Is it really working?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hello,

I am living in Australia and are getting laser hair removal done. I have been for 5 treatments and not had an amazing result like others have professed. I think i have been going for my treatments in too close succession. My first 4 treatments were 1month apart, and my 5th treatment 6weeks after the 4th.

The result is very patchy on my back, with large patchs of hair remaining. My treatment is on my neck, back and shoulders. I am not sure at what frequency i am being treated at. My hair is very dark and coarse, however my skin is tanned/olive.

I have patches and lines of hair on my next and back a couple of weeks after treatment.

Have my treatments been too close together?

When will these patches ever go? And will i ever get a perfect result?

#2

Hi,

I am interested to know what laser are you being treated with ? How old are you and what place are you going too?

The patches and lines are spots missed by the tech. Have you seen a reduction?

You will probably never see a 100% smooth no hair remaining result, just with the laser. You would have to get electrolysis to deal with the ones that are resistant to the laser. However, it seems some fortunate people do get that result!

As for treatments being too close… I’ll let someone else answer that. Each and everybody is different.

#3

Thanks for the reply
I am being treated by Pulse Light, or something like that. I am in Sydney and am being treated by a local “bueatician” in the st george region, I am in my early 20s.

I don’t know how many more treatments i should go for. Some areas are very thick, in some areas there is no hair, and some areas are finner hairs, my back looks like a zebra, i guess i keep going until i get a better result…

Honestly i can’t tell if ive had a reduction, i am due for a treatment in 2weeks, and its looking pretty bad.

Another question: can i shave my neck in between treatments, because the regrowth in lines on my next is not the best fashion statement?

cheers

#4

Pulse light. I am gathering that is IPL, if not someone please correct me.

I have been told IPL is not the most effective for hair removal, I would be leaning towards a YAG laser, you say you are tanned/olive complexion. With a good tech this will be alot more effective and will not have any adverse side effects i.e redness, scabbing, burns etc provided the tech knows what they are doing.

I think its best not to go to local beautician to get this done. Go to someone who does plastic surgery and who also does laser, a dermotologist, or a laser specialist.

I am also early 20’s having laser, I am of olive complexion and I am using a YAG coolglide xeo, I have just completed my third treatment. The reduction prior to that was good, as that was my orginal goal. I believe I am goign to see more of a reduction after this time. I am one week out since that treatment and shedding is going well.

Yes you may shave between treatments this has no bearing on on the next treatment. Just don’t wax or pluck.

#5

Thanks for your help and advise.

YAG ? what exactly is the difference between that and the IPL? I am interested to know which part of your body are you getting the hair removed from.

Also shedding, ive never noticed any shedding after a treatment although the lady said that i should be shedding after a shower. Mabye i don’t notice shedding because the treatment is on my back.

In Australia there is minimal requirements for people to perform this treatment so the majority of places/people that offer it are not professionals. How many treatments are you planning to go for. Honestly I don’t think ive seen close to a 50% reduction after 5treatments and more than $1000 latter.

#6

I am getting my chest and stomach done. A ND:YAG is a type of laser, there is also a (diode and alexdrite) spelling maybe incorrect type of laser. ND:YAG laser penetrates deeper at operates and is optimal for darker skin types, the other two don’t penetrate as deep therefore some say they do not reach the deeper hairs and too my knowledge are at greater risk of causing side effects. There is plenty of information regarding all these lasers on the net.

I believe the difference correct me if im wrong…somebody. Is that IPL pulses light at different wave lengths while YAG is one particular wave length that being 1064mm. The sister site to this hairfacts.com will give you all information you need.

Shedding should occur 1 - 3 weeks after treatment. This is where all the hair sheds and you should be relatively hair free for a further few weeks. Then the new growth, growth that wasnt killed will start to come through. This is when you are treated next.

First I suggest you read up on hairfacts about the different types of lasers. Then go through your phone book and make some calls see which have an ND:YAG laser ask if you can come in for a free consulation and a test patch. Try a few different places , quiz them on their knowledge etc. And go with someone who seems most knowledgeable and you feel comfortable with.

Also, treatments on the back depending upon if it is your whole back can cost up to 800 AUD. My treatment cost in AUD is about 500 per treatment. I plan to wait and see how much regrowth I get this time I go back in 10 weeks. I was only looking for a reduction on the chest, I do not want to part with all my chest hair!!! It looks good!! As for my stomach I want some more reduction. So, ask me again in 6 weeks how many more treatments I will get !!

