Cost of Laser Removal?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

I just wanted to find out on average how much the average male member of this forum has spent on using laser hair removal? (i.e. to remove all the hair from say the chest area…)

How many treatments on average were needed to reduce/remove all the hair? Average cost per treatment etc. Also was it effective? Did it removal all the hair?

I have had it done before on my back and sholders at about $600/treatment and had 2 treatments. I had to stop because of the expense but did not notice ANY major reduction in the amount of hair after 2 treatments. I was told that I would need about 8 treatments spaced about 6-8 weeks apart to see ‘a major reduction’, which is not good enough for me - I want to have NO HAIR on my back, sholders, chest and stomach EVER AGAIN! So in light of that, it sounds like this is going to cost 000’s of $$$!!!

Are the prices of lasers coming down? (It seems more and more people are using them, so is it true that the increased demand has driven the prices down and will they ever get to the point where the average person can afford to use these treatments?

#2

hey,

ive been lasering for 2 years with lightsheer, but my doctor closed up shop…he was doing my entire back and shoulders for $250 (which could be why he had to close). I went to another guy in Manhattan who charges $350 for “upper back and shoulders” (which was really just shoulders, and I had to go back, and get angry for him to do more, and he still left me with too many missed spots). so I went to a “day spa” and was just treated (entire back and shoulders) with Candela Gentlelase for $750 and had a great, knowledgeable technician who took her time, and i could really feel and notice the difference. no burns (scabs) and hairs are releasing quicker (it’s been about 4 days since, but the Gentlelase covers more surface area quicker, and the technician says she isnt working “blind”, like with the Lightsheer.) honestly, I think this laser thing is a life commitment, but i have definitely seen much less hair (but “hairless” is probably unrealistic.
Hope that was helpful

#3

What did your technician mean by “working blind?” The Lightsheer is considered to be one of the best lasers around. Of course technician skill is very important. The right fluence level, not too low or high, must be used. Using compression is also important.

My practitioner is now charging $1000 per back treatment, $500 for existing patients.

RJC2001

#4

Hello

Well I have had all of my main body areas covered with one treatment over 3 days (9 hours total time) with a LightSheer and it cost me $2889 CDN (approx $1900 USD). This was full legs,bikini,chest,back,underarms and arms. It is to early to tell how effective it is as I am just starting the second round this week. The prices seem to vary in my town with what I paid being the most expensive. I choose the place based not on price but on how confident I was in their abilities. All of the laser technicians are registered nurses and the place is run by a medical doctor. Peace of mind was worth the extra money.

Chris

#5

the “working blind” aspect refers to the fact that the lightsheer instrument is in direct contact with the skin, so the technician cannot see the exact area they are treating. the gentlelase had a circular site and wasnt in direct contact with the skin so she could see where she was working. (that was my intepretation of what my technician told me)

also, when i was doing lightsheer, the compression (the pushing down with the tip of the instrument) always seemed to leave burns on my skin) and also burning seemed to occur on bony areas (like my shoulderblades)
the candela didnt leave any burns…or maybe ive just found a great technician.

#6

I can tell that hair removal is not just a cosmetic issue with you but really a quality of life issue.

Sona Laser Centers are open in 7 cites around the US with more franchise locations opening all the time, but we do not have a location in New York yet. We do many thousands of procedures each year and have developed procedures and parameters to give our clients both safe and effective treatments.

First, not all lasers are created equal. We use what we have found to be the most powerful, fastest and most effective laser on the market (Cynosure’s Apogee 9300, or their YAG for type 4 and 5 skin types). Coupled with proprietary treatment parameters, the “Sona Concept” we have learned over thousands of procedures and based on the science behind how lasers remove hair, we treat each area of the body at the window of time the hair cycles through new growth phases. Each area of the body has different time frames that the hair goes through the anagin phase (growth phase) which is the only time a hair can be permanantly disabled. Each client needs to have a specific treatment calendar based on the specific body areas being treated. We have found that our clients are very satisfied with their hair removal results after 5 treatments using this “Sona Concept”.

