I know this has been asked before, but I went through old posts fast and didn’t see anything. My tech has changed to a Harmony machine. She was really excited about it and said that it is much better, less painful (I fully agree) and faster results. Anyone know about this machine??? I apologize if this is redundant!
are you sure this is the exact name of it? can’t find it on google even, which is strange.
No laser under the name Harmony is listed on the FDA database. Ask about the make and model.
I even asked her for the name so I could ask about it here. The method is a bit different, she blows cold air on your face before she used the laser. She put on a thick layer of ultrasound gel and then started to blow the cold air. The light is extremely bright whereas the other wasn’t. There was virtually no pain! She was using the light sheer diode before. Does this sound at all familiar to anyone? Thanks for the responses!!
It’s made by Orion Lasers. My practitioner is getting a demo on one next week. Unfortunately I will be out of town and will not be able to try it. She will bring it back at some other time also, so I will get to try it. I will report back on her impressions of it in about two weeks after I get back and have had a chance for another appointment.
It is not conventional IPL, it uses LED light so we’ll have to see about this. They say it is fast because it has a very large spot size, 40 X 16mm. High power LEDs are now available so anything is possible.
It will be interesting to see if it is any good. I am skeptical but am willing to try it once.
Orion Lasers also has a nice diode laser called the Sonata. The specs on it are similar to a Lightsheer.
RJC2001
Thanks so much RJC. I kind of thought it was relatively new…yes please let me know what you think when you have time. My session was done in no time, and as I said, no pain which you have to love! Hoping for good results!!!
So did you already have a treatment with the Harmony? If so, be sure and keep us posted. I’m not sure when I’ll get my first one, probably within the next few weeks.
I’ll post my experience as soon as I can. Right now it’s all electrolysis for me as my skin is very dark.
RJC2001
My laser center (Sona tampa) just switched to the Harmony laser about a 6 weeks ago. I had my 2nd treatment on my chest, abs, and bikini with the new laser followed by the treatment of my back, shoulders, and buttocks. The new Harmony was much kinder to the skin, much quicker, and almost painless. I was a little concerned that it wouldn’t work as well. About five weeks have passed since my treatment and I have had considerable shedding. However, there are a number of missed spots and not the complete shedding I experienced previously with their Alexandrite laser. I am going in for a touch-up this Friday. My laser tech mentioned that they are still learning how to use the laser and there may be some missed spots until they figure out the overlap patterns required for full coverage. The laser device head is much larger as well which makes it difficult to use in the knooks and crannies of the buttocks and bikini area.
Hi! Yes, I had one treatment with the Harmony. It is hard for me to tell because they do shave you before they use this one and this is the 5th session on my face, so while some hairs are back, certainly a lot less, even on the ‘resistant’ areas. I will most certainly keep you posted.
My tech has been using the machine for over a month, so I am glad she practiced on others before me!
Thanks for the responses!
Thanks RJC! Couldn’t find it on CDRH because it’s submitted by Msq under “Modified MSq Family of Lovely Light/Laser System.” Must have chosen the name Harmony after the submission.
Here’s the FDA clearance:
Thanks RJC! Couldn’t find it on CDRH because it’s submitted by Msq under “Modified MSq Family of Lovely Light/Laser System.” Must have chosen the name Harmony after the submission.
Here’s the FDA clearance:
No problem! My practitioner told me about it. She had a demo with it last week but I was in Vegas. She plans on bringing it back for another demo when I can try it.
As soon as I know more I will post.
RJC2001
My center just returned the laser citing a 100% redo rate on their clients. In my case, the Harmony missed about 20% of the spots on my treated areas. The Harmony did do well on fine hairs and was significantly less painful than conventional lasers. I went back and was treated with the conventional Alexandrite laser.
My center just returned the laser citing a 100% redo rate on their clients. In my case, the Harmony missed about 20% of the spots on my treated areas. The Harmony did do well on fine hairs and was significantly less painful than conventional lasers. I went back and was treated with the conventional Alexandrite laser.
So how much regrowth did you have? Did it perform better in some areas than others. How many Harmony treatments did you have?
Interesting that it did well on fine hairs, that is the biggest drawback I have experienced with optical based hair removal. So far Lightsheer is the best on fine hair for me.
I am trying an IPL system tomorrow and will report back on my experience. I’m having my upper legs (not tan) and part of my beard done.
RJC2001
I had my first Harmony treatment yesterday. I was too tan to have my beard and full legs done. So we did my upper legs which are lighter from being covered by shorts and swim trunks. We also did a small strip where the tan line starts to see how the darker skin would respond.
The Harmony does not come with a cooling system although an optional one is available. It is a very expensive option by the way. A cooling system was not present for the demo and that is one reason we decided not to do the areas with more of a suntan other than the small test spot.
The fluence was set to 20J maximum. I could definitely feel the pulses. The pain level was similar to a diode laser. The Harmony is described as a broadband light source. It emits light in the range of 650-950nm. The lower wavelengths help target the lighter and finer hairs while the longer wavelengths provide deeper penetration.
