Help with GentleMAX pro settings and best settings

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hello there,

Could you please help me with the Laser session settings for the machine
Make: Candella, model GentleMaxPro, 755nm

I had my first session(Alexandrite laser) for full legs, full thighs, feet, hands and full arms.
Coming next week I would have my first session for back and brazilian area.

For the hands, full arms, the “front legs” and “front thighs”, the LASER settings were as follows:
Fluence : 10 J/cm2
Duration: 3ms
Rate : 2Hz

Cooling part-
Pre : 40
Delay : 20
Post : OFF

For the “back legs” and “back thighs” the LASER settings were as follows:
Fluence : 12 J/cm2
Duration: 3ms
Rate : 2Hz

Cooling part-
Pre : 40
Delay : 20
Post : OFF

Link to Flick (8 photos album): GentelMAX pro setting photo and back body photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/158261214@N02/36950487301/in/dateposted-public/

Can someone please answer my queries:

  1. Could you please let me know if these settings were correct.
    I am a male of 35years. My ethnicity is Indian(South Asian country). I have fair complexion but had medium thick black long hair on Arms, legs. I am not sure about my skin: could be between Type 2 and Type 3. I rquest you to see the album link above.
    On the chest, abdomen, armpit and brazilian area, I had thick long hair and I often shaved my brazilian area and armpits.
    I also have this noticeable light tan on my Arms and hands.

2) Could you please let me know if I have to go for YAG laser for the next session and if so what should be
the ideal settings. YAG seems to be more painful but I am willing to take it.

  1. For the back and the brazilian area what would be the ideal setting for the first session.
    I have attached the pre-op photos for my back. Unfortunately I didn’t take the photos of pre-op for rest of my body.

  2. For the neck area what would be the ideal settings for first session.

5) Rest of the 5 sessions should be with YAG laser and if so please let me know the ideal settings for the remaining sessions.

  1. How can I maximize hair removal in the next 5 sessions and make the best use of the remaining 5 sessions.
    I would like to know the best laser(ND/YAG) and the best settings, plus any tips from experienced people.

I am sorry for such a long post but I want to make sure the money I am spending is worth it.

Thank you.

#2

10J, and 12J is waste of time and money. Those settings are bellow minimum sufficient energies. Your skin is light enough to handle minimum of 16J on 18mm spot. If the clinic is afraid of working on you in Alexandrite mode, they should not waste your money and work on you in YAG. But if the tech is reducing the joules because of pain tolerance issue, the solution is for you to use topical numbing cream and not compromising effectiveness of your treatments by reducing proper settings.
I’m concerned that the tech is poorly trained or just doesn’t care if they think these settings will give you any permanent results.

1 Like
#3

Thank you Fenix, I made it very clear to the Technician that I could tolerate that kind of pain. But she insisted that for the first time they always use low fluence. Now that I have understood, I would be asking them to go for Alexandrite(with higher settings) or YAG(with best settings for my skin tone) for my first session of armpits, chest, abdomen, brazilian area and the back.

It’s my sincere request to you to let me know what optimal YAG laser settings I can suggest to them for the next 5 sessions if they insist on using YAG. I don’t want to waster even a single session with incorrect settings and with substandard or inferior hair removal results.

I believe if Alexandrite is suitable for my skin the pain of 16J or even 18J would be manageable by me. As you suggested I can use a topical cream or an analgesic tablet(paracetamol etc…) an hour before the session.

PS: Please suggest which one to go for Alexandrite or YAG.

Thank you again for your help

#4

Here is the complete photo album: Laser hair setting and back photos. https://www.flickr.com/photos/158261214@N02/sets/72157684965488172

My apologies the first post had just 1 photo uploaded.

Thank you

#5

I don’t remember YAG settings but if you do searches in laser section, you will find topics with YAG suggestions. Alexandrite is always a better choice because it picks up more finer hairs better than a YAG, yielding better outcomes.

#6

Thank you Fenix, I will go with Alexandrite. I won’t bother about YAG as it is recommended for Darker skin. Hope you were able to view all the 8 photos that I had uploaded in the last post. So if I had start to the LHR session this Saturday I would go with Fluence of 16J? or 18J keeping other settings intact. Please let me know. Thank you.

#7

One caveat that’s been mentioned a few times here is YAG laser penetrates deeper than Alexandrite. If you find Alex isn’t killing patches of thick, deep beard hairs, try a YAG. I do know someone who treated a beard successfully using YAG exclusively and hair remained gone for years, so it can work, but it’s probably not ideal to start with and will take extra treatments. In fact I think she had about 20 or more treatments as a MtF.

I know the OP is not trying to treat a beard but I like spreading info around for the benefit of future searchers.