Hairfacts.com has an excellent primer for how to select the right laser hair removal provider for you. The main issue we have found is not that a doctor is doing the procedure (any doc can buy a laser and begin treating with 4 hours of training, or worse yet hand the operatig manual to a nurse and say, “learn this”). But that a doctor is adequately supervising a well trained nurse using the right laser and using the right treatment parameters and time between treatments.

#7

I found that when compression is used with the Lightsheer there was less burning as the cooling system worked better.

When I first started laser treatments they used the Apogee which also did a good job. I had better results with the Lightsheer though.

BTW, $1900 US to have the just about the entire body done is not bad at all. Having it all done in over 3 days is pretty intense

#8

I found that when compression is used with the Lightsheer there was less burning as the cooling system worked better.

When I first started laser treatments they used the Apogee which also did a good job. I had better results with the Lightsheer though.

BTW, $1900 US to have the just about the entire body done is not bad at all. Having the enitre body treated over 3 days is pretty intense though

#9

Sona charges $1,350 per treatment for full body (below neck) and you ccan buy 4 treatments and get the fifth treatment free, to reduce cost further. (to about $1,080 per treatment) The first touch up treatment after the fifth treatment is free.

With the Apogee 9300 it takes about 4 hours for each treatment (part of the reason Sona can charge less that most places). After the first treatment, additional treatments would be spread out on different treatment cycles for various body areas since the growth cycles vary by anotomical area of the body.

Combining the Alexandrite laser with Sona’s proprietary treatment procedures, protocols and the Sona Concept of treating each area of the body during the best window of opportunity to maximize efficacy Sona’s clients are very happy with the results and after the fifth treatment they are basically into touch up tx to catch stray hair still growing.

A final note, hair growth on the body is both simple and more complex than most docs give it credit for. Hair can convert from the vellus fine hair to the terminal thick hair over time so it may seem like hair removal results are not complete (which they may not be for some practitioners) but actually hormonal changes, age, and a number of factors can stimulate new terminal hair growth. This is somewhat obvious in a couple of situations, puberty, and menopause.

#10

Yeah RJC2001 having for the most part my whole body done over a three day window was a bit much as I looked like a plucked chicken for a few days afterward. I did it this way because my job has me on the road a better part of each month making scheduling of treatments very tough. I figured why not do it all at once since I was in town. This will not happen for the second round as areas are growing in a different rates. I just had round two of the bikini and legs done this week.
I agree that the Lightsheer cooling system seems to work well as I have had no markings (red bumps or lines) last past 3 days and definatly no burning.

Chris

#11

Hello TRN,

I was just wondering, including the $5400 i paid my sona owner for complete body for five treatments i spent another $13,600 before this on the gentlelase laser for a total of $19,000. The manager,owner of sona said i can keep on coming back for laser after my five treatments are over for free as long as i want until i am happy. Mid november will be my 10th back treatment, 8 with gentlelase 15m-30j  3ms       and will be my 2nd with the apogee 9300, last treatment 15m-23j  20ms and i barely felt anything, it did shed nicely but so did the gentlelase.  Some areas on my back have maybe 25-40% reduction, upper arms have 0% reduction.  I will ask the manager if i can go full throttle and go 15m-25j  40ms  from here on out, i tried to get the tech to turn it up last time but she did not, never had any trouble with burns,skin or nothing before.  Do you think these settings are my best shot and do you think the manager will continue to treat me for free after my deal runs out. The rate im going it will take 5-10 years to be happy.
#12

rcrules: Did that flat fee for body hair removal include pubic and underarm hair?.Also does the hair have to be clipped before the treatment?

