Hi,
I am a newbie to all this. There is a groupon for $299 for six sessions for lower legs using either a MedioStar diode or the cutera laser. I think I am a type III–fair skin, tan easily, very dark brown coarse hair. I have to shave daily. I am a stay at home mom and this is the only price I can afford. Do you have any suggestions for what specifications would work on me? I would like to have an idea in case it seems like the technician is using an ineffective strength, size, ect. The groupon ends today.
Thank you @!
Sounds expensive to me, not sure where you are but in Toronto there’s groupons literally daily for laser and much cheaper. I have one for $249 which is for unlimited for a year for full legs, forearms and chest. Never heard of MedioStar before. Cutera is a yag and best for dark skin, or for very dark/coarse hair. Try sites like yipit.com you can see deals from all deal sites in one spot. Most places use Soprano XL which I have had good results with so far but I’d avoid the above deal sounds really expensive to me.
We are in NYC, and the price is indeed really good.
At the same time, we’d love to hear about the machines they are using, the Cutera (formerly Altus?) ProWave is one of them. I have never done laser, but am hoping for some results.
I have type II skin with very dark coarse hair on my bikini line, and I know that everything depends on the type of machine, settings, and technician, but I’m having a hard time finding information about settings for ‘flashlamps.’
Anyone who has used this machine or can advise about settings for flashlamps would be very much appreciated!
I am also a stay at home mom who has wanted (needed) laser hair removal for years but the cost was something that could never be fit into the budget. I’m in the Toronto area and got a WagJag that I just could NOT pass up.
One year unlimited visits on 3 body parts for only $199!
I think what hooked me aside from the price - was the fact that I could choose the area I want treated.
The laser used is a LightSheer diode.
I opted for under arms and a high cut bikini. I had my first treatment yesterday and it was a great experience.
If I were you I would hold tight and keep your eye out for something more unlimited. My friend was told she would need 6-10 sessions for good results (she is fair haired, fair skin). If by your 6th session on this Groupon you haven’t achieved desired results, what would you do? Leave it as is or buy full price sessions?
Let us know what you decide!
I would not bother with a GroupOn unless it is with a good Alex, Diode or YAG machine. These are hard to come by. More common are IPL or Soprano groupon’s.
HeyIrish - fair haired will not respond. There is no such thing as needing more treatments for finer/lighter hair. If the hair is suitable, the right settings can be used from the onset and you should be done within 6 treatments.
If by your sixth session you have not achieved the desired results you need to leave it!
Some people treat Laser/IPL as a substitute for waxing and keep going regularly for years. Each to their own.
In case this deal comes up again, I’d avoid the Cutera and I’d avoid the NYC chain with the initials S.S.,who runs specials like this.
I have gotten almost no results with the Cutera , although the treatments were very, very painful. Maybe because it’s an IPL. Maybe it’s them. I don’t know. But they don’t own up to the lack of results, they try and make me think I’m mistaken.
They insist that it is normal to have no shedding and I should do ‘more sessions’.
Sar4444–
It sounds like you had a very negative experience, sort of exactly what I’m afraid of.
Thank you so much for the tip. I would much rather get a refund now and invest in a machine and clinic that are cooperative and professional.
Ok so on further investigation, the MedioStar Diode does appear on a couple of lists of legitimate lasers…
But obviously it definitely depends on the expertise of the tech using the machine. Sar4444, can you tell me who you worked with, or is that too revealing??
How about trying 2 different operators. One on the right and the other on your left side. You will see differences and have to decide which one you prefer.
They may have different machines and use different settings but there are MINOR differences between machines that cause this. The electrologists ability to answer your questions and the technique they use is what counts.
We are not all equally proficient at communicating with our patients.
I just did a search on Hairtell (my gosh, what a great resource!) for individuals who have used MedioStar, and we don’t seem to have any really definitive positive results posted.
That makes me a little nervous, especially given that people have mentioned INDUCED hair growth from this machine! Otherwise, the trend seems to be to suggest people with my skin type (II) to try a stronger alexandrite laser.
So, all together, we have a less than ideal laser together with a questionable clinic. Hm. I really have to think about this.
I’ll just ask-- has anyone had success with MedioStar Diode?
Thank you folks!
