolysis was tried prior to laser, I’m assuming it wasn’t.
I re-read James’s post over two times slowly and can’t understand how you could interpet that as a jab. If thrashy stated that “hopefully something better will come out soon”, then what is so “jabby” about James commenting on the effectiveness of electrolysis? He has seen a lot of success stories in his many years in practice. Is there any untruths in his statements? If there are, then you should clearly define the untruths and back it up with evidence.
We’re here to exchange information with consumers. You are a welcomed and valued member here at hairtell judging by your five star rating. As an electrologist, I would most certainly be interested in reading any posts from laser tech’s, doctors, nurses who post on the electrolysis forum to “try and win the crowd over”.
Laser techs and electrologists do not and should not stay put in their own forums if there is an appropriate comment or question to advise about. Free exchange is a very effective tool for helping the consumer decide which method or combination of methods of hair removal better serve their situation.
I clearly see the jabs Anthonyy talks about. James’ description of lasers best case scenario is a “jab”. He also knows that Thrashy is hoping for advancements in Laser to avoid the tribulations he is going through, which will come and might be here already. Tribulations which electrology has been struggling with for 130 years. As far as “giving it a shot”, many, many threads in the Electrology Dept. are started by people that have undergone a ridiculous amount of painful, ineffective electrology, and are advised on how to find a more qualified practitioner. They are not being told that Electrology doesn’t work and they should try Laser.
Hello all, two things to say from me:
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I am using both electrolysis and laser sheer for my face (different areas). I find the techniques different and complementary. But I will say one thing: there are some hair that were gone once and for all with 1 shot of electrolysis (not all hair though). And I find electrolysis much less painful. I go every 2 weeks.
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I have had my 10th laser sheer diode treatment this week. As with the original poster I stay “clean” for about 2-3 months, then I start getting more and more black hair. The last 5 treatments do not seem to have made any improvements in hair reduction.
Which areas are you having done with Laser, and which with Electrology? Is there any reason you don’t just do Electrology if it is working for you?
Also, rather than continuing with a Laser that has stopped working for you, why don’t you switch to the Aurora? A twenty minute treatment, and then sit back for 3 or 4 months and monitor it’s effectiveness? I have heard from many people (consumers and Technitians)that it is getting great results on hair that has been previously treated, or is problematic (finer, lighter hairs). I get my fourth treatment on my beard next week. My last treatment was 3 months ago, and things still look great, however I am anxious to get this 4th treatment and then monitor the results for a year. I have a patch test on my abdomen that was done 7 months ago, and there is about a 35-40% reduction/REMOVAL that seems stable. Same thing with a patch test done on my leg 4 months ago.
I started out with electrolysis but by the time my skin had healed from the tiny scabs and the tenderness it was time for my next session. This is when LHR came in the picture. My electrologist also does LHR and is a dermatologist. She started out with electrolysis when she was younger and switched to LHR. She has removed all hair on her body except for her eyebrows and head hair. I also asked her how long it was since her last LHR session and she stated 3 years ago. Based on all the information I’ve been reading on all these hair removal forums and from my electrologist/LHR tech I decided to go with LHR. The way I see it, I get electrology done and I will still be going in for touch-ups once or twice a year, but to get to the touch-up stage is also another story. The LHR is one session every 6-8 weeks and my skin doesn’t have a bad reaction like it does with electrolysis. I have at the least 4 weeks of being hair free. After having 6-8 sessions I will most likely be going once or twice a year. You can’t win with either one. When you’re not seeing the results you want both the electrologist and the LHR tech will tell you it’s your hormones, it’s your diet, it’s the hair removal methods you used before, it’s always something, but what can you do? I know that I want to take less time during sessions. If I have to get LHR every 6 months that’s fine by me. It’s just what you choose, some people realize that having less hair grow back is fine with them. I’m getting my upper lip and chin done. If the hair grew back finer that would also be fine for me, everyone has little fine hairs on their face anyways. I know I’m rambling on here but there really is no end-all for this. I’ve met people receiving electrolysis for years on end. I’ve also met people receiving LHR for years on end. This isn’t meant to discourage anyone but we all have to be real with the results that may occur from the choices we make. I wish everyone the best of luck on their hair removal endeavors…
meikmeak