I had a poor encounter with a laser hair removal clinic. They treated me for full legs, but after the treatment, my hairs are still firmly fixed to the root, are growing rapidly, and are not shedding at all. I read that shedding is supposed to occur after every treatment, and then the next treatment targets the new growth cycle.
This clinic says that, no, I will not see results after the first treatment. I told them about what I read and my experiences with a different laser hair removal clinic, but they claim that my complete lack of results is normal. They also said that the settings they used on me were “right” and “very high” (I am of light skin, dark hair). The machine they used on me was the nd:Yag, which I am told does not provide the best outcome for people of my combination.
I need a specialist’s opinion, please, on whether the outcome that I am seeing is standard to laser hair removal treatments. What should one normally see after a session? Was the nd: Yag the laser that should have been used on me if I have light skin and dark hair? I feel I have not received the quality of service that was promised.
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How long ago was your treatment? Shedding takes 3 weeks.
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A Yag laser works on coarse hair well. The settings is what makes the difference.
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Can you find out the name of the machine, and joules, spot size, and pulse width used?
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Is any of the hair growing as usual or stuck as pepperspots?
The hair is growing as if it never was treated, and slightly faster than I remember, too. There are no pepperspots. I was told that the settings were very high and that they were “right.” The treatment was on December 4. The hairs offer resistance if I gently pull at them. Only one came out easily. Everything else is continuing as if nothing ever happened.
It’s only been two weeks. You need to wait full 3 weeks for shedding to start and complete. Let us know what the situation is on December 24-25. If nothing happens, then the settings were too low.
this is normal…It took 4 weeks for me for them to shed…
And YES it looks like they grow faster, that is a good sign!
As the follicle is pushing them out and that goes faster than normal growth…
However it looks like normal growth, so believe me it is normal…
I had some pepper dots (it is just the tip of the hair coming out of the follicle which looks melted/burned)
Shedding made me happy, however all the hair returned after a couple of months so I switched over to electrolysis which works like charm…
Hair didn’t “return” after a couple months. That’s new hair in the next phase of growth. If hair seemed to return after a full set of 6-8 treatments, then something wasn’t being done correctly, i.e. either the settings were too low to kill the hair permanently or the hair was too fine to absorb enough heat to disable it permanently.
I am concerned because I have had previous experience with laser hair removal and I recognize what the hair should look like in a successful treatment. They stop growing and come out slowly through the pushing of the skin. They look sort of darker with a bit of pink around them, and upon gentle pulling, they come out with absolutely no effort. It took no more than two weeks to fall out, and they could be pulled out a few days after the treatment with a tweezer. With this place, however, they grow so long, I have no choice but to shave. I have had to shave several times already, and I would imagine if they had been detached from the root, they would not get this long without falling out. There’s only so much space under the skin. I have a forest on my legs, and it is highly disconcerting.
If you have light skin, you should be treated with an Alexandrite Laser, as your results would be much better. With an NDYAG laser, your hair may get finer and thinner but would not disappear.
I would still wait 3 weeks. Different hair reacts differently. At 3 weeks, you will know for sure.
Thank you all very much for your contributions. It is now the 22nd and my hairs are still there, not shedding, still growing at a normal rate. I avoided shaving again to see what they would look like and I feel like a porcupine. They are pretty fine, but unfortunately that’s not what I paid thousands for. 
How is it now? Did anything shed? If not, settings were too low. You should ask them to redo at higher settings for free. If you’d like, call and find out spot size, joules, and pulse width used and the exact name of the machine and post them here so we can advise.