I’ve had good experiences using different deal sites as some are very good about refunding money. For example I bought a DealTicker one for $249 for unlimited for a year for 5 body parts which used LightSheer. After 1 session she said she was buying a Soprano XL which I didn’t really want to use so I emailed them and because I had used 1 session I couldn’t return it but they gave me a $50 credit. I’ve actually been happy with the Soprano XL since.
I bought another on RedFlag Deals which used GentleLASE was $179 for unlimited on legs for a year. Was the worst clinic I’ve ever gone to and I actually posted a review of it on here as well. As soon as I got home I emailed RedFlag Deals and they gave me a 100% refund to my credit card.
So each site is different but you usually have some sort of protection at least when using them. As others have said it’s hard to find any with a good laser, most are Soprano XL or IPL or Elos.
Keep in mind that even going to a clinic and paying full price for a session doesn’t guarantee results.
I used Groupon to get my first six sessions with a Cutera Prowave. The first two sessions were with an inexperienced technician and I made minimal progress. In hindsight, I wish I’d have complained but I just wasn’t sure enough of myself or what my expectations should be.
I got a really experienced technician starting with my third session – so after four real, productive treatments, I’m fairly pleased with my reduction. They recently offered another Groupon – four treatments of a medium-sized area for $180 – so I bought it. I feel confident that by the end of these new treatments, I’ll have achieved everything that can be done. I’m doing electrolysis to get rid of the light/white hair.
So, no, Groupon CAN be a good deal. And Cutera CAN do a decent job if it’s in the right hands.
Hi guys. So I did end up buying the groupon and my first session was today. The technician used the Cutera Prowave, she said she used the yag side, not the IPL side, that she didn’t use IPL for hair removal. It stung a little but didnt’ hurt much.
Again, I am skin type III. The settings she told me were joules 21, the spot size is set at 10-30, and repetitions 1.2, not sure what that part means.
Does anyone have experience with this laser and does the settings seem okay? Also both lower legs took 15-20 minutes total. Is that enough time to do a thorough job? Thanks!
@Backroads: How much reduction could you achieve? Do you know what the settings were?
@SkyAngel: I’m not sure if Cutera Prowave has YAG and IPL ‘sides’. I understand it operates in 3 modes-A, B and C. A mode is for skin types I-II, B for III-IV, C for V. The spot size is fixed at 10*30mm and pulse width is set automatically depending on the mode chosen.
Repetition rate is the speed at which the technician operates the laser. An experienced technician would be able to perform the treatments faster and hence could chose a higher repetition rate. It doesn’t affect your treatment effectiveness as such.
15-20 minutes for both lower legs with the spot size 10*30mm is plausible.
I’m not sure how good this laser is. There aren’t too many people here who have had treatments with it.
How painful was the treatment? Effective treatments are VERY painful.
See how much shedding you experience in the next 3 weeks.
If you don’t experience considerable shedding, I’d suggest you either discontinue the treatments and get your money back OR have them perform several patch tests at different settings and see how your skin reacts and if you experience considerable shedding.
I am being treated with the same machine also with the yag side. So far just one session on underarms and a test on bikini due to my first reaction ( read other post- red welts ) . There was really no pain at all, just the slightest of discomfort. When I went for the 2nd appointment she did not ask to see the previously treated underarm but I showed it to her anyway.
I had no spontaneous shedding so after about 11 days I took shower and went at my underarms with a tweezer to see if any hairs which were growing would slide out easy.
Quite a few did slide out easily without actually plucking so am i to assume those were the sussefully treated hairs? There are still definitely areas where it is growing and not coming out at all , unless i tweezed with force , which of course i wont do.
So can one realistically contact the spa and show them the area and see if they will retreat the area where there is no shedding ??
@ mumbiagirl: 24j with .9 hz on the Cutera Solera Opus – 18mm spot size.
I’d say that after six treatments, my experience has been mostly good. I’m older and doing a Brazilian. So I’ve switched to electrolysis for the white hairs – after a very good clearance of dark hairs by the laser. (I don’t know anything about a “yag” side – but I’ll ask.)
But in places where we were treating mostly dark, medium-course hairs on a very light skin, the results have been quite good. They treated the actual “bikini line” fur just outside the pube – and mine is GONE. My problem, so to say, is that I need to spend some of my four future pre-bought appointments on blending my existing hair with my hair-free areas – so there won’t be sudden lines of demarkation.
But I wasn’t really happy with the results of my initial six-treatment package with the Cutera IPL machine until after the sixth treatment. The results were gradual and varied after each treatment.