AURORA SYSTEM LASER HAIR REMOVAL

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

I am a 28 yr old African American female with caramel skin and dark coarse facial hair and have been suffering with facial hair for years. I tried everything from waxing to electrolysis. Now I am trying laser hair removal with the Aurora system. I was told that I only need 6 treatments to see results. I am not seeing much of a reduction except some bald patches under my chin.I was also told to go every 6 wks for a total of 6 treatments but at my 3rd treatment I was told to start coming every week for 1 month and then a month off since I am not seeing much of a reduction(is this safe)And the tech also did a double bypass which made both my upper lip and chin hair free but for only a day.I am a bit discouraged and I paid them (laser cosmetica) $1100. Please Please tell me that this is going to work and that I just need more patience. By the way they have a 3 yr guarantee.

[ February 03, 2004, 10:31 AM: Message edited by: SMOOTH ]

#2

Please find a practitioner who has an NdYag (1064nm) machine. I just tested the Aurora on some of my clients, and even though I used very conservative settings, so far one of my African-American clients did report some post -treatment crusting and hyperpigmentation along the RF lines. This is not what I wanted to hear, since I was assured that the machine safely treats all skin types. This client also assured me that she felt no heat or real discomfort during or after the treatment, unlike what she experienced with laser tx. I use the Altus Coolglide machine across the board on all of my hair removal clients, including the darkest skin types with no negative side efffects, even at higher fluence settings. We are still looking into purchasing the Aurora machine for removal of white, blonde or fine light hair, but it will be used only on light-skinned clients. I hope this helps you out - I would rather see you delay treatment and do some more research and consultation, than experience any skin damage. :wink:

#3

Hi Hairfetish,

Its important to recognise why there were problems along the electrode lines - it comes down not to skin colour but improper placement of the electrodes or a lack of gel. Additionally, the RF needs to be reduced to ~ 17J/cm2 over boney areas (ant shin) or thin skin areas such as neck.

There is a learning curve with this machine which is very much more operator dependant than a laser or IPL device. It works just fine on dark skin types - but its mode of action is very different to a laser - and techs/patient expectations must not come with a prior laser bias. Its an addition to our weapons against unwanted hair - but you cannot throw away electrology needles just yet

#4

Hi Smooth: I tried to reply to private mail, but yours was blocked. When I was trying the Aurora, I was with the long-term rep who has a lot of experience with the machine, and used extremely consvervative settings - 12j on a long-wave pulse. The areas that hyperpigmented were not bony prominences, and there was plenty of gel. The RF enhances what the IPL portion of the machine is doing, and I think this is where the problem is. IPL is extremely sensitive to skin color, so no, the machine is not “color-blind”, so to speak. It treats white and blonde hair by using the RF to bombard the hair shaft itself with energy, so in the case of hair color it is somewhat “color-blind”, because there is no melanin to attract the IPL energy, so treatment relies entirely on the RF portion of the handpiece. I think the IPL heated the skin too much, and the RF added insult to injury. We treated my boss with rejuvenation settings and this is where the use of gel is important. Going over her chin, and also along her nose, we managed to arc her with the RF and she had some crusting and redness. I have spoken with other practitioners that use this machine, and rejuvenation is where the arc-ing occurs most often, not really during hair removal. I am still not convinced it is appropriate for dark-skinned clients, but white skin reacts beautifully and recovers very well. The jury is still out and my client come in for follow-up next week. Keep you posted, Ciao! :wink:

#5

Thanks so much for your response Please keep me posted and so will I. I have an appointment next Friday Feb 13.

#6

I will be trying out the Aurora laser myself on upper lip/chin/full arms/underarms/lower legs…my skin type is 3. I got a good deal with American laser centers, they offer a 2 year guarantee, basically free touch ups up to 2 years, I won’t believe the results til I see it though, I’ll keep everyone posted how it goes, first tx is 2/20 with the arms first