Help with laser setting

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

I have recenntly purchased a great Groupon deal. £133.00 for laser treatment using Cutera xeo nd:YAG Q-swich. This is a laser AND IPL.
I spoke to the beautician who explained that it is a Coolglide with 10 mm spot.

My skin type is IV-V. I have read posts from those with a similar skin type. I believe that I would need to use a pulse of 2 with 35-38 joules. Is is what I should request. I have asked if I can specify settings and she agreed to this.
My appointment is Friday 1st April 2011.

Thank you.

#2

Hi issy,

Please see this post:

http://www.hairtell.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/84892.html#Post84892

Spot size 12mm or larger is recommended. At a 12mm spot size, I went up to 40J and 5ms.
I imagine for a smaller spot size, you’d need higher joules, depending on your skin type and coarseness of hair.

I don’t think you can really ask for certain setting; they have to choose what they think is appropriate for your hair and skin colour. They really should do a test patch first of 2 or 3 carefully chosen settings and then decide based on the shedding of hair and how your skin responds.

#3

I’m confused. XEO is one machine. Coolglide is another. What are they using on you?

Pulse width goes down to about 5ms on these machines. Anything in the 5-20ms range should be fine. Let them figure out what joules they should use. 35-38J can be ok, but 10mm is also pretty small. Either way, you really have to see what your skin can handle safely via testing. Skin types are approximate.

#4

^Exactly.

This is what I quoted in another thread from their website:
“Most beauty salon Nd:YAG lasers operate on 2.5 to 40 Joules and are only suitable for dark hairs, while the Xeo Laser can operate on up to 200 Joules and with its IPL attachment can be used on both light and dark hairs.”

On the Cutera website it says the XEO can support the following technologies: amongst them Coolglide and and IPL type upgrade.

#5

Hi Stoppit and LAgirl. I confess that I do not know much about lasers. I asked the technician and she stated that it was a laser and Coolglide.

I noticed a thread a few years back with a similar laser.

I was excited when I saw YAG, and did not realise there was much more info that was important e.g. spot size.

Thank you for your thoughts.

#6

It seems they have a similar setup to the one described in that thread.

Are you having a consultation/test patch first?

If not, I would be hesitant because it suggests they will use settings that they know are low/moderate, which should not cause burns.

What area are you having treated?

#7

“Most beauty salon Nd:YAG lasers operate on 2.5 to 40 Joules and are only suitable for dark hairs, while the Xeo Laser can operate on up to 200 Joules and with its IPL attachment can be used on both light and dark hairs.”

This is kind of irrelevant. They all have the potential to be effective. All machines have a good RANGE. The problem is technicians who don’t choose the best combinations of settings.

#8

I am having my underarms, bikini line and toes done. I would like to do my hands but not sure the hair is really coarse enough.

I will be having a patch test done. I wanted to be sure that the settings the technician is planning to use is good.

#9

It seems that the xeo is a platform and the nd.YAG laser head comes supplied with it. Other attachments can be ordered with it e.g skin/ipl hardware.

This only based on what I’ve read on the web

I spoke to the clinic again and they confirmed it was a coolglide and that they did not have an IPL component.

I wanted to be sure that the settings they would be using would be good for hair reduction.

#10

My point to quoting this from their website was to point out that it’s not clear if they are using YAG at one wavelength or an IPL.

#11

Yeah, I was just pointing out that they’re trying to make it sound like they have some unique device and they don’t :slight_smile:

#12

Please beware of this - i really hope that it goes well for you but…

They are charging £133.00. Groupon will take £66.50. That leaves the clinic £66.50 to carry out 5 laser hair removal sessions - £13.00 per session on TWO areas?? £6.50 for a bikini treatment and £6.50 for an underarm treatment?

I would love to know how you get on and if it is really genuine

#13

I doubt Groupon takes 50%. Where are you getting this info?

#14

I can assure you that they do - here in the UK anyway. As do KGB and Social Living. I have a couple of laser clinics in London and they wanted me to put a deal on.
Cheap and nasty and they take too much so i declined

#15

Interestingly enough. Gawker did an article on this today: http://gawker.com/#!5786492/the-groupon-backlash-its-the-business-model-stupid

#16

I am not familiar with this machine, but I would advise you to avoid Q-switched lasers for hair removal. The nanosecond pulses of Q-switched lasers only cause local photomechanical destruction of individual pigmented cells in the hair follicle at the spatial level of melanosomes. That usually translates to only temporary hair loss.

#17

JMISR- thank you for your post. I am somewhat at a loss of the technical terms but understand that you mean it is not effective. I have been told by the technician that it is a coolglide laser. I thought that it was a good model, so not all lasers are equal. Or is it the technician’s skill?

Had my first treatment today.

#18

Issy - Coolguide should be a good laser. It is not a Q-switched machine and operates at millisecond pulse widths, so it should work well provided that high fluence was used, good technique employed, and that your hair was dark and coarse. Yes, a technician’s skill is paramount to success.

-Do you have the parameters of your treatment (ie, fluence and pulse width)? I believe spot size on this machine is 10 mm only.

-Did it hurt?

-If perifolliculitis (red bumps at the site of the follicle) developed, then that is a good sign.

You can search other threads and the FAQ for more specifics on other successful treatment signs like shedding, etc.

#19

I don’t believe anyone is really using Q-switched lasers for hair removal.

#20

Her original post stated she was considering using an Nd:Yag Q-switch. That’s why I brought it up.