help choosing treatment

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

So basically I’m thinking of getting some laser treatment done but after hearing so many stories about it not working for others, I really want to be careful in choosing the right treatment for me.

Basically I’m a 24 year old male with an EXTREME amount of body hair… pretty much everywhere. I have type IV skin and have thick dark hairs pretty much everywhere on my body. I would ideally like to get my whole upper body done or at least my back, shoulders, and upper arms. due to the large size of the area I want to treat, I figured it would be best to use the lightsheer duet because of its large spot size. Would that be a good choice? I was also wondering what would be the ideal setting for my specific case? and if anyone has any recommendations for a good clinic in san diego I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance

#2

Hmmmm… so interestingly I’m a 24 year old male also in San Diego, so I can probably help you out some. In general, the upper back, shoulder, and upper arms can be prone to induced growth if the hair there isn’t coarse. I didn’t have super coarse hair there but for me I didn’t experience induced growth. Since you’re the one that can see yourself, you’ll have to decide if you think it’s coarse and dense enough for laser (or you can post a picture and ask for our opinion).

The Lightsheer is a fine laser. I’d also suggest looking for a GentleYAG/GentleMAX laser. If you’re a really light type IV, you might be able to get away with a Gentlelase, but since I doubt it, look for a YAG laser.

I know my dermatologist would use very good settings on you, but as a warning, she’s very expensive. This is their website: http://www.dermdelmar.com/

If money is a bit more of a concern, I would suggest looking for other places. I have heard good things about this place, but I’ve never used them personally:

http://www.scripps.org/locations/scripps-clinic/services/dermatology__laser-and-cosmetic-dermatology

There’s also this place on the other side of San Diego. I haven’t used it ever, but it may be worth getting a consult to see if they will use good settings on you: http://www.wheelermd.com/

The place I use is up in Costa Mesa actually (if my dermatologist hadn’t been so expensive, I would’ve stuck with her instead of making this long drive), but it’s more for skin types I-III. If you think you border more on a 3, you could consider checking it out if you’re in the area: http://www.coastlinedermatology.com/

Good luck!

#3

Awesome Brenton thanks! I guess the hair on my upper arms is too fine for laser hair removal. My shoulder and upper back are a mix of coarse black hair and then medium to finer brown or light brown hair. I will post pictures but I epilate those areas so I have to wait for the hairs to grow back first. Also unfortunately I dont think my skin is on the lighter side of a type IV so maybe the YAG is a better choice.

As far as the clinics go, money is definitely a concern but I would be willing to pay more if I knew the treatment was worth it. Could you give possibly give me a rough estimate as to how much getting my shoulders and upper back done?

#4

Ok so in your case, you need either the lightsheer or a YAG. I’m a big fan of candela lasers which is why I’d recommend either a GentleYAG or a GentleMAX. Here’s a way for you to search for people around SD who have those lasers:

http://www.candelalaser.com/patients/index.cfm?task=practSearch

The place I go to now, the back is like $300-350. My dermatologist in general was about 2-4 times as much as that place in some other areas, so I’d guess around $800-900 from mine in SD. That being said, I’m sure you could find a place in SD using that practitioner search and the ones I listed (which I got from that search) that would be a bit less and do good settings as well. I doubt it will be as low as $300 just because the cost of things in SD is generally a lot higher than Costa Mesa, but you should be able to get it for $400-500 per treatment in SD (maybe even less if you find the right place.)