My advice is stop going to the place your going too now…you could just be throwing away good money. But beware if you do go to another place, olive skin I would try and get a place with ND:YAG, it is one of the safest lasers around. But fingers crossed you can find a good tech - tech skill is crucial to success.

#7

Hey so, let me get it straight: What they do for me, the tech shaves my back and then she does laser. Within about a week the hair is growing back, the hair is fairly coarse.

Thats what happens to me. Also the very coarse area, has now become extremely patchy, in that there are big strips of hair that looks untouched and other patches with no hair, so frustrating with summmer coming up!

What happens with you? You get shaved and then there is no hair for a couple of weeks after treatment?

cheers,
lawrence

#8

They shave the area. Treat it all. After 1 - 3 weeks hair begins to shed. Meaning it slides out easily if you give it a little pull, otherwise it will work its way out by itself. The whole area is practically hairless for a further few weeks. Then new growth comes in. You should not have patchiness if treated by a skilled tech, and you should not have patchiness if all areas are treated. Which for your case they seem not to be.

#9

all hair treated should shed within 3-3.5 weeks after your treatment. whatever doesn’t shed, wasn’t affected. if after 3.5 weeks after treatment, you have a lot of areas with hair, that means the tech wasn’t careful and missed a lot of spots or the settings need to be increased because some hairs are not getting killed at the current settings. either way, you should ask for a touch-up if there are a lot of missed areas every time, about 3 weeks post treatment.

hair looks like it’s growing in and more coarse for the first 1-2 weeks after the treatment and THEN it sheds. some people mistake that for growing hair, but it’s actually hair coming out to shed. it is more coarse at that time. how long has it been since your treatment?

#10

That makes alot of sense, I don’t think i have a careful tech. My last treatment was exactly 4weeks ago yesterday. I guess the laser is working in the areas that the tech has zapped, because there are like to levels of hair, in the patches that look good, there are few small hairs coming out, and in the patches that are bad, there now full lenght hairs.

I have one more appointment with this tech, and I will go and ask her to do a more accurate job.

One more question, the tech has noticed some patches that she misses, she then proceeded in my last treatment to treat these areas at the beginning of my treatment and again at the end, ensuring that she cools these areas properly before repeating the treatment. Does anyone elses tech do that?

#11

I haven’t heard of that being done. I am not familar with missed spots because after each treatment I may have one, and to me that is insignificant so I don’t bother with touch ups.

Honestly, I would not go back to the tech. From what you have described you have already spent alot of money on giving them a shot. Shop around, thats my view!

#12

One last question to all my helpful friends from the states!

Ive heard some people say you need between 5-8 treatments, others say 8-12 treatments. What do people think, I am going for more treatments coz ive had a poor result after 5treatments, but still willing to try a new tech and do a few more treatments!

Also are the earlier treatments meant to have a greater effect, or the latter treatments meant to rid the back of the most hair!

Thanks

#13

Number of treatments is up to the paitent and will also vary from person to person. However, alot of people seem to think there is only so much laser can do and then you will have to go to electrolysis if you want complete removal.

As for the large majority of reduction, I think that once again varies from person to person. Some say 1st treatment, others say treatment 3 and 4. I can only speak from personal opinion - my reduction was good after the first treatment, I had a bit more regrowth after the second and by the way I am shedding I would expect to see a greater reduction this time in, plus that is what my tech has told me is likely to occur. If you ask me in 6 weeks time I’ll tell you.

#14

Most people need 6-8 treatments for significant reduction, but results vary based on personal attributes especially the skin and hair color and thickness etc. Very pale skin and dark coarse hair will be removed much quicker than finer hair on darker skin.

#15

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />I had laser treatments on my face five years ago. I had 5 or 6 treatments spaced about 10-12 weeks apart each. I am the ideal candidate for laser treatment. Extremely fair with very dark hair (I’m Irish by heritage).

It was quite effective - for awhile.

THIS IS NOT PERMANENT!!!

The hair is now back and I’m looking at doing the whole thing again.

The hair comes back slowly. First, it was just a few fine dark hairs. The hairs get coarser and coarser as the years go by. Even after five years it isn’t as bad as it was before I started treatments, but I’m back to plucking/bleaching/shaving.

I would still say the whole thing was worth it - the pain and the money. But I don’t appreciate the false advertisements that claim it is “permanent”. Not even close. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

The reason I say it was worth it is because it is still FAR superior to any other option for hair removal. I had basically zero facial hair for nearly a year after the treatments stopped. Before resorting to laser treatments, I’d had electrolysis done when ever I could afford it for nearly 10 years. For electrolysis, I was going once a week and it was expensive and painful on a regular basis.

