Idea: pics of hair that ARE NOT good for LHR ?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hi,

(This is just an idea for the Hairtell team and anyone intested in contributing)

Having pictures of the type of hair which IS NOT (and which IS) a good candidate for LHR could help those interested in undergoing LHR to make an better and informed decision.

Why ?
Because asking someone who performs LHR can sometimes act as a double sword: some can and do behave dishonestly and tell a person who should not be exposed to LHR that he is a candidate when if in fact he isn´t.

How?
Having a set of pictures of different hair types could be used as a guideline where one can compare his own hair type with those of the pictures.

A dermatologist hinted that I should never have undergone LHR.

Not many people are honest.

So this is ONE way I thought of which might help anyone considering LHR.

#2

Star, perhaps you should send your pics in. That would be a great start to this project.

#3

This is an excellent idea and should be very helpful.

#4

I found this link … http://www.wikihow.com/Wax
that shows a type of hair that should not be sujected to LHR.

My arm hair is that color. Looks darker up close, but it’s light brown.

The Doctor that saw me told me that “it can be removed by laser but it will take more than 6 sessions” (a lie). Fortunately, I didn’t do that part.

Unfortunately, I underwent laser (shouldn’t have trusted that doctor) for my legs and snail trail (experienced a bit of paradoxical growth) and now I have hyperpigmentation and almost all my hair, which grows so slowly that the itching last for weeks not a day or two.

If anyone wants to contribute pictures of hair which IS and IS NOT a candidate for laser, please submit them here so that it provides a guide to help anyone interested in having LHR.

#5

That looks like light brown hair to me. Not to mention its fineness. I wouldn’t think laser would on this at all.

#6

Ozzy,

Yes, it is light brown.

But just as I mentioned in my OP, even the Doctor who provides a Laser Hair Removal service is not a wise option to ask whether or not you are a Laser candidate, as not all of them are honest.

With so much money coming from LHR, it’s no wonder many (NOT ALL - just to clarify) doctors and countless technicians are deceiving innocent people and ruining their lives. It’s like giving penicillin to someone who you know is an allergic to person - they know it is going to harm them but they give it to them anyway.

I am starting to think (1) that perhaps a very small amount of people would genuinely benefit from laser and (2) that given the incidence of hyper-pigmentation, LHR should NOT be allowed as a cosmetic option UNLESS you require it due to a medical reason such as hirsutism for example.

#7

I think people need to take a little responsibility of their own. Nowhere have I ever seen that laser will take care of light brown hair. Its too borderline with blond white or grey hairs me to ever think laser would take care of it.People should apparently do more research into taking on such a “permanent” solution to hair removal.
I will also mention something a tech once told me; people in the medical profession are not the right people to go to for hair removal.They know the basics of hair removal with a laser. But, its not their livelihood and frankly don’t have the experience necessary to know what works and what won’t work.They are interested in making money with their laser.
Ive been to 3 different techs for laser and the worst experience and success rate was from a doctor with laser and a nurse for electrolysis.
People please go to people like the people on this forum. Its their business. They know what they’re doing and are the business to kill hair! Its their passion or they wouldn’t be in the business.

#8

Ive been to 3 different techs for laser and the worst experience and success rate was from a doctor with laser and a nurse for electrolysis.

It’s funny because for me, my best experiences with laser were from a doctor and a physician assistant

#9

The few times a laser machine has come up for sale ( used) locally it ranged anywhere from 25000 dollars up. That’s alot of peanuts baby! People buy these machines, to make money. So on top of the purchase cost you are paying for a technicians training and knowledge to use the laser. Just the basic training course here locally is $9000 ! And at that, those poor students walk away with nearly nothing, barely enough to operate the machine.

Lets average it out, and say including furnishings, machine, technician ( without even paying rent) to add laser to your business costs somewhere in the region of $50000. Minimum!
That money has to come from somewhere. While I’m sure there are lots of great laser technicians out there, with this kind of investment on the line, there is NO WAY any of those technicians is going to tell you anything that would lead you NOT to use their service. They have manpower to pay for, mortgages on equippment, taxes, rent, and the only way they can make a go of it, is to keep that machine going through as much of the business day as is humanly possible.

Like any service, it is up to the customer to to determine in the end whether that service is right for them. The techs are not going to tell you donat have laser…ever. They will not talk about hyperpigmentation, and if asked, will surely downplay the effects. They will not tell you that that red hair wont come off one little bit from using laser. Ever.They will talk ad-naseum about the benefits of their service, because they are front line salespeople. It’s no different than any service .

