Hi there i am going to attempt to have some IPL on my beard, but i have decided i might need some sort of anesthetic, a local perhaps.
I realise many apply cooling Gels, or even an anaesthetic cream, but i believe for the beard, face regions this may not be enough.
I have an area done previously on the beard, on my neck to be precise, with no real issues, but i know i am not going to like a full beard done without some sort of pain relief.
Any tips??
thanks in advance
b.
I have had 4 Nd:YAG laser treatments on my beard with no anesthetic. The pain was tolerable. My beard is now 60-70% gone. I have never had IPL on my beard so I don’t know how painful it is. The Nd:YAG packs quite a punch, but I didn’t think it was that bad. You can feel the Nd:YAG deep into the hair follicles because it penetrates deeper than other lasers.
RJC2001
honestly the numbing creme did not do anything for me. The pain depends on the thickness of the hair. I had a thick goatie region as well as mustache and the pain was the most I have ever felt in my life but hey, take it like a man. No pain no reduction haha.
Thanks for the responses kind people!
I also have a few greys in the beard also (too early for that i say at 34:)
what is the best approach to treat them as i am aware most IPL/LASERS have issues with the lack of pigmentation.
Also, the pain killer is just something that i would like to try, the reason, i am sick to death of hair removal/waxing/pain as i have been doing it since 17, if i am going to pay big $$'s for more IPL/LASER treatment, i would prefer especially on the beard are to not have to put up with any pain (i am really assuming that around the moustache, under chin esp. is in all probability going to smart a lot)
I would prefer to be administered something that worked and that the process could be done, i pay my money and i’m away till the next treatment.
Am i crazy?
No takers??
usually, the way it works is “no pain no gain”. if you don’t feel anything, that means the setting is too low. you ARE killing hair here, so you can’t expect it to be painless <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I wouldn’t recommend IPL for face treatments by the way. It’s not a laser and I’ve seen too many posts from consumers saying they have more hair now AFTER the treatments. Just be sure to do your research. There are several forums like this where you can find out information. I wouldn’t trust the “sales pitch” of the IPL technician for facts.
Just remember, you will need to find a good electrologist for the hairs that lack pigment, like the clear one’s and the grey/white ones.
Hi James, you know anything about the notion “IPL on the face can actually make more grow back” ???
never heard that before, but if the case, gee, what’s the point?
It has been known to happen. The biggest problem with LASER is no one knows how YOUR skin will react with YOUR practitioner, using the PARTICULAR MACHINE that person has, on the PARTICULAR DAY you get treated.
Because of the way the body heals, some may find the increased blood flow to the treated area leads to thickening of the hair that is there, and perhaps recruitment of new hairs in follicles that don’t currently grow hairs.
Again the problem is no one knows what will happen to whom and when it will happen. Those who do get good results and are happy with a certain reduction are happy when it is over.
what is the difference between lasers and IPL? don’t they all work on the same principle?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Epilation performed by laser was performed experimentally for about 20 years before it became commercially available in the mid 1990’s. Laser and light-based methods are sometimes called phototricholysis or photoepilation.
In addition to lasers, some light-based epilators use a xenon flashlamp which emits full-spectrum intense pulsed light (IPL) . Treatment with this device is sometimes popularly referred to as laser hair removal, though the device is not a laser per se.
The primary principle behind laser hair removal is selective photothermolysis. Lasers can cause localized damage by selectively heating dark target matter in the area that causes hair growth while not heating the rest of the skin. Light is absorbed by dark objects, so laser energy can be absorbed by dark material in the skin (but with much more speed and intensity). This dark target matter, or chromophore, can be naturally-occurring or artificially introduced.
Hair removal lasers selectively target one of three chromophores:
Carbon, which is introduced into the hair follicle by rubbing a carbon-based lotion into the skin following waxing (this lotion is an “exogenous chromophore”). When irradiated by an Nd:YAG laser, the carbon causes a shock wave capable of mechanically damaging nearby cells.
Hemoglobin, which occurs naturally in blood (it gives blood its red color). It preferentially absorbs wavelengths from argons, and to a lesser extent from rubies, alexandrites, and diodes. It minimally absorbs the Nd:YAG laser wavelength.
Melanin is considered the primary chromophore for most lasers currently on the U.S. market. Melanin occurs naturally in the skin (it gives skin and hair its color). There are two types of melanin in hair: eumelanin (which gives hair brown or black color) and pheomelanin (which gives hair blonde or red color).
This is from Andrea’s website : hairfacts.com
Background
Also called IPL (intense pulsed light), ILS (intense light source), full spectrum, non-coherent, and broadband light. The primary differences between flashlamps and lasers used in hair removal are:
Kind of light
As mentioned earlier, flash lamps do not use one wavelength of light the way a laser does. Flashlamps emit every wavelength of light in the visible spectrum, and a little into the band of infrared radiation (up to about 1200 nm). Practitioners select a cutoff filter to block out lower wavelengths.
Size and shape of the spot (beam)
Most flashlamps emit a beam that covers more area than a laser. Most flashlamps also have a rectangular spot, rather than the round type usually standard on lasers.
IPL and flashlamps are two different things from what i know. I though the IPL was a radio frequency current and optical energy. I think they are two different things.