Going to do it... Would appreciate some advice.

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hey, I’ve been thinking about getting LHR done for many years and I think it’s finally time to to go ahead with it.

I’m skin type I, maybe II with dark hair, much of it fairly coarse. Is it likely that I would see any stimulated growth given this?

I live in London, On. CA., so if anyone has a recommended clinic that would be great!

I have been looking around and it appears that I may be able to get the cheapest treatment in my area with a Lightsheer Diode, but I know there are also the GentleLase available in the city.

Should I expect much better results from the alexandrite laser over the LightSheer?

#2

What areas are you wanting to treat?

#3

I want to start with my buttocks and lower back as it’s obviously embarrasing. That hair ranges from coarse to medium thickness.

I have some on my upper back below my neck that is med-coarse I guess. I would like to get rid of that too but not as high priority and the rest of my back hair is too sparse I think for laser. Maybe electrolysis.

I also would like to get an overall reduction on my legs stomach and chest if possible. All fairly coarse, especially some of my stomach and chest.

My concerns about that are whether or not the reduction would be even.

#4

I just called a place close by with the lightsheer diode and the lady spoke to me for a good 15 min about the whole thing. I have a consult on the 7th.

They seem really cheap which I’m in conflict about. She said they have been doing this for 2-3 years so there is at least some experience. But it’s also the price… It seems a bit too good maybe?

They quoted me 72 for a single butt session, but on their website the price for a full back and shoulders and back of neck is only 132. From what I see elsewhere, this appears to be a steal. Should I be concerned?

#5

Are you male or female? I tend to think you’re male but not sure…

Back and shoulders and back of the neck for $132 does seem cheap, my place charges for those areas about $220 so almost double and from experience it’s pretty hard to find lower prices than mine with good equipment.

You could try and do 1 treatment without committing to a series and see how it goes in terms of setting used, time taken to do the treatment, shedding later on and then decide if you want to continue or not.

Either they are cheap for whatever reason or maybe they under treat on purpose to save money on pulses and then forcing you to do a lot more sessions.

#6

I am a male. 26 yrs old.

Given the low pricing, I think that I will just go for the consult, and if the place seems decent and professional I’ll do the initial session and see what I think.

As far as equipment goes, the Lumines One LightSheer. Is that going to be good for me?

#7

If they have skill using this laser, then yes it could be just the ticket. This is a laser you have to use compression with, but I would assume they know all that stuff. It’s good for you to know as well so you can observe the technique they are using. The lasers that are alexandrites are consider the best.

Don’t stray from the words COARSE,DENSE,DARK HAIR. That is what is needed for a good laser outcome, but it can still be a gamble even if you are the perfect candidate. Medium brown hairs, uh, probably won’t make the grade.

#8

  • Can you post some photos? “Coarse” is relative. You really need to make sure to only treat sections that have truly coarse dense growth to avoid induced growth. We can help figure this out with photos. Chest and stomach is not usually an issue for men since most have pretty coarse hair there. Other areas really vary and you may have to ask to only treat specific spots.

  • LightSheer is a decent laser, but it’s not easy to use. I would ask at the consultation for settings used (9mm or 12mm spot size and joules being used). I would also get a test spot and see how shedding goes. With this machine, it’s very important that they use compression while treating and don’t just lightly glide over the skin.

  • Leave all sparse hair for electrolysis, even if it’s coarse. You don’t want to touch areas in between those sparse hairs and stimulate more growth.

  • I wouldn’t prepay for a package. Have one treatment if shedding goes well after the test spot and go from there. Start with one smaller area.

  • Make sure to read our FAQs in detail. You may also want to read and potentially bring our Questions to ask at the consultation form. Both are at the links below.

#9

Well, I should say that I’m having a bit of trouble judging what is considered coarse hair.

Certainly the inner area would qualify but as the hair goes towards the cheeks it thins somewhat and isnt as jet black. Its an almost black brown and still fairly coarse I suppose. Just not as much as pubic hair for example.

If I were willing to go for 2 sessions and then wait a year or so to judge my outcome, would there be any drawbacks to that considering I’d be happy with it just being permanently thinner at this point anyways?

#10

  • If the hair leaves a shadow and/or stubble after it’s shaved, it’s probably coarse enough.

  • You can’t judge the outcome after only 2 treatments since hair grows in cycle. With two treatments, you’ll only affect some of the total hair you have. You really should judge after 6 treatments spaced 8-12 weeks apart. And in between, you judge by settings and shedding 3 weeks after each treatment.

#11

Even if I only want to determine if I am actually responding to it?

Say I take before and after pictures; how many sessions would I need to go in for to see a noticable difference a year after the last one? You are saying 6 is the minimum to get any results?

At their package price it would only be 360 total which, while great, seems too cheap given what other prices I am seeing. This causes me to be somewhat unsure of their quality.

#12

You can tell whether you’re responding to it after 1 treatment. You should see all hair shed within 3 weeks after the treatment. If it doesn’t, you know right there that something is wrong.

I wouldn’t prepay for a package. See if you get good shedding after that first treatment.

You’d see a difference after every treatment. Since hair grows in cycles, only the hair in that cycle can be affected. Then you wait 2 months for new hair to come in and treat that hair. You need to do this at least 4-5 times to affect a good amount of hair in every cycle. You’ll still see a difference every time, since about 15-20% of hair will be destroyed each time. The problem is that NEW hair will grow in 2 months after this, so the visual difference won’t be as noticeable when that happens.

#13

OK, thank you for helping me out and explaining that too me. This forum seems great for an unbiased understanding of this LHR business.

So, am I to understand that if the treatment is successfull, these hairs are gone for good (lifetime) and any hair I would see after is either hair from a different growth cycle or perhaps new growth coming in? (for a destroyed follicle, is there any difference betweeen electrolysis and laser?)

#14

Well, when you first start, hair is not synchronized. So the hair you see now is a mix of hairs from various cycles. If you wax 8 weeks before your first treatment, then most of the hair during your first treatment will be in the anagen growth phase (the one needed to destroy the hair). If you don’t, it’ll take a few treatments until all the hair that comes out before each treatment is in anagen.

Either way, the hair that’s in anagen while being treated with a good machine at good effective settings will be destroyed permanently. The hair needs to be coarse because only coarse hair can absorb enough heat to destroy the follicle for good and prevent it from producing new hair. In that sense, laser is not different from electrolysis. Electrolysis just treats with a needle and applies the heat to each follicle at a time.

#15

Thank you again! That clears things up for me.