When was the last time you went to your mechanic to have work done and he told you to go down the street because it would be cheaper? When did you ever go to your accountant and they tell you to do your taxes yourself and save a buck? Did the pool cleaner ever say to you , hey, dont do your pool every week, every two is certainly enough for your useage? Never does this happen. And it is absolutely no different with laser technicians, be they medical, a medispa or toby’s esthetics on the corner. There is too much to lose, and way too much money on the line.
So I’m supportive of this idea. Because the information isnt available anywhere, and in fact, isnt all that apparent on hairtell either. There simply isnt another place for the consumer to educate themselves. If Hairtell doesnt present it, there simply isnt another place for them to find it easily.

Seana

#10

Ozzy,

Before undergoing laser I did try to find out about laser. But there are many problems with this because people DON’T know WHAT to ask or WHERE to ASK in order to get real and geniune answers to their concerns regarding laser. Virtually every webpage that talks about LHR puts LHR as the “best and safest” option, when in fact it is not.

In addtion, virtually every webpage regarding LHR DOWNPLAYS the dangers of laser.

Hairtell is the ONLY website that provides the TRUTH regarding LHR. And the people who answer your questions are experts in hair as you pointed out, which makes all the difference.

I didn’t know about this website, Hairtell, until after undergoing LHR. Believe me, Hairtell has been more helpful than any dermatologist I have been to.

Had I known about Hairtell before LHR, I would NEVER have chosen to do laser.

That is why I thought that by showing pictures of hair which IS and ISN’T a candidate for LHR, people will be able to avoid being duped into a procedure that can leave them esthetically worse than before.

Although I not a doctor, after so many threads I have read here and in the website Realself, I am very certain that LHR should not be used to liberally as it at present. Until problems like hyper-pigmentation, etc, are solved LHR is a risk and definitely not safe.

#11

Seana,

You are right and you summed up the problem with LHR. That is another reason why the FDA should start to take the use of laser more seriously and restrict its use.

#12

FDA doesn’t test or clear for effectiveness. It only clears for safety.

#13

By “safety” what exactly is meant? What about hyper-pigmention, is that considered safe? And the way skin is affected by laser? What about long-term effects?

#14

I’ve yet to hear of anyone suffer from permanent hyperpigmentation (for both laser and electrolysis clients.) Hypopigmentation takes longer to heal from.

What do you mean the way skin is affected? You mean redness and swelling?

According to a paper published in 2006:

“A review of the current published literature on the ill effects reported after laser/light-assisted depilation was conducted. Overall incidence of adverse effects after laser/light hair removal appears to be low, with very uncommon permanent sequelae. The two largest studies to date have shown that acute and transient side effects do occur. Higher incidence of pigmentary alterations is associated with the shorter wavelength lasers (up to 19%), particularly with darker skin types, compared with lower incidence using the neodymium-yttrium-aluminium-garnet laser (2-3%). Both studies did not show any long-term side effects or scarring. Laser/light hair removal, carried out by trained professionals, is a safe procedure with a very low incidence of permanent sequelae. The majority of adverse effects are transient and minor. They are more common in darker skin. Longer wavelength devices reduce the risk in darker skin.”

The only long-term damage I would know of is a severe burn, which is when the treatment was done improperly (again, improper treatment with electrolysis can result in permanent damage as well).

There’s risk to any cosmetic procedure, but to make the egregious claim that LHR is unsafe is ridiculous. It’s safe when done properly, the same as EVERY other treatment out there

#15

Brenton,

“It’s safe when done properly” - this is what concerns me. I may have generalised but I did clarify that there are professionals who know how to use LHR and have the ethical disposition to turn down people who shouldn’t undergo LHR.

But as mentioned above many are driven by profit and neglect a patient’s well-being. Also LHR it being performed by people who should not be allowed to use the machines. It is difficult to know who to trust.

#16

How is it that difficult to differentiate between what kind of hair laser works on and what kind of hair it doesn’t? Before I even had laser done on myself when I was just tossing around the idea, I researched it thoroughly to make sure that I knew what was up. It worked just beautifully on me because I had the correct type of hair (coarse, dense, dark). I stress coarse and dense because just having dark hair does not matter.

I’m not completely blaming the individuals who have had laser done and have ended up worse off, that’s awful. It is the responsibility of the recipient though, to make sure you know what is going on. This entails all aspects- also find out what kind of credentials the establishment holds as well as the technicians. Don’t let a “professional” just tell you, question things! Maybe it’s a part of my cynicism for why I question all things but I’m sure glad I do, especially when it comes to having a procedure I’m putting my hard earned money into.

That being said, I have had both electrolysis and laser. They have both been great for me.