I have had consultations at a few clinics and have been classed as three different skin types so i am now confused and unsure where to go.
I am half oriental and half caucasian (mainly chinese and british) i consider my skin to be very fair and i have black hair. i tan slightly if in the sun for a long time but not much of a tan apart from the back of my neck and my nose maybe.
i was told that i was a skin type 2/3 at a clinic that use gentleLASE
and that i was a skin type 4 at the clinic that use the cynosure
now the women that does electrolysis for me said that i was a skin type 4 aswell simply because im half chinese. and she said that gentleLASE would not be the best laser for me i should be looking for a diode laser.
What do you think? Am i a likely to be a skin type 4 (if im half chinese foes that automatically make me skin type 4) and is a ‘diode’ laser truely the best for me, or should i stick to trying the gentleLASE as i thought previously?
many thanks, any discussion about skin type categories welcome 
First, please understand that skin types are approximate. They weren’t created for the purpose of allocating LHR lasers.
You do have underlying pigment because you have Asia heritage. However, since it’s only half, I would still try GentleLASE or another alex and test spot to see if your skin can handle high enough settings on it. You probably fall right into the middle, so it may or may not be ok.
i understand that and realise it is used to help estimate and determine what is best suited for my skin.
okay i will do that i have a consultation with two different clinics tommorow and the day after who both use the gentleLASE. What sort of settings should i be aiming for to obtain good results?
14 joules would probabaly be the lowest, however if you could handle 16 joules that would be better. As lagirl said, make sure you get test spots so you can judge and ask for the settings as well.
Regards,
Benji
You should get tested at 18mm spot size and 14-16j. If you can’t handle those without side effects, you need a Yag.
Hey again. I went to one consultation and got a test patch on 12J on my chest and 10J on my legs since my legs are tanned. The laser nurse said it was high enough settings for now and there is no way she would treat me at 16J. and that i am a skin type 4.
She said there is no need to go up to these settings as it doesnt make a difference how high the laser goes, as if you kill the hair at 12J is the same as killing the hair at 16J - the hair is stilled killed the same way and will never grow back.
What do you think about this? I booked to see her for treatment in about 1 weeks time.
I think those settings are too low. So either she knows the higher settings will burn you because your skin is actually that dark and doesn’t want to tell you to go see someone with a Yag because she will lose your business, or she’s not confident enough in her experience to test out something that is not on the chart. I wouldn’t get treated at such low settings myself. 14j on 18mm is absolute minimum I would get treated at. And if you can’t handle those settings safely, you need to find someone with a Yag type of laser.
my skin is actually not dark at all… i consider myself pale as my name indicates. she just said that there is no need to go to higher settings for now, i have never had any treatment before so maybe could that be a reason, then she would up the setting to 14J on my next session possibly?
can i ask for what advantage it is being treated at 14J rather then 12J?
will the hair follicle not be killed at 12J?
If the settings are too low, the follicle can be damaged, but not disabled completely. Most professionals recommend to treat at least 14-16j on 18mm on GentleLASE for permanent damage to the follicle.
