immediate hair shedding?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hi, I just had my first laser hair removal treatment on Feb 21, 2011. Not sure why it took me so long… I am a woman with PCOS and one of my symptoms is a very dark, thick beard that I have to shave daily. I have light skin, so I am optimistic that laser will work well for me as long as my lovely hormones cooperate.

My question is, has anyone experienced immediate shedding from a laser treatment? I understand that shedding normally happens from 1-3 weeks after treatment. However, about three or four hours after my treatment Monday morning, I noticed 20 or so thick, dark hairs that looked like they had squeezed out from under my skin and were lightly stuck to my face. Is this something other than shedding? I’ve tried to look around and read about this, but couldn’t find anyone else discussing this happening to them during their treatments.

I was treated with a Light Shear laser by a very experienced technician. I didn’t know to ask about settings, but the settings were high enough that it hurt! (I guess that’s good.)

Comments, encouragement, and advice welcome. :slight_smile:

#2

Yes, I believe it can happen. It probably happened during the treatment, sometimes the hairs eject from the follicles.

I’m curious to know why you went for LHR though. Often, the reports we hear of LHR not working on a woman’s face are from women with PCOS and they then end up turning to electrolysis.

#3

LHR is fine for a woman that has a thick beard, i.e. male-pattern growth that’s coarse and dense. Followup with electrolysis will still be needed on the remaining sparse finer hairs, but laser will remove the coarse dense growth. Most women don’t have this type of growth, but some women with PCOS do have hair that’s coarse and dense enough for LHR.

You’re seeing shedding. Some hair is removed right at the treatment. No worries here. Was the area shaved before treatment?

It would be great if you can find out the settings. They are important. The fact that it hurt doesn’t mean that the treatment was at settings high enough to disable the hair. It just means that they weren’t extremely low. But they can also be high enough to cause shedding, but not high enough to disable the hair permanently. Find out the joules used as well as whether this Lightsheer machine has the 9mm or 12mm spot size.

Also, let us know what your skin type is and how shedding goes in 3 weeks.

Are you on any medication for PCOS? If it’s not controlled, laser will remove the hair that’s there now, but you’ll need touchup treatments once your body produces more hair due to PCOS.

#4

Thanks very much for the responses. I’ll update when I find out about the laser settings. Glad to hear that the immediate shedding is nothing to worry about. I did shave shortly before heading to my appointment on Monday, but I grow stubble quite quickly and some of my facial hair extends fairly deep below the surface. I could also smell burnt hair with the treatment.

With my PCOS I have male pattern facial hair, it is coarse, black, thick hair that in my understanding was most easily removed with many lasers. I also have type II skin, so I felt that laser would be great for initial hair removal.

I do understand that my hormones with PCOS can stimulate new hair growth after the series of treatments are complete and all the original hair is removed. I am seeing an endocrinologist and have been prescribed with Vaniqa and spironalactone, so I am hoping that will help. My clinic also said that some women with PCOS have touch-up appointments later on, and honestly I wouldn’t mind that either. It is worth it to end my daily hair removal and visible stubble on my face or to worry about staying in public too long between shaves.

#5

Hi Amira,

You sound just like me! I also have PCOS and have shaved my face every day for the last 16 years. I had my first laser treatment about a month ago and I am so happy.

The first few days were kind of rough. I felt like I had a bad razor burn and it almost hurt to shave. About two weeks later, I had the most magical experience-shedding. I was fascinated by the way the hair was just falling out when I washed my face.

You are going to be so happy. I have had amazing results so far. Except for a quarter sized patch under the chin, I’ve seen about 80% of the hair removed. My skin is so smooth to the touch, it almost doesn’t feel like my own face! I just wanted to say hi and that I hope it works as well for you. PCOS is so awful-us ladies have to support each other! :slight_smile:

#6

Do not use Vaniqa during your set of treatments. All it does is slow down the rate of growth just a bit and is very expensive. I don’t even think it’s worth it afterwards, but definitely do not use it during treatments at all since it will affect your results. Spiro should be enough to control your hormones.

#7

Hi Melody, I don’t want to be the downer but you only had your treatment 4 weeks ago and are enjoying the hairfree phase most people get with effective and non-effective treatments.

Obviously, LHR isn’t the same for everyone and I’m sure we only generally hear from the cases where it doesn’t work.

Just want to say to you both, that take pictures during the process and really monitor what’s going on. If there hasn’t been a significant reduction (not just the hairfree periods) in about a year then you might need to reconsider.

Over the past few months, I’ve directed a couple of women to these forums, since PCOS in south asian women (my ethnic origin) is quite prevalent and laser seems like the best option for this coarse hair - but they ended up something like 2 years down the road of LHR with no permanent results and with a lot of money wasted. In some cases, more growth. Having said that, it could be down to ineffective treatments.

I hope it does work out for you both because it will be nice to finely have some positive stories. Please do keep checking in and take advantage of the advice from experienced members such as LAgirl because I’m sure it will help.