Brazilian Laser Hair Removal - what is normal?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

I have recently completed my second laser treatment for the brazilian area, and I am wondering if what I am experiencing is normal. I believe I am skin type 3 or 4 (tan more often than burn) and I have dark brown hair, so the doctor said I was a good candidate for laser during our 15 second interview. They used a lightsheer diode laser at a setting of 16 joules the first time, and 18 joules the second if I’m not mistaken. This sounds low from what I have read on this forum, but I seem to be having good results as far as the permanence of the hair removal.

Both treatments were extremely painful, causing me to jump involuntarily, especially in the thinner-skinned areas down below. It felt as though my skin was being burned wherever the laser touched as the technician moved it around, and I was actually left with several small burn marks which turned into scabs after each treatment. Is this normal for this area of the body? My skin isn’t generally sensitive to anything. I used to get brazilian bikini waxes pretty often, and they were a cakewalk compared to this.

The second strange thing is that the technician hasn’t treated any of the innermost hairs nearest the labia. I know this because they always grow right back within a couple of days after the treatment, where everything else is still bare. I’m not sure if she was hesitant to go there since I was having such a hard time with the rest of the area, or maybe she is just squeamish, but I thought I would see what is considered “normal”.

I am looking into another facility that uses a Cutera Coolglide laser. I would appreciate any advice anyone can give me on what I have experienced up to now, or anything about the coolglide laser as compared to the lightsheer.

#2

those settings are pretty low but since hair is coarse, you’re getting results. the finer the hair gets, the harder it will be to get those hairs at those settings. if you’re getting burns even from those, i would definitely consider switching to a Yag like a Coolglide like you said. For this area with coarse hair, it should work just as well with an experienced tech, but not cause burns this easily.

not sure what you mean by “you know that hair wasn’t touched by laser because it grows back a few days after treatment” because hair always ‘looks’ likes it’s growing in for 2 weeks post treatment and then sheds. do you mean to say that it doesn’t shed like the rest within 2-3 weeks at all? if that’s the case, she is not treating the area, so you should point it out and make sure she does next time. But if I were you, I would go with a Yag to avoid any burns.

#3

Thanks for the info, I think I will try the place with the coolglide laser. I’m sorry I was unclear about the hair that I think wasn’t treated - it never does look like the rest of the hair that was treated. It doesn’t ever shed, it just grows, and keeps on growing like normal.

My main concern was the burns. I wasn’t sure if that was a sign of an inexperienced tech or just my skin type. I don’t know if skin type can change, but when I was a kid I used to get very dark tans (my skin was more brown than tan) and I would never burn, even without sunscreen. My skin is quite a bit lighter now since I am indoors all day, and I have to use sunscreen if I spend more than an hour or two in the sun, although I do still tan pretty quickly. Maybe this is a silly question, but is the amount of pigment in the skin related to how tan you are at the time? Or is the melanin always there and just brought to the skin’s surface by the sun?

Thanks again!

#4

the second. the melanin is there, even if you’re not in the sun. so based on what you describe, Yag laser like Coolglide would be a better option to avoid burns.

#5

"The second strange thing is that the technician hasn’t treated any of the innermost hairs nearest the labia. "

That happened with me during my first treatment. My treatment was so painful, the last thing I wanted to ask the tech to do at the time was hit another area. But the next time, BEFORE treatment, I told her she needed to hit that area, which she did. Frankly, it wasn’t any more painful than most of the “Brazilian” area. I know what you mean about the pain. I, too, have been getting waxed for years, and the pain with waxing was nothing compared to the laser!

BTW, the innermost hair responded very well to laser.

Good luck.