Elec. after failed laser in Atlanta-please reply

I have read a lot of helpful info on here (thank you James, I feel like I know you) and need some advice. After 9 treatments (upper lip & sideburns) with GentleLASE I have MORE hair growing all over my cheeks and neck, and yes I have before pics to prove. I am mortified and SO depressed. I had it threaded once last week because I can’t stand it. I know now to never do that again after reading posts, but I work in cosmetics and couldn’t go to work with a beard. I am willing to try electrolysis but am concerned about who to go to and more importantly, can this cause even more adjacent regrowth? I don’t know if I could handle it. This has been so traumatic. I wish I had never started. Thank you all so much for posting and helping. I have fair skin and dark hair (med. brown and fine on my face) and tested negative for hormone problems with an endocrinologist. . . sorry for the novel! Can anyone please reply and help?

Thanks for your kind words. Maybe I can stay in your guest room next time I visit Atlanta. (just kidding)

Your post is not too long, in fact it is not long enough. I really did not get a good idea of what your question, if any might be.

While I am on the subject, I don’t know why people worry about writing too much on here. Those who don’t want to read it all, won’t read it all, the rest of us, will. If you need two pages to tell your story, and you are not redundant in your prose, feel free to give us all the information you have. If you want to see long posts, just check out some of my posts in the post threads about insurance paying for electrolysis!

I am willing to try electrolysis but am concerned about who to go to and more importantly, can this cause even more adjacent regrowth?

I am so sorry to hear about what happened. I think it’s extremely rare for electrolysis to cause adjacent regrowth. I’ve been on this board for 18 months and no one has ever posted with that result.

To find a good electrologist, do a search in this forum for your hometown (go the main page for this forum, where all the subjects are listed, and use the search box at the top). Also, there’s a forum here on hairtell for Electrology Referrals.

Maybe James knows someone in Atlanta, too?

Subject: Re: Elec. after failed laser in Atlanta-please reply

I do know of some people in the Atlanta area, but I have not had treatment from any of them, and I am loath to recommend someone I have no experience with, and have not seen any of their clients treatment results. I am sure you understand why.

I will be at the American Electrolysis Convention the week of October 24th and if I either get some work from an Atlantian, or get some information that leads me to believe there is someone you should try, I will let you know. Other than that, I would just be telling you who I know of in that area, without much more information than you already have about them.

I sent someone to a practitioner based on reputation alone once, and the person had such a bad experience that this person decided it was better to spend 6 hours driving in one day just to see me for one to 4 hours once a month. The experience turned this person off so bad that even the thought of looking for any one else in the area was unthinkable. Luckily, after 8 or 9 months of long drives, another person in this forum who could see the location of this person struck up a conversation, and eventually it lead to a recommendation to someone who turned out to be good enough to end the days of blocking out 9 hours for a 3 hour electrolysis appointment. Amen.

Did I mention that everyone should fill out the location spot in their profile enough today?

Unfortunately, there are no referrals for the Atlanta area so any names you could email me would help. I have a few consultations next week and thanks to your previous posts I know what to look for. I did read that GA has less strict liscensure qualifications so I am definitely looking for a CPE, right? Believe it or not, it was a CCE in a dermatology office who performed the laser on me that triggered growth! She is still denying the possibility. So. . . should I insist on gold needles? Which of the 3 methods works best for laser induced hair? Approx. how long until I will not have to shave, and until completion? (I know these can vary extremely so ballpark for a healthy, hydrated 28 y/o with fine, recently acquired, threaded once hair) And James, yes you can have the guest room! I mapquested Atlanta to Buffalo and I can’t drive 14 hours to you for treatments, but I wish I could! As for the post care, I am going to buy witch hazel, tendskin, tea tree oil, and polysporin cream. Which is the best order of use? I am meticulous and do not want to scar. Thanks for amswering the 5 questions. Hope this is more specific.

Practitioner skill is the most important thing, although I would say that for LASER induced hair, one may want someone who can do both thermolysis and blend, as it is sometimes advantageous to use blend on LASER hairs if they have curved the follicle shaft.

After your treatment, you want to use Aloe Vera Gel as a moisturizing healing agent. If you don’t mind the smell, or are not going out in public for a while, you can also put Tea Tree Oil on it directly after treatment as well. No matter what you do, put on the tea tree oil at night before bed time. It will heal you up and dissolve puss, and dead skin overnight. Use Witch Hazel for a quick cleans any time you need to take off that gathering layer of sweat, oil and dirt.

As for possible visits, be of good cheer. Now that my family has moved to South Carolina, I may be closer to you some time, and if I should move from Buffalo, your area is actually on my short list.

Laserhater,

I missed your post, but I had the nape of my neck treated five or six times with the GentleLase and experienced the same triggered hair growth. The practicioner treated further and further down my neck, and the hair grew further and further down! You aren’t the only one.

I’m currently doing electrolysis. I need to start another thread describing my experience, which (I think) is good so far.

Best regards,

htky

BTW, James, I think that’s the third post of yours I saw asking us to put our locations in our profile, so I did! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Thank God I am not the only one! My laser tech. made me feel like a freak. I would love to hear about your elec. experience when you have a chance.