Back, shoulder and nape.. paradoxical effect

[ChrisSilva]

Hello everyone.

I am a 40-year-old man. My story began 7 years ago.

I started having my chest and back waxed with a diode laser. I had monthly sessions for about a year. On my back, I only had a little hair on the sides. Unfortunately, because I didn’t know any better, I started having my entire back and shoulders waxed at the technician’s suggestion and because I thought it would work. After a year and not seeing any results and starting to have more hair, I decided to start using the alexandrite laser. Since then, I haven’t had sessions every 12 weeks.
I’m tired and exhausted. I’m very down with this never-ending process.
Nobody knows about my problem, I’ve never told anyone about it, not even my girlfriend knows about it. They only know that I go for waxing, but I always lie and never say that I wax my back and shoulders, only that I wax my chest.

Here are some photos of my back and neck.

I really want to start electrolysis but I’m afraid of the time it will take and the cost.

How many hours of electrolysis would be needed?

What can you tell me about this?

Thank you all. I often come to the forum looking for new answers.

[Thermo]

Even though you’re not an ideal candidate for laser, I would still expect better results than this from a properly performed schedule of treatments. If you’re ready to try electrolysis, the cost and time are more manageable than you might initially think.

Every electrologist has a different skill, experience, approach and speed, so the time and cost is something you’ll need to discuss in the initial consultations.

If you were my client, I’d tell you to budget for maybe 15 hours on the neck and then maybe 100 on the back. It’s a conservative estimate based on just a photo. I would have to see you in person and start working on you to get a more accurate figure.

Those total hours are split across 18 to 24 months, and you should expect a bulk of the hours to be done in the first 12 months with the last 12 months mostly spent on clean up. A man’s back is an area where a few light hairs can easily remain without being noticed by the client or those around them, so you might even find yourself happy with a reduction and stop halfway through.

Yes, 100+ hours at a cost of $120+ is a lot of money. If it gives you peace of mind and allows you to live your life, then I consider it to be worthwhile. In my country, people on average pass on an inheritance 10x more than that when they die. If it’s going to increase your quality of life, use it while you’re still alive.

[fenix]

Hopefully you’ll stop doing laser treatments for good to avoid further stimulation. Don’t be tempted by empty promises that another laser will fix this. The slightly better news is your growth is not super dense so a potential electrolysis job shouldn’t be a downpayment. Only individual techs can answer you with a ballpark estimate how many hours they’ll take to clear you. Everyone has different hand speeds and electrology methods they use.
Advice for you would be try several different electroligists and see how much area they clear in an hour. In the end your goal should be to achieve full treatment clearances within 6 weeks between treatments to stay on schedule to catch all cycles over 12-24 months.

[ChrisSilva]

Good morning.

Thank you very much for your comments. Unfortunately, I discovered the forum after having had several laser treatments. I feel very sad and psychologically very shaken to be in this situation. Hair is a huge nuisance for me.
Saturday, January 18th, I will speak to an electrologist for the first time. I will clear my doubts.
I would like to start treatment after the summer. If I do 3 hours every 2 weeks, how many times will I have to go and clean my back, shoulder and neck?

It’s just doubts in my head.

This electrologist has already done several cases like mine, so she seems quite experienced.

I’ll give you updates after I talk to her.

I thank from the bottom of my heart the two people who responded to me.

Love

[fenix]

It’s impossible to predict how much progress you’ll see with 3 hours every two weeks because every electrologist is different. But from personal experience, I would suggest that you first commit to 3-5 hours every week for first several months until you achieve full clearance on all back and then go in for less hours per week to keep clearing it away.
But go ahead and speak to the electrologist first and see what schedule she recommends and since she has cleared men’s backs before, she’ll be comfortable answering your questions based on her experience.

[Jdesloges]

I would start with the neck and move down as you see progress. Depending on your budget and time, do as much as you can. Repeat area every 8 weeks. For example: the neck takes 4 hours to clear the first time then in 8 weeks it should take only 2-3 so use the remaining 1-2 hours work below the area that was previously treated and so on. Before you know it you will be hair free. Make sure you are not feeling the hairs being removed. This is your confirmation that your electrologist is good at her craft. I do this kind of work all the time. In our clinics we like to do doubles in this situation (2 Electrologists - one on each side). Good luck.

[ChrisSilva]

@Jdesloges

Before you know it you will be hair free.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the answers!

I’m desperate about this situation.

“Before you know it you will be hair free.”

