Help! Is this laser treatment working?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hey there,

Looking for some advice about my current laser situation - it’s a medium length story, so please bear with me!

I’m a woman in my early 30’s who first had laser on my bikini line and lower legs, then thighs and bottom. I had six treatments on these areas, spaced six weeks apart, ending with my thighs and bottom. Towards the end of my course I had a new therapist who I overheard muttering ‘you should be on different settings for these areas’ (thighs and bottom). I didn’t take much notice because I didn’t know yet what the final results would be. In fact the end results for my lower legs and bikini line were AMAZING! I was so pleased. But about three months after my last treatment on the other areas my worst nightmare came true - the hair grew back even worse than before!

I was so upset. I tried another (more expensive) clinic who told me the settings should indeed be different for different parts of your body. Also, for thighs and bottom they recommended spacing the treatments 10-12 weeks apart. They seemed to know their stuff so I signed up for a course. But the problem is this: I’ve now just had my 7th treatment on these areas, and even after 6 I’m not sure that there has been any permanent reduction in hair growth yet.

The clinic tells me that I’m on the highest settings possible (on an Alexandrite laser). And their explanation for no improvement so far is that finer hair can be more stubborn to get rid of, and also that when the hair growth is denser (which mine is) it takes longer to clear. They also say that it’s a good sign I got such good results elsewhere on my body, and that the hair they’re treating now does ‘crackle’ and ‘spark’ when they laser it - which is also a good sign, apparently.

My hair in these areas is of course finer than it was on my lower legs, for example, but it is in no way vellar or ‘peach fuzz’, I promise! (and, yes, it is dark on light skin). The hair does grow back much more slowly, but eventually it grows back just the same.

So what do people think - am I a lost cause, or is the clinic right and it just might take a little longer? Also, I’m kinda scared that I might be making it worse again, even though I’m sure the settings are right this time.

Any advice would be so much appreciated!

#2

  • The problem is less with the settings and more with the type of hair you’re trying to treat. It’s basically not coarse enough. Settings won’t resolve that issue. Laser only works on coarse dense growth.

  • They can tell you whatever you want to hear as long as you keep paying. But laser still won’t work on finer growth. It doesn’t have enough pigment. You need electrolysis on those areas.

#3

Thanks for your advice, LA Girl! Do you think I might actually be making it worse though?

Also, won’t electrolysis take too long on such big areas?

#4

  • It’s impossible to say if you’re making it worse. It varies by person, body area, skin type, etc. Only you can tell that after a while.

  • If you want permanent removal, electrolysis is the only option. So it’s not like there is a choice to make. An average electrologist removes 5-10 hairs per minute. The only choice you have is whether to do electrolysis (however long it takes) to get permanent results or not to do it and deal with temporary methods.

#5

OK coming to terms with the daunting prospect of dealing with large areas by electrolysis now!

Does anyone have opinions on whether to use thermolysis, galvanic or blend? Is there a type that works better and / or faster for finer hairs? Is this going to be incredibly painful?! I’ve had my side-burn area on my face done and it was pretty OK, but I also tried a few (coarse, bikini-line-ish) hairs on my lower belly and it was unbearable!

#6

They all work well in good hands. Thermolysis is fastest, so I’d go for that. If you can find someone using one of the newer Apilus machines, even better. Sample 3-4 people.

I don’t really think it’s painful at all. All depends on skill of course. It’s nothing like laser. It’s just a tiny pinch. You have to get a sample treatment or two and see for yourself. Some areas are more sensitive too (upper lip and some lower bikini areas with thin skin). Numbing cream is available.

There is an electrolysis section on the forum. Start a thread there. There are also discussions on electrologists in London here if you run an Advanced Search.

#7

Thanks so much LAgirl. I only wish I’d found this forum ages ago -it’s so, so helpful.

#8

These clinics will tell you anything i.e. finer hair is more stubborn. But the simple fact is that even if it’s not ‘peach fuzz’ or vellus, it’s too fine for Laser. The hair needs to be comparable to the lower leg or bikini in darkess and coarseness for the hairs to absorb enough of the energy from the laser to permanently damage the follicle. If you have experienced laser induced growth then you won’t be able to tell until a few months after you stop treatments, whether the second lot of treatments did anything to help it or not.

I can recommend some good electrologists in London but I have not found anyone who actually uses the Apilus to do the modern, speedy electrolysis. As an example of what is usually found is what a poster - issywissy - came across. She thought she found an electrologist who would be using the Apilus, as per her claims on the internet, but that’s not what she actually used!