I researched some places here in Long Island and have found 2 places that use Lightsheer and I will be setting up some consultations.
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I have made 2 appts with different places here on Long Island, NY. Tomorrow is my first one. I have let the hair on my face grow so I can have a patch test done. I know the arm would have been better, but the hair on my face will be my first target area and I figured why not.
I looked for places that use the LightSheer since that is one of the better machines for my skin type.
What do I need to lookout for or things that will let me know I have an experienced technician?
I’ll let everyone know how it goes…
I went on my first consultation today. I took along a few questions. Some I felt embarrassed asking but I’ll tell you how it went.
I spoke with the woman who would be performing the procedure. She said she has had 5 yrs experience with hair removal. She is a Physician’s Assistant. I asked her if she is certified and she said she was. Here is where I felt weird grilling her. I didn’t ask her specifically if it was in Laser hair removal and which cert was it… I asked her if she had formal training and she said no. All of her training has been real world experience.
She then proceeded to explain to me that the machine (Lightsheer) is not rented or a sideline business for someone. She said (here it got weird) that they have had their machine for 15 yrs. Has the Lightsheer been around for that long?
She then looked over my face (my first area for this procedure) and explained the following. She explained that right now my skin color is good for the procedure but she would like me to get a bit lighter. She said that she wants me to wear sunblock (SPF 30 +) all the time and that the best time to have my first visit would be in Oct. This way I can get lighter. She explained because my skin tone would base the intensity of the laser setting, the darker my skin, the lower the setting, the more visits it may take. So she said if I can get lighter than we can try to keep the visits down to a minimum. That I thought was great!! She also told me to stop plucking. It weakens the folical. If I need to do any hair removal, use a cream or other means other than plucking/waxing. No more yanking hair out. The times I have my treatments she said I would have to remove hair. Any hair growth (above skin layer) can potentially catch fire and burn my face so I need to shave or something. I’ll ask questions on the board about that another time.
She said that when I make my first appt. she will call in a prescription for a local anesthetic to use. She did mention that it is painful and wants to minimize any discomfort.
She looked me over as I said and said she can treat my whole face. In between the eyebrows and above but not below. GOOD ANSWER. She will do my hair line would meet the end of my eyebrows if I let them grow. She will do my jaw line and even my nose.
Price…She said since it may take a couple more visits that usually since I am Olive color she would give me a discount (how would I even know it was a discount) $700 first visit and $350 each additional visit.
Lastly, I asked for a patch test and she stated they don’t do that. That because my skin is different shades throughout my body, that a patch test would not give me an accurate reading. That threw me off.
OK with all that said, how does this place rate?!?
I have an appt with one other place in Long Island for a free consultation Sept 11.
THANKs for any input.
If she is dishonest with you upfront, it doesn’t yet say anything about her hair removal skills, but it’s something to think about nontheless. Also, it doesn’t look like she posesses encyclopedic knowledge and understanding of hair growth, and this may be a bit worse. Why wouldn’t she give you a patch test??
Definitely consult with more places.
And also, why do you think that laser is the best solution for you, as opposed to electrolysis? I find that most people who lean towards laser do so because of the abundant laser ads and promotions, and not as a result of their own research.
I am definitely going to go to different places for consultations.
If my understanding is correct, electrlysis is hitting each individual hair to be effective. The laser is like using a broader “wand” so to speak. Hit more hairs in one shot. Also, my cousin had it done years ago, and she is right back to where she started.
Thanks for all these great posts about your experiences with consultations, 'Chelle!
Electrolysis targets each visible hair individually. Laser targets the pigment in each hair. That means laser can only do well on dark hairs, and if you have dark skin, the laser can’t tell the difference and heats that up, too. That’s why people with dark or tanned skin need to be careful.
Laser is faster and might be a good option if you have a lot of dark hair to clear. If you don’t have a lot of hair or it’s light-colored, electrolysis might be a better option.
In either case, practitioner skill is really critical, since hitting the hairs in the right place with the right amount of energy is the only way you’ll see a lasting result.
Keep doing consults and let us know what you learn!
I go to my second consultation on Saturday. This time my boyfriend is coming with me and he is GOOD at grilling and asking the needed questions. I’ll give him my list and he will get answers. I will just write them down to post on this board. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Again, I’ll be back with info…
OK. so I had my second consultation and I am in love. LOL This place was great. It is in Long Island and the procedures that are done at this medical facility are strictly cosmetic (laser hair removal, electrolosys, botox, chemical peels, etc). I met with the Dr first.
He has 6 yrs experience and is laser certified. His last recertification was 3 months ago so it is still valid. The office houses 3 different laser machines: Yag, IPL and Lear (not sure if I spelled that last one right). The Dr. performs all the procedures on the face but usually the other technicians (some certified some not) perform the procedure on the other parts of the body, but I can specifically ask for the Dr. to do it if I want.
While talking to him I found his face to be very smooth and he told me that he had his face done and has not had to shave in like 4 years.
Like I stated before they also do electrolosys so the place is not biased towards laser. He looked over my face and was pleased that I had dark course hair.
After we were done he sent in someone else to discuss $$. To do my face: package of 6 $2999. I was also interested in doing my bikini and buttocks (inner also). Package of 6 Buttocks ($2399) but she would only charge me half for the buttocks ($1200). Normally the inner would cost more, but she threw that in for free. So for my full face, buttocks and inner buttocks ($4200). I asked about “touch ups” and she was a little hesitant and stated that if I needed 1 after my package of 6 is done, it would be free. My boyfriend made her write that part out. LOL I then asked her about anesthetic cream and she told me that the cream would actually inhibit the effectiveness of the laser and that I wouldn’t need it. She had her underarms and bikini done and she said it was tolerable. Can the cream decrease the effectivness of the laser.
This place, like the first, did not do patch tests.
I was very happy with the answers and the place itself…OK everyone…what are your opinions???
What did the doctor have “done” to his face - laser, electro, or both? Does he still have to have touch-ups?
He said that he had laser hair removal. He did not mention having to have touch ups…but then again, I never asked.
I am going to make an appointment to one more place this time in the city. I’ll keep everyone informed…
In my treatment I meant to ask about anasthetic cream but I forgot. The pain I equated to tweezing… a nice deep root. But it felt like one hair being pulled while actually several folicles were being singed, so it was worth the pain. But the laser I went under was the Candela GentleLASE plus which has a cooling blast along with the pulse. I don’t think I could have withstood the pain on my face without the cooling. The laser I was under was Alexandrite which I’ve heard has one of the longest if not the longest wavelength which means it can get as deep as hair can be.
I would have been really suspicious if they wouldn’t do a test pulse on me, even if you just wanted to make sure you could stand the pain. Did you get a test pulse at the second place?
No, they also told me they don’t do patch tests…