Laser removal, is similarly painful, but you don’t go as frequently and it is much more effective - but not permanent. The regulatory agencies that call it “permanent” only look at result after only one or two years after treaments concluded.

#16

What kind of results did you see after you’ve finished the 6 treatments and how long did that last? what laser was used? how old are you? have you had your hormones checked for any underlying issues that might be causing the hair growth? I’m assuming you’re a woman with facial hair growth…this is often caused by a medical issue, not genes. let us know! would be great to get information from someone like you. there are not enough people who come back to report years after they’ve finished treatments.

#17

I honestly can’t remember what laser was used, except that it was laser and not the light pulse that some are discussing.

Yes, I’m female. No, there is no underlying hormone issue. I’ve had that checked repeatedly since I was 16. Heavy hair growth just runs in my family. My brothers look like grizzly bears. The women - not that bad! LOL.

I had the treatments when I was 30. The time it took was 6 treatment times 10-12 weeks - whatever that works out to (60-70 weeks).

My technician was neither really good, nor really bad. She sometimes missed areas (especially around the chin,) but then I’d make an appointment and go back in for a “clean-up” (which was free). I did that for the first 3 or 4 treatments, so you could argue that I really had 10 treatments. The technician seemed reluctant to go beyond where she thought hair would be. I had to repeatedly request that she go further down the neck or up the cheek. She was always surprised that more hair was found there. I switched technicians half-way through treatments. The second lady was much better at her job.

I used no numbing cream - which I regret - but I had no health insurance at the time. Adding doctors visits would have added hundreds of dollars on to the total cost, which I couldn’t afford at the time. I would definitely recommend numbing creams. The upper lip is beyond painful! I never let the electrolysist touch that area.

#18

I started posting in 2005 and I just want to continue my story because I think it adds value to those people looking into laser hair removal.

I have now quit using CPL Novalight, because it didn’t work at all for me. In fact it made my hair on my back worse. I have an appointment booked to continue my treatments using an alexadralight machine.

Now for all you people out there who are thinking about it, If you can live with you hair problem I think that is best, I wish I never started because the fine hairs around the coarse hairs have become course hairs. The coaurse hairs have become even thicker and tougher.

Now some will say because I don’t have the right skin (olive) yes that is part of it. Also everyone has their own reactions. I have spent alot of money now that i believe is wasted because the hair is more than what I started with.

I think the increased hair has come because i shaved the skin which had fine hairs and few thick coarse hairs, and now all the fine hairs have come up. (i think I made this point earlier).

So after more than 1 and half years of treatment and no results, I will let you know how it goes with the alexandrolite.

For all the newbies out there, really consider the fact and do your research, know what machine you are being treated with. No your settings, you often get excited because the hair comes off and stays off for a couple off weeks. But in the long term no the facts so you can make an educated decision.

Okay bye for now - hair lovers

#19

with olive skin tone, alexandrite might not be best. you need to try to determine if alex can be used at high enough settings to kill the hair. otherwise, you will have similar lack of results. if your skin is too dark for an alex laser, a Yag laser would be best.

shaving doesn’t make the hair thicker. what made it worse are in part treating FINE hairs on that specific area and with a bad machine AND on darker skin. all of those things add to the possibility of this happening. if you can take some pictures, we might be able to help more with whether laser is still a good method for you or if electrolysis might work better. Another part of the effect might be your age contributing as well, meaning you would have developed at least some of that hair anyways.

#20

Another update -

I went to the new laser centre and they said they would charge me A$ 400 for back shoulders and less than half the upper arms.

The lady said she would treat me at ‘high’ settings 10joules and 18mm. I think the lesson was not to believe her, the treatment went okay but after reading some of the posts here I realised that these settings were weak. I went back and got her to re-do my shoulders neck and missed patches on a higher setting.

The tech almosted insisted that she would never go over a 12 on my skin III - IV. I told her I wanted to try a setting 14 with 18mm I found this quite hot, however I am not more than one week past and I have no scarring or burn marks. I am then inclined to move up to 16 in my next treatment.

I have found that some parts of the body are more sensitive to the higher temperatures, so upper arms for me is more sensitive, however on the back I can tolerate higher settings. I think the trick will be to get the tech to change settings as I know I can tolerate. I know that some posts on the site say 18-20 settings, however I am balancing out being burned / pain / results.

Hope this helps someone!
lawrence