feedback: alex laser settings

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hi,

I just had my second laser treatment today for my lower back. For the first session the settings were 15mm/20j/15ms and I got about 20% reduction (this was judging after 10 weeks), and today the settings were 12mm/25j/15ms. The laser machine is Cynosure Elite, and the alexandrite was used on me.

(I have pale skin with dark, black hair. I’m middle eastern, so my fitzpatrick skin type falls between III and IV.)

I wanted the technician to go down to smaller pulse width so that it can better target the relatively finer hairs in this area (I have been treated many times with the Gentlelase machine which has the fixed 3ms pulse width). But I was told that the 15ms pulse width on this machine is equivalent to the 3ms on the Gentlelase.

I was just wondering if the second treatment settings are good? It was my first time being treated with a 12mm spot size and I’m wondering if the joules are strong enough?

Thanks :slight_smile:

#2

  • I don’t understand what you mean by “you got a reduction of 20%”. At 3 weeks, everything should have shed. Did this happen? At 10 weeks, you’re supposed to be seeing NEW hair from the next growth cycle.

  • Those settings are ok, but relatively low.

  • How coarse is the hair? Dark is not enough.

  • No, 3ms is 3ms and 15ms is 15ms. This machine goes down to 5ms. What spot size and joules were used on the GentleLASE on you? How many treatments did you have? On the same area?

  • I have a feeling the hair is not coarse enough, which means no setting will help and it’s time to switch to electrolysis. Can you post a photo?

#3

Oh what I meant was that after 10 weeks, when the new hair had grown back (as well as the hair that was missed/not affected), I had about a 20% reduction compared to before I had done any treatments at all.

Yeah, I had a feeling the settings were low. When I got home and looked in the mirror there were red dots and that went away after a few hours. The weird thing is that I didn’t get any redness/red dots after the first treatment, but I did this time, even though I had a feeling the settings were weaker.

For my other treatments with Gentlelase (they were on other parts of my body) I know that I had the 18mm used on me, but I was never asked about the joules. I know that it wasn’t on max for sure, because I remember the technician saying that if she were to crank up the joules I would be in even more pain.

Right now there is no hair, but as soon as some hair grows back on my lower back, I’ll take a picture and post it.

#4

I also have another question. I’ve had many treatments done on my thighs before (I think I’ve had a total of 6-8 done) and I’m pretty much done. The last treatment I had was just over 3 months ago. There are a few very small patches of hair, mostly on the upper thigh (closer to the hip bone). I want to go in and do a treatment to get rid of these hairs. Last time I had 15mm/20J/15ms done on me with the Alex on the Cynosure Elite.

What settings do you think I should ask for this time when I get the last of the hairs done? I want the technician to go down to a 5ms pulse width, so 15mm/5ms/…but what joules should I aim for?

#5

How much shed at 3 weeks? Technically, all that hair at 10 weeks should have been new hair and it wouldn’t look like much less hair at that point yet (unless you didn’t wait long enough for all the new hair to come in). Basically, you can’t judge reduction at that point yet.

We can’t recommend settings over the internet like this. The tech should test what the highest joules, largest spot size, and lowest pulse width your skin can handle safely. We can’t know that. Everyone’s skin is different and skin types are approximate.

#6

At around 3 weeks, the hair looked pretty much the same as when I had just finished the treatment session. It’s kinda weird, because I had shaved the area 3 days before my appointment (so the hair was just above the surface of my skin). Then, after my treatment, it seems like the hairs had been burned, but they were still stuck in their roots, and when I would touch the area it felt kinda brittle. After about 5-6 weeks, those shed and then I began seeing hair growth.

#7

3 msec on Gentlelase is approximately equivalent to 5 msec on Cynosure Elite due to the beam profile. It is difficult to give you a setting over the internet. If you can try to post a picture, we may be able to guide you better.

#8

I have a question about changing up the pulse width.
Since I’ve been treated with the fixed 3ms pulse width on the Gentlelase before and am kinda hoping that I will be treated with the 5ms pulse width on the Cynosure Elite (for my current treatments), I was wondering: if you decrease the pulse width, but keep the spot size and joules fixed, is it a more aggressive setting?
For example, my thighs were treated at 15mm/20J/15ms. If the settings were changed to 15mm/20J/5ms, would my skin react differently? Or is it just joules and pulse width that determine whether your skin can handle it/get burned or not?

#9

*** Or is it just joules and spot size that determine whether your skin can handle it/get burned or not?

#10

Lower pulse width = stronger settings. You can think of it as more heat energy is given to the hair follicle in a given amount of time as the pulse width decreases.

#11

Lower pulse width would make your skin react differently. However, if your hair is very coarse, a slightly higher pulse width would give you better results.( For example, 10 msc ). If your hair is very thin, a lower pulse width would give you the best results.

#12

Thanks guys :slight_smile:

By the way, it’s been 1 week since my lower back treatment and it seems like the hairs are growing normally. I tried picking at a couple of the hairs with a pair of tweezers and there was strong resistance (and it hurt)…I’m kinda worried the treatment was completely ineffective. =(

#13

I’m going in for a treatment on my thighs soon, and I want my technician to do a test patch with a higher setting. Because, honestly, I didn’t feel a thing last time I went in for treatment at 15mm/20J/15ms. It didn’t hurt at all! …I could have slept through it.
Right after my treatment, when I got up to put on my pants, I took a look at my thighs and they were not red at all.

#14

Shedding often doesn’t start until day 10-11. Please be patient.

Do your thighs have coarse growth?

#15

Before I had any laser treatments, yes the hairs were very coarse. Pretty much like my lower leg hair (basically my lower legs and thighs had extremely coarse hair…like a guy’s leg almost and then it would also go up to my buttocks, but it was finer on the buttocks area).
So I’ve had about 6-8 treatments on my thighs so far and the hairs that are left are relatively finer, but there are still some coarse ones on the sides and backs of my thighs.

#16

I shaved my thighs about 2 days ago to prepare for the treatment and the hairs are growing back pretty fast compared to my other body parts which I’ve done laser (because usually the hairs will grow back reallly slow when you shave, after many laser treatments).

#17

I wouldn’t expect much change if the remaining hair is not very coarse.

#18

I had my first laser treatment on my stomach today. I just came home and took pictures (this is 4 hours after treatment).
Is this a good reaction?

(12mm/25J/15ms on the Alex was used.)

qwerty Attachments

IMGP0055 - Copy.JPG

IMGP0052.JPG

#19

Did they use any gel on you during treatment ???

#20

Yeah, they did.