Did you use Lightsheer Duet for your treatment?

lana1 · November 4, 2012, 3:26am

If so, please give me your feedback here.

Were you satisfied?
Were there any issues/complications?
When was your last treatment and since then is hair regrowing? If so, does it grow back slower? Is it finer/thinner?
Are you male or female?
What is your skin type?
Which areas did you have done?
Are there any areas you would not recommend it be used? (IE: face, neck, ears, etc. ? )
What were your settings?
How many total treatments did you go through?
Would you recommend the Lightsheer duet to somebody who needs a full body done, and is not concerned with 95% reduction/removal. Any significant reduction in thinner/finer hair and slower hair growth, would be acceptable.

Feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

mumbaigirl · November 7, 2012, 4:42pm

I doubt if my answers would be of much help to you and it is unlikely you’ll have many responders to your survey here. Plus, your questions are not very well-framed (no offense) and I fear you might land up making a wrong decision based on few people’s experiences/answers.

I might be able to advise if you could tell me what exactly YOU are looking for.

Anyway,

No/Hyperpigmentation- took about six months to fade away completely/ October 2011/ Male-to-female transsexual/ Skin type IV-V/Neck+Half face/ Any area with sparse hair or which does not have hair (irrespective of the density) at least as thick as underarm hair/16J+30ms+9mm9mm/ ONE treatment+ one patch test at 28J+100ms+9mm9mm, the patch test resulted in hyperpigmentation and NOT the first treatment/ Full body- No. For at least “moderately hairy” regions like underarms, pubic area, legs- yes…provided that person is skin type 4 or lower.

lana1 · November 8, 2012, 3:47am

Thanks for the reply. I just wanted to get an idea of peoples experience with the lightsheer and if it was generally positive or negative. I am a skin type IV-V I believe and I’m getting an incredible deal for treatment with the lightsheer it’s unlimited areas for one year. So, I’m wanting to get full body done because it’s all included in the same price.

According to the person I spoke to at the clinic any skin type works with the lightsheer and getting full body done doesn’t seem to be an issue. I know that what they say is biased because they are in it for the business. That’s one of the reasons I’m asking here for more info. It’s just that the deal is too good to pass up, and I think I will end up having to try it for the full body. He did say that I shouldn’t get a full body done all in the same treatment and do lower body the first treatment then the following month do the rest. So, I suppose I can start with the lower body and then if everything goes fine, continue?

I asked him about doing a patch test but, he said it wasn’t necessary and that the lightsheer is safe on all skin types. I know according to the FAQ on this site it doesn’t recommend all skin types. It’s difficult to know what to believe since there doesn’t seem to be much info out there or feedback from people having used the lightsheer.

I pretty much have thick hair all over, it’s hard to find a spot on me that doesn’t have hair. Should I not go through with it? Should I insist on the patch test? If everything goes fine on the patch test then proceed? How quickly do you know after the patch test if everything is fine and to proceed? Where would be the best spot to do a patch test?

Thanks

mumbaigirl · November 8, 2012, 12:38pm

LightSheer can be used on all skin types - True.

Can LightSheer be used EFFECTIVELY AND SAFELY on all skin types? May be.

Yes, you can start with lower legs.

LightSheer Duet has two spot sizes- 9mm9mm and the other one is 12mm35mm. I have no idea how effective the bigger spot size is since it is new. I can tell you the smaller spot size works wonders IF 1) Good settings are used 2) Hair to be treated is thick 3) The technique is good. (LightSheer is a little difficult to operate as compared to other lasers and not many technicians do a great job.)

What may seem thick to you may not necessarily be thick. You should ensure, as I have advised before, all the areas to be treated have hair at least as thick as lower leg hair and at least a little dense. Otherwise, you risk paradoxical hypertrichosis- MORE hair growth! Since you are skin type IV-V (Indian?) the risk is even more higher.

I’d insist on the patch test. If everything goes fine, the settings sound alright (you can post them here or check with clinical papers published by Lumenis) and you experience shedding by 3 weeks without any side effects, proceed! Some clinics ask you to wait for a week post patch test. I recommend 3 weeks. Best spot- any spot which is hairy, not easily visible (in case you have any side effect) and is darker than the rest of your body . For lower legs, I’d suggest around the knee area- it is dark and more prone to burning AND PAIN; so if your knee responds well, you can safely assume the rest of your legs will do good too.

You are welcome!

lana1 · November 8, 2012, 4:45pm

Thanks! I was getting worried I’m not get any help here, really appreciate your reply. Yes, my parents are from Pakistan so my skin tone is similar to Indian but, I’m not a very dark brown if that makes any difference. Yes, my hair does seem just as thick everywhere else as it is on my legs but, I see what you’re saying if I think it’s thick it might not actually be. I just took a quick pic that I will upload of my arm hair, it is trimmed down but, I think you can see the thickness still.