They did the back of my upper legs also. It was much more painful back there, especially when the are near the butt is treated. I wasn’t sure if we were going to have time to do the back part so I didn’t shave that area with a blade but I did trim it. For some reason the back of the upper legs are very painful to treat with laser and IPL. I did have a similar experience in the same area with the Lyra-i Nd:YAG, even though I blade shaved the night before. I did have two Aurora treatments there two years ago and it did not hurt nearly as much. I wonder why that area hurts so much?
As I was treated in the more tanned areas, I could feel the pain increase considerably. Even 30 hours later, I have some redness in that area. However, there is no swelling at all. In all of the treated areas there are red dots around the hair follicles, even the finer ones. So it appears right now that the hair has responded to the Harmony treatment. I will know in about 3 weeks how well the treatment worked.
I probably won’t be able to have the rest of my legs treated with the Harmony unless a cooling system is used. My practitioner is going to try a Cutera system, either the Coolglide or Prowave 770, next. IIRC both systems come standard with a cooling system. I am definitely interested in trying that. Maybe my tan will fade a little by then and I will be able to have my full legs treated. The Prowave is claimed to be better for darker skin than other IPL systems.
Orion Lasers is going to have an upgraded Sonata diode laser on the market in about 3-4 months and they are looking for patients to demo that too. I am charged less for demos sessions so I am definitely interested. The Sonata is very similar to the Lightsheer, but the current model Sonata does not allow independent settings of pulse width and fluence.
It is claimed that the Harmony can be used on type V and VI skin. Lower fluences and longer pulse widths must be used but it is claimed the treatment is still effective. The heat generated in the darker skin augments the heat already generated in the follicles. Using the lower fluences is not effective on lighter skin because there is no supplemental heating from surrounding skin.
One tip I picked up at the demo session was to wait 21 days and put some package sealing tape on the area and then remove it to coax the hair out of the skin. This is something others may want to try that have some tombstones left over from laser treatments. The YAG leave tombstones too and it would have come in handy. The rep claims, and I agree, that there are some hairs that will never come out without at least a little bit of “help.”
That’s it for now and I will update my progress. I learned some other interesting things from the rep and I will post those later. I felt he was very forthcoming and honest in his answers to my questions.
RJC2001
I thought I would post an update on my Harmony results. It is almost two weeks after my first Harmony treatment. Virtually no hair has regrown in the treated area. I shaved with a blade in an attempt to coax some of the singed hairs out but only a few were ready. They told me to wait 3 weeks and use some package sealing tape to pull the dead hairs out to that seems to be on target.
I am a skeptic of IPL but I have to say the preliminary indications look very good. Amost no regrowth, and lots of tombstones waiting to be ejected, are good signs based on my previous experience with lasers. The area I had treated was my upper legs above the tan line so the skin is very light there. During treatment I coould really feel the pulses, it was very similar to an Apogee alexandrite treatment. The large spot size does allow for deeper penetration so that could be a reason I had such a good response.
I did have some test spots below the tan line and that did not come out so good. There is no sign of hair regrowth there either, but I had a lot of post treatment redness there. The areas that were red are now a very dark brown, a lot darker than my skin normally is. It appears that it is going to flake off. If I have any pigmentation changes there they will not be that noticeable. That’s why we do test spots!
Also, I had the inner parts of my forearms treated, where the skin is lighter, and the results there were excellent! A few freckles turned dark and will probably flake off but that’s it.
So far, I haven’t reached any final conclusions. But the hair in the lighter skin area appears to have been wiped out by the Harmony. And the hair in this area was medium to fine as far as coarseness. The Harmony appears to have worked better in this area than the Aurora, which was quite a surprise to me.
To have darker skin treated with the Harmony, I think that the optional cooling system will be required or lower fluence settings must be used. A cooling gel was used on my legs before treatment but IMHO that will not be enough for dark skin. Waiting longer than two weeks after sun exposure may have been helpful in my case also. I had my Harmony treatment two weeks after my last sun exposure, which was within their guidelines.
I want to try a Prowave 770 IPL system that uses longer wavelengths witha cooling system. That may prove to be better on the darker skin.
I will update my results as things progress.