It’s so good to read this…

[happyone1]

Hi Chris,
First things first. You need to receive a little education on hair reduction whether it’s permanent or temporary. That way when you make a decision on how to proceed it will be from a place where you are confident with your decision.
Hair removal falls into two categories, permanent and temporary. Laser, threading and waxing (no matter what form ) is temporary. What a lot of people don’t understand is that our bodies are constantly changing. And one area that impacts is hair growth cycles in our bodies. Yes, genetics is a large component. But, hormones are a major factor. I would question whether you would be a good candidate for laser. You are mixed grey and your natural color. So I already know that you’re getting limited results. Laser does not work with red, white or blond hair.) When you shop for laser hair removal services, they WILL always be marketed as permanent hair reduction. Simply because they already know what I mentioned earlier and that once a hair has been weakened to a vellus
( very fine) state, laser will no longer work.plus I have seen laser technicians who deliberately use weaker settings or not enough shots to properly do the job. In order to prolong it. Waxing is temporary. Once in a while you’ll get person saying it is, because of their eyebrows. The eyebrows is the only place on the body where hair thins out over life. Anywhere else on the body it will grow back.
The second type is permanent hair removal. This where electrolysis comes into play. Do a consult. Actually a couple if possible and get a demo. This way you can see if their technique and personality will work with yours. Choose the area that bugs you the most. And make a commitment to do a full clearing of the area. I’m going to take a shot and say the back of your neck. Map out the area with the person doing the job. The goal is the catch the hair at the optimal stage at growth. This when we know definitively that it’s gone and will not grow back. At the other stages of the growth cycle, you may or may not achieve the full result. But, it will weaken the hair bulb and grow back weaker and finer. Till finally, it doesn’t grow back.
I understand your frustration, I did laser hair removal. Come to find out, I’m a tiny percentage of people who have opposite reaction to laser hair removal on my face. Most people lose hair, I got a fine beard. I tried multiple electrologists and got mixed results. I’m now going through the change and a whole new crop of hair has appeared. Point is, this is life and we have to learn how to adapt. The trick is finding the right person for you. Hope this helps. Good luck!

[ChrisSilva]

Good afternoon everybody,

As I said at the beginning of my post I met my first electrologist on Saturday.

I explained my situation and showed him my back and shoulders since my last laser session had been at the end of September.
He did a small test on my shoulder to see my reaction to the pain. It took about 5/10 minutes where he circled my shoulder (I’ll attach a photo). I endured the pain. I feel a little sting
but nothing that justifies taking anesthesia. I didn’t feel the hair being pulled so I think that was good.

I explained my concern and asked her to start, if her schedule allowed, the sessions on October 4, 2025. Since we are thinking about 9 months from now, it was possible for us to make a quick appointment.

The following sessions were programmed:
4 October (4 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon. If you can’t wait, the time will be reduced.) In this session I will ask you to move forward on the back of the neck and, if possible, on the shoulders.

18 October (4 hours)

1 November (4 hours)

We will try to cleanse the back/shoulders as much as possible in these sessions. Do you think it’s possible?
She told me she would do her best but she didn’t promise me she could do it.
He told me that it wasn’t one of the most difficult cases either. I have some dense fur on the center of my back and shoulders in some parts.

I will start treatment on October 4th, 13 weeks after my laser session. What stage will my hair be at? Will there be any influence on the start of treatment?

Now I have a doubt about the photo that I will attach. I took the test on Saturday and today 48 hours later I will show the condition of the skin. The skin is no longer so red. I put a bit of aloe vera and a cream to help regenerate the skin. I also put a bit of spray called azelac based on azelaic acid · salicylic acid.
I noticed a pore with white pus as you can see in the photo if you squeeze it you’re sure something will come out. Is it normal for this to happen?

In relation to scab, how can I minimize its presence? I’m worried about the back of my neck where it will be noticed. How long will I carry scab?

One more question starting in October, will I be able to reach the summer of 2026 (June/July) with a hairless back? Or with hair but not very visible? My technician told me that we would be able to do it… of course, by doing the recommended sessions until then… do you think there is time?

Thank you very much to whoever responds and I’m sorry for the length of the text.

From the bottom of my heart I want this to work.

[Thermo]

You’re on the right path.

15 hours for the first clearance of the area is unlikely. I think you’ll require more hours to achieve that first clearance, so you should budget for more appointments in November. You will have hairs in various growth stages when you start treatment, but it doesn’t matter. All hair can be treated by electrolysis without influence from growth stages. The important thing is that you don’t shave the hair in the 13 weeks before your treatment. If you can let it grow, your electrologist will have 3 months’ worth of hair to treat successfully.

The condition of your skin after treatment is very normal, especially for work done on the body. You can continue to use aloe vera to soothe the skin, but you should avoid any chemical or physical exfoliants, which means no azelaic or salicylic acid for at least a week after treatment. These products won’t help your skin to heal and may instead cause irritation while your skin is healing naturally.

The pore with white pus is also normal as long as there aren’t too many of them. It’s just a small infection. You can use a hot compress or wipe them away with a cloth in the shower. It will resolve on its own.

The scabs are also normal, but there is nothing you can do to minimise them. Your electrologist is already doing a great job of creating minimal scabbing. You should moisturise the area as normal and allow the scabs to fall off naturally within two weeks of treatment. If you pick them, you may damage your skin.

If you start in early October and follow the schedule recommended by your electrologist, you should be mostly hairless by July 2026. The remaining hair at that time will be sparse and hardly noticeable.

One thing to consider is that the pain from treatment on the shoulder is much less than the pain in the centre of the back and sides of the torso. You may have difficulty doing four hour sessions in those areas, especially without any numbing cream or anesthetic.