#8

There are things to consider, principally:

– Wavelenghts (nm)
The laser wavelength for deep, thick & dark hair roots should be 1064nm (Nd:YAG); but it won’t be effective for shallower hair roots.
The laser with wavelength of 755 nm (Alexandrite) & 800-900 nm (Diode) work effectively with shallower, thinner & lighter hair roots.
Many IPLs & Lasers with other wavelengths do not work effectively to retard hair growth. So before you pay, ask the therapist what wavelength they use to remove your hairs? Because if your hairs root deeply, energy form lasers & IPLs with shorter wavelengths won’t reach your hair roots; vice versa shallower hair roots won’t respond well to lasers with longer wavelengths

– Skin colours
Nd:YAG is suitable for all skin types, but Alexandrite & Diode are safe to be used for Fitzpatrick Skin Type 1, 2 & 3 only.
Very dark-skinned individuals need to have a laser with a longer wavelength. The longer wavelength is needed so as not to have the laser energy preferentially absorbed by the top layer of skin as would occur with the shorter wavelength laser. The longer wavelength penetrates deeper and will target the deeper dark pigment decreasing the risk of blisters or burns on the surface.

– Natural Hair Colours
See => https://www.facebook.com/upweylaser/posts/586060421734589

– Density & diameter your dark hair roots
The treatments are most effective on dense, thick, coarse & dark hair roots because they have a lot of pigment and can absorb a lot of heat. Sparse, fine hairs cannot absorb much heat. Thus, LHR lose efficacy on very thin or vellus hairs.

– Pulse Duration
Laser devices operate as continuous wave or pulsed systems (e.g. single or repetitive‑pulsed lasers). Examples of multi-pulsed (in other word, repetitive-pulsed) laser devices are Short Pulsed, Long Pulsed and Q-switched for different treatment purposes. But long-pulsed lasers in 755, 800-900 & 1064 nm have proved to be effective to reduce hairs permanently.

Q-switched & other short-pulsed lasers which emit much shorter pulses won’t do anything to your hairs except bleaching hair colors. Both the amount, density & size of your hairs will remain exactly the same. Remember! Once hair roots get bleached, IPL & Laser won’t work on lighter hairs 😭.

( http://www.bodylanguage.net/thermal-relaxation-times/ )

– Fluence (J/cm^2), Spot Size (mm) & Repetition Rate (Hz) to be applied are according to different recommendations among different brands.
In general, the smaller the spot size the higher the fluence.
Settings can be increased or decreased depending on the previous results and clients’ feelings during different sessions.
Rule of thump: Look for perifollicular edema which should appear few minutes after firing

#9

Thank you for this detailed explanation, Thinou. I would be adding these to my notes and knowledge base.

#10

Hi Duma,

For full updated information, please visit my Laser Facebook page under the similar posted topic.

#11

image
image3024×4032 2.64 MB

Hello all can you please tell me or explain these settings. The settings were raised Today and this was my 5th session for full legs, Brazilian and underarms. Thank you

#12
#13

Hi!

I need help with the GentleMax settings as well.

1
I switched providers after my 3rd session, as I felt they were kinda rushed and too quick while I paid top dollar for 40-45 minutes session to treat full arms, front of thighs, chest, stomach and mazzilian.

Now, I’m paying way less for the same session, however the settings are way lower and I wonder if I’m just wasting my time.

See below for details and images.

2
First provider used:
GentleYag
24 Joules
3 ms
18 mm

Treatment was very painful but I stuck it out because I understand that no pain no gain.

3
Current Provider use
GentleMax Alex
9 Joules
3 ms
18 mm

Treatment is not painful — however I do experience some shedding (after 2 weeks) on the arms and no regrowth on the underarms (within 6 weeks).

–––>>>>
4
Questions;

A. What joules in an Alex is equivalent to 24 joules of a YAG?

B. Does shedding mean anything? Or am I still wasting my $$ / time at 9 joules?

C. Certain areas like the bikini, the roots are quite deep (more than a 1/4 inch) –– can an Alex penetrate that deep?

D. Being that it’s painful, I’d like the intermission of pulses spaced out –– what setting does that?

Thank you!

YagAlex
YagAlex2022×3522 1.13 MB

#14

Please don’t get confused by the jargon terms Alex & Yag are for different depths. How can u compare the settings that treat different target depths?

Nearly everything new clients need to know, please visit https://beauty-electrolysis-laser.blogspot.com/2019/01/electrolysisvs-laser-hair-removal_22.html

#15

Thanx Nora for in-depth article!

What do suggest as far settings?
What number should I request them to set the Joules to?

#16

The settings that give you clinical end point which you can find more detail via the given link

#17

Also, how do you know if such laser treatment session is effective? => https://beauty-electrolysis-laser.blogspot.com/2020/05/how-do-you-know-if-such-laser-treatment.html

#18

Hello everyone
I need help with gentlemax pro setting as well
I use Alex 3ms and 2Hz and that is fixed, the fluence they used 12j for my chest hair and my upper lip hair(face)

And 8 to 9 for my arms

Both fluence worked well with me with no side effects, but my concern is on the cooling settings
They used 40ms and delay 30ms (40/30)
Will these setting might cause pigmentations with the precious laser settings?

Unfortunately i dont know what is the spot size used… Does that matter too?

Please help…

#19

Forgot to mention that my skin is type III ( im from middle)