RJC2001
Well, somwhat new here. Have posted a couple of times on a Sharper Image product I tried. I am skin type II or III. Couple of questions or toughts? Since this is a laser area. I have just had two consults. One if not both are chain spas. The first uses laser with a cooling system and they say in folder they use more than one type. When I ask what brand laser I can not make out what she says but sounds like it starts with a c, I am going to ask her to spell it. They give 8 treatments 8 weeks apart. They give a 1yr. warranty to come back for touch ups. As I write this I see I misunderstood her price quote. They both seem very high as to what I was told it might cost. Both gave me a package quote. The laser 6000, 8 treatments. The other IPL 8 also. They (laser spa), told me IPL dose not work very well for hair. They said I had good hair color for laser treatment. They have called twice to follow up. I am a bit disappointed on getting the edge of my ears treated. Have a few just inside of the Anti Tragus and Tragus. Thought maybe it could be treated since the skin can be folded out some what. This laser clinic is called Ideal Image. The other that I don’t think I will return to is called Rejeunir. Felt the interviewer became in a hurry to move on to the next client as soon as she saw I was HIV pos, sort of felt she was cutting it short. They only use IPL. Both places want a statement from my doctor to say I can have the treatments, not sure that my doctor will put himself out on a limb when, I could have a reaction, or that he dose not know the practice. But I am in excellant health. I don’t see much on the IPL to know or read, but see other clinics with it in the phone book. Are they not suppose to be as effective for hair removal. Can electrolisis get at the edge on the inside of that part of the ear? Suppose it could be an awkward angle. I can see an electrologist being more concerned of infection or an accident with an HIV person than laser, but I have not had any treatments. I am going to ask my doctor for a statement, but if it will make him liable over what could be others practices, I don’t think he will do it. But I am not illness prone. I did ask the one clinic if they could do a test spot as a precaution. My doctor had told me he had laser on his back but it all grew back, but only went for 3 treatments. There is an electrologist in the area that works on transgender that I linked off of this group. This has been a very informative reading, sometimes funny on a few subjects. Areas I wanted to get treated , ears, around chest nipples, bikini, buttocks, perianal and genitilia areas, partial stomache, maybe back of upper arms and pits. So they both said full body. Sorry so long of a post, maybe should have put it in Adult X section. Comments suggestions appreciated. Dose any one think those quotes a bit high for 8 treatments, and I am not very hairy in most areas. Success to All, wings
As you mentioned, IPLs are not as effective for hair removal as lasers. They are cheaper machines that can do a number of skin procedures, so that’s why many spas buy them. Doesn’t mean it’s most effective for you. Find a place with a diode or an alexandrite laser for best results for your skin type. The areas you mentioned shouldn’t be considered full body I don’t think…since you’re not getting full legs done or full back and chest done…which are usually the largest areas that are part of the full body package. If you go to a non-chain clinic, I think you’d be able to work out a cheaper price, especially since you said you don’t have a lot of hair. Electrolysis is an option for ears, but I’m not sure how non-problematic it is for them to do it on someone who is HIV pos since it involves inserting a needle into each follicle. Maybe since the needles are disposable, it’s not an issue, but not sure. Definitely have to discuss with the electrologist.
I think there are people who have used Ideal Image before. Try running a search on this and other forums to get feedback on that particular center. Where are you located?
To give you an idea on average prices, full bikini with perenial is $150-250 per treatment, underarms $75-150 per treatment, buttocks $200-300 per treatment…other areas like nipples and around ears are small and most will throw them in for free if they only require a couple laser pulses. You will need 6-8 treatments.
Thanks for the reply, I will try to find another site to check on Ideal Image. After leaving my doctors office with a note, saying they thought I was Ok for laser treatments. Down the hall a door posted a sign Hair Removal , electrolicis and lasar . So I went in and a small place and very comfortable. They saw no problem with my situation. She said she could treat my inside edge of my ears. Other place said they worried about the laser going accidentally into deeper ear. This lady said she puts a plug in. I had hoped to find a consult from a place that offered electrolisis and a laser op. She said they got rid of their other lasers, or faced them out. She felt the IPL did the job and if it looked like it wasn’t working she switched to the electrolisis. She said she thought she could beat the other clinics prices, still waiting for a call from them. So I am in reservation on the IPL. Since other post has done a treatment area with IPL, and felt favorable about it, will be watching for a further post , if one hasn’t been given already. I think she said she has been doing this for 15 yrs. I will also see if I can’t find a clinic that offers the Alexandralite and electrolisis. I will post again soon. Thanks, wing
Harmony, that RC2001 tried above, is a specific kind of IPL. I wouldn’t expect all IPLs to be the same. He has tried Aurora as well I believe and didn’t see good results. So keep that in mind when you’re deciding. Also, you say she has 15 yrs of experience, so it must be electrolysis experience since lasers haven’t been around that long (8 yrs or so). Another thing I would suspect is that it makes more sense for her to use a machine that is not the most efficient at removing hair in particular because it makes her more money to charge for IPL treatments and then for eletrolysis treatments afterwards as well since IPLs don’t work as well. Just a thought. Also, it was much cheaper for her to buy an IPL machine than a true laser where she would have to choose one that applies to either lighter or darker skin types, not both for more money…Just things to consider when you’re making your decision.
I don’t know about a “plug” for the ears. Laser is attracted to dark pigment and goes through light surfaces to reach the dark pigment. It doesn’t penetrate deep though…
Today I have appointment with a clinic that uses thermolysis and Alexandrite. Tommarrow with clinic that uses IPL and electrolysis. Was going to try to find a clinic that offered IPL, and lazer with electrolysis or thermolysis? Now the temptation to do more areas to get a cheaper package. Will keep posted, think my other post did not go thru. Not sure if I know the type of IPL at clinic, don’t think it was Harmony. Later. wing