Apogee Elite - the right pulse?

Hair Removal Methods Depilatories and Shaving Powders
#1

Hi all, I’m from London, skin type IV and Asian/Mediterranean skin. I’m new to the site and wish I’d found it before my first test patch! About a month ago I went for a test patch with GentleLASE at the NY Laser clinic. Not really knowing what kind of questions to ask, the test went a little painfully wrong. I’m not sure of all the settings but I had two tests with an 18spot, 25J and 20J (don’t know what the ms). Anyway my skin blistered, I had really painful scabs and a month later I still have a faint outline of four small scars (two on my underarm and two bikini line). Luckily I didn’t have to fight too hard to get my money back when they saw my results. It didn’t put me off, it was the clinic, wrong laser, wrong nurse for me! This time around I checked out a few places such as Sk:n, RM and Harley Medical Group. Out of the three I like Harley the best, RM was good, Sk:n atmosphere and staff just not friendly.

So I had my test patch today with the Cynosure Apogee Elite – Yag setting. I was told Spot 15, 40J and 25 will be used for my underarm and a 15 spot, 40J and 20 for my bikini. Does anyone know if these are good settings?

Both tests felt fine on my underarm I could have handled it higher, but I flinched a little when she did my bikini so said this would be a 20 pulse rather than the 25ms, that would be used on my underarm. She wasn’t looking at her sheet when she said it, because she was passing me the aloe vera gel, but from looking at this forum has she told me that the wrong way round? Wouldn’t the 20ms make me flinch rather then the 25ms? If she has told me the right way, is a 25 pulse going to be any good?

#2
  • You’re posting in the wrong section on the forum.

Max on 18mm on GentleLASE Is 20J, so yes, that’s too high for a type IV. 25J must have been on 15mm. Spot size is stable at 3ms.

Those are good settings on the Yag. If you can handle those, you can handle high enough alexandrite settings too though, just not the max.

#3

I think she told you the other way around.

If RM is renew medica, then that is where I go. I’m the same skin type but probably a bit darker. At RM they seem to favour shorter pulse width’s before going for higher joules. I think the highest they have gone is 35J but down to 15 pulse width.

I can’t complain, my treatment has gone really well. For an example, I’ve had 3 bikini thong treatments (plus top strip), when I went for my third treatment there were all but a few sparse hairs on the side and the top. I mentioned that there was no point getting that area treated for a 4th time just for a few hairs but since there was still more to be treated down below, what should I do? My aesthetician said next time I can just book in for a standard bikini to treat the lower part.

So, just make sure they’re doing the settings the right away around and everything should be fine :slight_smile: