GentleLASE settings

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hi there,

Sorry for opening a new topic, but I couldn’t find the answer for this one.
I’ve already done 3 treatments with GentleLASE on my chest. The results are OK (there is still a great deal of hairs, but they are defenetly much finer). My skin type is somewhere between 1 and 2 and hair colour is either black or dark brown.

What I am wondering is that yesterday as I finished the treatment (no. 3) I saw the setting on the machine. The used energy was 14J/cm^2. I wonder is it too low?
I don’t know what was the settings for the first two times, and I had a complete shedding… The shedding is the sign that settings are right, yeah?

Could I expect a good results with these setting (I’ll do 6 treatments, I am not expecting that my all hair go away, let say round 80%)…

Many thanks.

#2

I assume you’re being treated at 18mm spot size with that setting? 14 j is too low for results, you should be at at least 16 or higher which is still pushing it, 18+ would be ideal.

Shedding doesn’t really mean anything unfortunately in terms of if it will work. Even very low settings will cause the hair to shed but it usually only is temporarily stunning the hair and not permanently killing it. I’d see if they can go higher next time. If they refuse or give a reason not to, then you may want to check for other clinics, or just tell them that the hair never fell out. You may get a better response from them if you ask to go higher because only half the hair fell out or what not. If they tell you that’s normal then you’ll really know they don’t know what they’re doing.

#3

Joules is only one part of the setting. We need to know the spot size in order to judge. If the spot size is the max 18mm, then you’re fine. If it’s lower, then the setting is very low.

#4

Thank you both Edokid and LAgirl. You are always very helful.

I really don’t know what were the settings (I jusr saw 14J). I assume it is not that low as I have experienced a reasonable pain.
Does this link tell you anything
(http://www.londonpremierlaser.co.uk/world-class-laser-technology.php)?

One more question if I may.
I can’t remember after first two treatments, but should hair be easy to pluck imediatelly after treatment( I know I should not pluck hair, but I just try few of them). It seems that hair is quite strongly attached. Does this mean anything (I had my treatment 3 days ago)?

Does hair become more loosely attached after a week or so?

Many thanks again. You are great!

#5

Thanks for the feedback! Everything sounds okay. You must have been treated on the 18mm spot size which is the largest one. The larger the spot size the lower the joules. I don’t know the like for like equivalent but 14 joules at 18mm would be something like 18 joules at 15mm. That’s a total guess no idea if it’s right but just to give you an idea. 14 joules at 15mm you probably wouldn’t have felt a single thing so I’m pretty confident it was 18mm.

Either way it’s not bad as LAGirl said. If you’re able to push it to 16 or 18 though you would probably get better results. Like I said, you may just want to ask if it’s possible to go a little higher because not all the hair fell out or something but it’s not a wasted treatment.

To answer your last question, the hair won’t be easy to pluck after the treatment. There might be the odd hair that falls out because it was longer and got singed off but they should be firmly rooted. I find it’s around day 9-10 that you’ll really notice it. I’m at day 14 since doing my arms and the hair is still falling out, when I pull them they slide out. You shouldn’t expect any hair to slide out until at least 7 days minimum.

#6

Shedding often doesn’t start until week 1.5 and lasts until the 3-week mark or so. So don’t worry about it.

If the spot size was 18mm, then you’re ok at 14J, though higher would be better. You should be able to ask them for settings by phone or in person. It’s your treatment.

You want to be treated at highest settings you can handle to guarantee permanent damage to the follicle. Otherwise, hair can shed, but grow back.

#7

I will defenetly ask them about the settings next time. She told me we can take a pause during the treatment if I need it, so I assume it wasn’t on very low settings (could be then 14j but with the 18mm)…

Don’t know if this means anything but I’ve done a little test. I have plucked the treated hair and I can defenetlly see that the root of the hair is dark (black), while when I pluck an untreated hair the root is white. Does this means (if root is black) that treatment is working?

I know I should wait up to 14 days that hair start to fall by itself, but still is it normal that majority of the treated hairs are very strongly attached. (it really take some effort to pluck it)?

#8

You shouldn’t pluck the hair at all. You need to wait 3 weeks and let it shed. That’s the only way you’ll be able to tell whether it was affected and what was missed and needs a touchup. You shouldn’t pull out any hairs that don’t slide out without resistance.

White bulb simply means the hair is in the telogen phase of growth. It’s not indicative of treatment effectiveness. There is no way to tell whether the hair was affected besides seeing if it sheds. And even then, it’s impossible to tell whether it was damaged permanently, which is why we recommend using highest settings your skin can handle safely.

Please be patient and wait 3 weeks. You can exfoliate to help hair come out.

#9

Hi!

I had my 4th treatment and I’ve checked the settings on the machine. This time I asked them to do me on 18J/cm^2, and spot size is 18mm. Before that I’ve done the first treatment at 12J then the second and third at 14J.
Could somebody explain me why 18mm^2 is better than 15mm^2. I though as the energy density is the same, why the spot size would make difference? Is there some kind of conversion regarding spot size?

Also I’ve started to do my back. I asked them to do the first treatment with 18J, but they told me it is better to start with the lower (16J) to see how my skin will react. It was a little bit more painful than on the chest but nothing too bad. Is 16J good enough?

Also I am always doing treatments 6 weeks apart. Is that too short?

Many thanks :slight_smile:

#10

Read this: http://www.hairtell.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/75227/Searchpage/1/Main/12138/Words/cone/Search/true/Re_laser_power_settings.html#Post75227

6 weeks is probably too short, you should be going when there’s enough hair grown back to warrant another session. Usually it’s best to not make an appointment at the same time as treatment, just tell them you’ll call back.

#11

Energy should be the same because of the cone effect. Because a smaller spot size doesn’t penetrate as deep, you have to increase the energy to match the level of the larger spot size. I’ve never heard of starting at a large spot size and switching to a lower one… Really the only time a smaller spot size is warranted is if its an area like your face where the 18 is just too large, like on your upper lip for example… 16J at 18mm is good, going higher is better but it’s a good setting still. Definitely push for 18 next time!

#12

Laser works in a cone shape, so as you decrease the spot size, the impact of the joules decreases and the numbers need to be adjusted accordingly. That’s why on 18mm max is 20J and on 15mm it’s 30J. Both settings are about equivalent, though larger spot size is always preferred overall.

Your 12J treatment was likely too low to kil the hair permanently. 18J on 18mm is a good setting. 16J on 18mm is ok too. We don’t recommend treating under 14-16J on 18mm if you want permanent results.

6 weeks apart is too soon. You shouldn’t yet have enough to treat at that point if you had good shedding from the previous treatment. 8-12 weeks is what most people need for most areas.

#13

There is a post somewhere on the forum by SSLHR where he explains why he doesn’t agree that decreasing the spot size helps target finer hair. This issue is debated in the industry.

My experence that you’re referring to was stated at 3 weeks right after shedding. It’s hard to impossible to say whether decreasing the spot size did anything at that point besides made the hair shed (which isn’t indicative of long-term results). I stopped laser treatments on the stomach area and started electrolysis right away because I didn’t feel much was affected besides the happy trail area where the hair was coarse. It’s impossible for me to judge whether changing settings did anything for that area given this.