So, this is what I will do if they are not going to formally do a patch test. I will get 1 year of treatments and I can come in once a month so that should be enough number of treatments. I’m allowed to tell them what and how much I want treated each time so I can go in my first treatment and just tell them to do my knee and then I will probably tell them to do my chest and/or back. Since these areas aren’t as visible. Do you think that’s too much? Should I just do the knee and chest first for the test?

That way I’ll get the patch test done. I have 4 weeks until my next treatment if everything is fine, then I can continue. Since they said that on some areas I can’t come in every month anyway like lower legs he said 6-12 weeks I think. So, I have enough treatments in the year to use one as the patch test.

I just realized though that the only issue will be that if I fail the patch test, they won’t give my money back for the full year of treatments. So, I will have paid for a full year and not be able to get treated. Maybe I need to find another clinic that will do a patch test. I tried to find other clinics here that use the lightsheer duet but, wasn’t able to I may need to keep searching.

Also, this clinic only uses the lightsheer duet they don’t use any other laser. I also had asked them how long they’ve been using it and I think they said since 2003. They were use the other smaller lightsheer before this, so hopefully they have enough experience with it. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to actually speak to the practitioner when I went for my consultation it was the esthetician that works there.

Another question I had was, that I was wanting to get the back of my neck done as well. However, I think there might already be too much gray hair. The laser won’t remove gray hair correct? So I’m wondering what happens if they get rid of the pigmented hair on my neck and there is only gray hair left, will it make me look old? In that case I may not want to do it.

Here’s a pic of my arm hair, does it look thick?

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/38834766/2012-11-08%2010.34.08.jpg

This is the same arm but, the flash on the camera didn’t go off, you can see my skin pigment a little better, do I look like a skin type IV or V?

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/38834766/2012-11-08%2010.33.56.jpg

Thanks again!

LAGirl · November 12, 2012, 10:52pm

What you’re doing is not a good way to judge effectiveness of any machine. Everyone is different, tech’s skill is different, settings are different, etc.

Generally, LightSheer is more difficult to use than some other machines out there and is not as effective as alexandrite can be on light skin. HOWEVER, good Duet treatments are better than average GentleLASE treatments, etc. It really depends on settings and skill.

Lastly, I hope you are not treating your entire body. No one has that much coarse dense growth and that’s the only type of hair laser works on. The rest of the hair may get worse after those treatments, if that hair was not coarse enough to begin with.

lana1 · November 13, 2012, 2:06am

Thanks for your reply. Well, I don’t know what to do, I’m starting to get stressed out. I wish somebody could point me in the right direction.

I found another clinic in my area which seems to have good reviews and they also have a yearly package with “unlimited” treatments but, costs more. This particular esthecian has 10 yrs experience. That clinic, plus the one I was initially referring to, both agreed to do a patch test before payment and purchase of the package.

So, I don’t know which areas can I do then? Why do they offer full body then, they just want your money? Are doctors really that crooked? If I go to them for the consultation and they say that I can do full body, then what do I do? This sucks that you can’t even trust a doctor these days? What is the world coming to? I’m just getting really frustrated and stressed out now. I have hair all over my body, I feel like a wherewolf, it’s everywhere and I hate it and I want it gone. It sounds like it’s not possible? What am I supposed to do just continue living looking like a beast? I’m getting into shape and you can’t even see my muscles because they are covered from hair, I hate this.

LAGirl · November 13, 2012, 5:27am

Everyone wants your money. This is why this website exists. We try to help you make the best decisions without having a stake in your wallet.

Please outline your hair situation. What areas have hair, which hair is coarse and dense, etc. Pictures help too.

Also, please read the FAQs below in detail. I wrote them. This will help you figure out what’s feasible and how to get results.

lana1 · November 13, 2012, 4:26pm

Yes, I have read the FAQ and I have read many of your posts and I was hoping that you would see my thread and reply. I have already been doing quite a bit of research but, I guess I must not still be grasping everything if it seems like I’m lost.

I will post pics shortly.

Also if it helps any, the two clinics I was considering one of them (the first one, with the best rate) has several negative reviews on Google, and Yelp but they are not regarding hair removal but, in general about the service and staff, and Dr. However, I’m getting good replies from the contact I’ve been speaking with there, he’s replying to all my e-mails but, it still makes me nervous.