#13

Barrester,

The $5400 i paid at sona is full body except the face. Im getting underarms,ears legs, butt, bikini, back, chest, shoulders,abs,arms,knuckles,toes,neck.  I do shave these areas the night before my next laser treatment. My next treatment i will leave a few areas unshaved to show them how bad it is. I have a feeling there are in for a big surprise because the process is so slow i will be getting laser forever.
#14

I had my arms treated with 28J with the Lightsheer by a substitute tech and it was not effective. I told my regular tech about it and she redid my arms for no charge. The redo was at 40J and it worked much better. I can tolerate 45J but have not tried any higher settings yet. The Apogee 9300 can probably do up to 60 or 80J. I had Apogee treatments at 40J and they did a good job, but not quite as good as the Lighthseer.

RJC2001

#15

rcrules, what city are you in? Let me know and I’ll call the owner myself.

#16

Hello TRN,

I think it is best if nobody calls up the owner,manager where im getting my laser done, I think anybody would only get upset if people call and ask if they are letting people get laser treatment after the deal runs out until they are satisfied. I told the manager i spent $13,600 so far and my results are terrible, i told him i used the gentlelase at the highest settings 15m-30j 3ms . He said the reason for my lousy results are because the cryogen can block out up to 50% of the energy, blah blah blah you know a sales pitch, I hope its true but i dont think so. Anyway i told him i cant spend no more $$$ on laser after this. I wrote a check for $5400 that makes $19,000 all together and he said i can come back as long as i want until i am satisfied free of no charge. Im sure it will take at least 10-12 more treatments the way its going, some areas, legs, forearms, chest, abs im only looking for a 50% reduction , these areas i will probably only laser 5 more times.

#17

Rcrules, I would have to disagree with the statement made by your practitioner that the cryogen was responsible for a 50% reduction in effectiveness.

I have had 3 different cooling methods used and have not noticed a decrease of effectiveness. I first started laser treatments with the Apogee 40. It had no intrinsic cooling system with it. A cooling gel and ice packs were used. Pain level was the highest out of all 3 cooling methods. Hair removal effectiveness was added.

A cryogen cooling system was then added to the Apogee. Pain level went down and effectiveness remained the same and the hair kept disappearing.

My practitioner then switched to the Iridex diode laser model Apex 800. It had a cryogen cooling system. Pain level noticeably lower and effectiveness about the same.

Then we switched to the Lightsheer. This laser had the highest fluence levels and the most agressive cooling system too. It has a saphire contact cooling system. I had the best results when compression was used. When the laser was pressed hard against the skin the base of the hair follicle rotates closer to the surface and blood is temporarily pushed out of the surface vessels so the hemoglobin does not interfere with the laser. The cooling system worked better too and there was less pain. This resulted in the best hair removal results too.

Maybe the cryogen on the Gentlelase system was turned up too high, if that’s possible.

To see the fluence levels go to www.epi-centers.com. Click on Taining Institute, then click on the Professionals Only Section. Then click on Laser Equipment. It will shoe the fluence levels available with most of the lasers. They did shoe one Gentlelase, the Plus, having a maximum fluence level of 40-50J.

RJC2001

#18

rcrules,
Since I have a relationship with all the Sona managers, I was just going to talk to him re your type of case. I also want to make sure we do our best to not overpromise and underperform, but rather give clients a reasonable expectation of what they can expect. However that is your call- anything I can do to help, I am happy to do.

I have heard the cryogen cooling blurb blocking some of the laser energy before.

We use Cynosure’s SmartCool system which uses cold air to cool.

#19

TRN,

I have had 2 treatments at one of the Sona centers on my chest/abs and havent noticed any decrease in hair growth. I really believe Im being under treated at this point(20J). Whats the protocol for such a situation? How do I go about finding the maximum fluence, where results are also maximum, while not causing skin damage? I am an ideal candidate for laser, as I have light skin and dark coarse hair. Please advise.

#20

Qwik, Our first priority is to provide both effective and safe treatments to Sona clients. The nurses will take into account your skin type along with other factors like recency of sun exposure. If you use Sonacaine to give you more tolerance to the laser treatment, and have not experienced significant side effects, you can discuss your treatment parameters being increased with the head nurse at your center. The nurse will do a test spot to make sure the increased parameters are being handled by your skin.

Did you get fall out at each of your treatments? How long was there between the first and second tx?