Confused

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

So I am a guy in my 30’s with what I believe is type IV-V skin (light skinned East Indian - tan a fair amount with sun exposure but don’t burn). I went to consult with a doctor yesterday in Chicago for hair removal on my upper back and maybe thinning out the legs.

He strongly discouraged the use of a YAG laser over an alexandrite. Apparently it just takes too long to treat a large area with a YAG and is less effective. He seemed to think my skin would be fine with an alexandrite laser which surprised me.

Does this sound reasonable to those of you with experience? I am going to consult with 2-3 more doctors in the area since the last thing I want is to get burned.

He also suggested putting off the legs until Winter because there is a chance the regrowth will be patchy rather than an even thinning out. Plus I can play soccer through the summer without worrying about tanning before the next treatment.

Thanks for any help or comments.

  • Fuzzball
#2

All Yags are not made the same, and neither are alex lasers. The only way this can make any sense is if the Yag laser he has has a much smaller spot size (head) than his alex laser. So, in that case, he’s worried that he would be getting paid the same whether he spends an hour or 2 hours treating you, and he’s willing to risk you not getting results by using very low settings or to burn you just to save himself some time. I would look for other places. Alex is NOT safe for your skin type at settings high enough to actually cause any permanent damage to the follicles.

#3

I think the spot size on his YAG is much smaller. He also would charge a ton more for the YAG over the alex since it would take much longer.

I am going to talk to 2-3 more places in Chicago to solicit more opinions. Thanks,

  • Fuzzball