The second clinic which is charging a bit more almost 50% more, has really good reviews on yelp, google and yahoo they are all excellent. There was only one review regarding laser hair removal and it was positive. I just spoke to their clinic about a consultation and they told me that they have done full body laser hair removal on males. However, I am still going to go in and ask questions, she told me at the consult they will talk to me about potential side effects etc. and I have gone through the FAQ and “what to ask your practicioner” and will bring those questions with me, and find out the number of clients they’ve worked on, and what % had sides, I will find out the settings of the machine etc. the first clinic didn’t tell me the settings they told me, “its’ automatic they put it in the computer and it does it”. I’m going to insist this time with this other clinic that I get all the necessary info that was mentioned in the FAQ and what to ask, etc.

Thanks again for your help, I will upload pics later today.

lana1 · November 13, 2012, 10:59pm

Ok here are pics. These days I trim and use depliatory cream so it’s trimmed in the “current” pics below but, I tried to take close up pics of the hair so you can determine if it’s coarse/dense etc. the old pics are before i started working out from a year ago but, I didn’t trim in those pics so you can see more of the hair. If you want me to take pics of any specific area, or in a certain way, close-up or farther away, please let me know.

old pics:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/38834766/hairtell/pre-workout/front1.JPG
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/38834766/hairtell/pre-workout/legs-front.JPG
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/38834766/hairtell/pre-workout/legs-back.JPG
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/38834766/hairtell/pre-workout/back1.JPG

current pics:

Thanks

LAGirl · November 14, 2012, 11:18pm

Just looked at your photos. Here are my thoughts:

You should only be using a Yag laser given your skin type.
You should NOT consider any clinic that lets the machine choose the settings. That’s not someone experienced and trustworthy.
I wouldn’t rely on reviews online. Only a tiny number of any laser clinics are reviewed at all. Base your selection on laser type and settings AFTER you’ve had consultations and have written down settings they are planning to use.
Some of your hair is sparse and not coarse, like on your shoulders and upper arms, and everywhere on your back below the very top area. I would urge you not to treat these areas with laser as you are likely to see MORE growth after laser on these areas as laser can stimulate hair on areas with finer less sparse growth. ONLY treat areas with DENSE COURSE growth.
If you’re not sure about the clinic, start with one smaller area and add more areas later once you see results or at least good shedding. This way you’re not committed to a bad clinic for thousands of dollars. Most won’t give you any refunds.
Your chest area should be easy to treat, your legs could probably look fine after only a couple treatments. I would be most careful about treating your back, shoulders and upper arms as your hair on those areas is that type that can stimulate more growth.

lana1 · November 15, 2012, 12:08am

Thanks for your reply, really appreciate it. So do you feel the lightsheer should not be considered at all? Even if I had a patch test done?

I could live with the hair on my lower back below the top area but, the hair on my shoulders bothers me a lot. What if I were to get a patch test done on each of these areas that are questionable? If I tried to get it lasered and if I have problems can I get electrolysis to fix it? I could leave my lower back as it is but, I really want to do something about the top area of my back and the top of the shoulders. My upper arms I could probably live with just trimming if I had to but, it just grows back so fast. Plus it might look funny with chest lasered and arms lasered and then there’s just the upper arm that’s going to have some hair.

Because of how many areas I have, the deal that I’m getting from these two clinics with the lightsheer it’s much more affordable so that’s the reason I was considering them but, of course I don’t want to make things worst because then I would be spending 2x as much going here and then having to go get it fixed. Both of those clinics are also doing package deals so I couldn’t start with a smaller area and add more areas based on results but, perhaps this is not a good route for me to go and need to work with clinics on a per treatment basis.

I’ll definitely not consider that clinic that said they leave the settings up to the machine. So you think the other clinic with the lightsheer is it worth it to continue with the consultation just to see what they say and get the settings, practitioner’s experience, etc. ? Or forget the lightsheer and go with yag?

Thanks again

lana1 · November 15, 2012, 12:45am

I found this statement on the FDA website regarding Lightsheer, it states:

“The LightSheer® Pulsed Diode Array Laser Systems are
intended for use on all skin types (Fitzpatrick skin types I - VI), including tanned skin”

Does that mean that I would be ok to consider the lightsheer if everything goes well during the patch test? I know you recommended the ND Yag and I’m not arguing with you, I have already made a list of all the local clinics offering LHR with the Yag and following up with them to get pricing info. It’s just that I’m pretty certain that Yag treatment will be much more expensive compared to lightsheer, so if possible I really want to try and consider the lightsheer. However, I do understand that it’s not worth taking a risk and paying twice as much to get it fixed and/or going through unwanted side effects but, I do want to be sure I do the proper research before I completely remove it as an option.

LAGirl · November 16, 2012, 3:48am

You can use any machine on any skin type, technically. But as I explain in the FAQs, you’d need to use very low settings if you’re using a powerful machine on darker skin, which makes the treatment pointless. This is the situation with your skin type and a diode like LightSheer.

Please add your location to your profile so we can help you locate clinics near you. You can Google things like “city + name of Yag laser” (so “chicago GentleYAG” or “miami GentleMAX”). Please take a look at the list of machines we offer in a sticky posts and do searches for various types of Yags as well as combo machines like GentleMax and Apogee Elite.

In terms of what areas to treat, you can treat any spot that has dense coarse growth. As long as you stick to that, you shouldn’t have any issues. When you reach a point when all the remaining hair is no longer coarse and dense, switch to electrolysis.

You can try to go to the LightSheer place and have them test various settings. See what the highest ones your skin can handle safely are. An inexperienced clinic won’t want to do this though. They’ll play it safe and set them low as they won’t want to deal with you complaining about burns.

lana1 · November 16, 2012, 5:02am

Thanks that was very helpful. I will see if the clinic with the lightsheer will test various settings, if they don’t then I will move on from them. I have already been searching for “city name + yag” and I also found on the cutera.com website there is a locator which tells you all the clinics that use the yag laser in your area. So, I have made a list. I’ve started sending e-mails but, only received one reply so I will start calling them next week.

So, what is the downside if the settings are low? Is it only that the hair removal won’t be permanent? Since even if I can get the hair finer, that would be fine with me, or a decent reduction. If I don’t achieve actual permanent complete removal that’s fine with me. Or do you mean that if the settings are too low that I won’t get any reduction at all and the hair will just grow back just the same as it is now?

If I could even get it to where every time I trim or shave my hair that it grows back slower that would be great with me. It’s just that right now it grows back in days and I’m constantly having to trim it down etc.

LAGirl · November 16, 2012, 5:10am

Low settings won’t get you any results and/or can induce more hair to grow.

You should Google various Yag models. Cutera is just one company making one model. Candela has a search on its site for GentleYAG and GentleMAX. Search places that have any of the Yag lasers we list in the sticky post with all the models.

You won’t find out much without going for a consultation. It’s usually a front desk person replying to emails and they are not experts. Just confirm the type of machine the clinic has and if it’s the right one, then go for a consultation so you can judge whether they will use high enough settings, are knowledgeable in general, know about induced growth, are willing to treat only areas with coarse dense growth, etc. Write down joules, spot size and pulse width they want to use on you.

lana1 · November 16, 2012, 6:15am

Ok, got it!

Actually I was just sending emails to get pricing info, wasn’t asking any of the important questions. I’d like to narrow down my options based on pricing because some places are very expensive and since I want to do a full body (or as much as possible in the dense areas) it can get expensive. Though I understand that’s not the best thing to do to narrow my options based on pricing, I should decide based on the expertise of the practitioner. I was just using it as a starting point but, really I didn’t expect to get many e-mail replies, it was after hours so I was just sending them.

I will start scheduling consultations and get the necessary info.

Thanks for all your help

LAGirl · November 16, 2012, 6:19pm

The owner of this chain of clinics used to contribute here (SSLHR), though he’s based in San Antonio. May be worth having a chat with him over the phone regardless.

http://www.smoothsolutions.net/locations.html

lana1 · November 18, 2012, 1:10am

WOW that is so awesome of you, I know you said you were busy lately , I really appreciate you for doing that, one of their locations is in a suburb near here!! I will call them on Monday!!

Thanks so much!

lana1 · November 18, 2012, 2:55pm

do you think it’s a good idea to get a patch test done on each area before treatment? so say for the first treatment we were doing legs, we do a patch treatment come back in 4 weeks everything is fine. Then we do legs that day, and next time we want to do back, so that day we do a patch test for back, if everything fine I return to do back then we do a patch test again for the next area, etc. do you think that would be a good idea?

So for example if we did a patch test on upper arm or shoulder where the hair is not as dense. Would I know in 4 weeks if it’s something we should proceed with or not? How would I know, NOT to proceed? Will I start seeing some laser induced growth within those 4 weeks?

Also I have one question about laser induced growth, does this new hair grow in thick/dense? If so, would it be possible to just have it treated? because if the hair is fine then it’s probably not that big of a deal? or maybe I have it wrong?

Sorry last question, what exactly does dense/coarse hair and sparse hair mean? Is it referred to the thickness? or the area itself like a dense area means there is a lot of hair/follicles in one area, or sparse would be the follicles/hair are spread around and not as many in one close area?

Thanks