Is it time to give up and switch to electro?

Looking for removal of a full beard-

I get told all the time that I’m a perfect candidate for laser - light skin, dark coarse hair.

I had three treatments with the GentleLASE Plus in the Spring, and it was great while I was having the treatments - large areas were much sparser, and a lot of the hair came in much slower.

I stopped treatments for the summer, and everything came back - I really don’t think that I’ve lost any follicles. Is it worth trying more GentleLASE sessions? Should I try a different laser? Or do I just need to give up and get to the electrolysis?

And on that note, can anyone recommend laser technicians and/or electrologists in the Boston area who are experienced in full beard removal?

Start electrolysis.
Don’t waste your time with lasers.

3 treatments, especially on a dense area like the beard (if you’re male) is not nearly enough. you would probably need at least 10. at the same time, you need to realize that this area is highly stimulated by hormones, so unless you’re taking hormonal medication to prevent FUTURE hair growth, you’ll be continually developing at least some new hair, so you’ll need touchups 1-2 times a year after you’re done.

I had 11+ treatments (more with 3 week reshoots for missed spots). I’ve still got a lot of my beard. It’s patchy with some sparse spots, but has been slowly growing back.

IMO, laser just induces prolonged telogen. I think it’s a scam. There is no long term data showing results last more than a year or two.

There’s only one guy on here who had a positive experience with his beard. But even his positive experience left him with plenty of facial hair. I think he got electrolysis after and still has a little hair.

I hate to say it, but you’re yet one more person laser has failed. I don’t doubt they’ll try to get you to go in for more and more treatments, but I wouldn’t go if I were you.

As I have said time and time again, I don’t know of a single person, anywhere, who’s ever had complete hair removal of their beard via laser. Best case scenario, they end up with slightly less hair. More commonly, it all grows back and they have to start over again from square one, with electrolysis.

Don’t waste any more time or money on laser. Get electrolysis. It’s not the quick fix laser is, but it’s PERMANENT and proven.

Good luck!

Hi Beatrix:

I had 9 laser sessions on my beard before I switched to electrolyis. I have since had about 125 hours of that.
The laser helped a bit, but was not the be-all and end-all.
The electrolysis is really working, and I am happy to be finally winding it down now.

You may want to check out the Tiffany Club of New Englands website in their newsletter for electrolygists in the Boston area.

Alicia

Beatrix,

Using laser on the beard is risky, you can end up with patchy results that will have a not so becoming look. Also sculpting the beard lines with laser is guesswork at best. Go start seeing the electrologists in your area. Get one with modern equipment, take a couple extra strength Tylenols, and make a habit of weekly appointments. Your money will produce tangible, pleasing results. You’ll be happy.

Mantaray

Mantaray - are your comments coming from firsthand knowledge of beard removal (as a patient or a tech)?
Sculpting a beard line is not guesswork. Use some white makeup (like one of those eye pencils) and you can draw the beardline you want and have the tech laser to it without difficulty - just have them do a line along the beardline before clearing the rest of the area.
Like I’ve said before - I finished treatment a long time ago, and I still have decent results. And I’ve had a number of my friends get the same thing done (removal of the beard on their necks) and none have had any problems (in fact, they had better results than I did because they used a more appropriate laser).
You won’t get complete clearance with laser. You will notice regrowth (after your last treatment you may be free and clear for a couple of months … it won’t stay this way). But it can provide good results.
And what are the alternatives? Electrolysis? I did 9 treatments for a total of 4.5 hours with laser. One poster mentioned having 125 hours of electrolysis for a beard. There is no way I would go through that - that is a very serious time (and money) commitment. But that’s something that the original poster would need to consider.

Oh yeah - Beatrix, 3 treatments is nowhere near enough. Do a search for my post with my beard treatment experience. I made the same mistake of stopping after 4 treatments to see what the long term results would be and I had a LOT of regrowth - I was very upset at the time, but it was my own fault for breaking the schedule and stopping too soon.

It’s firsthand knowledge MonkeyMan. With my pro treatments, I’ll sometimes opt for beard line sculpting. Although I’ve become very adept at using flash thermolysis and blend on myself, no mirrors for me, thank you. I leave beard to a pro. Beard sculpting is really cool. It is one of the best things us guys can do to enhance a groomed look. I would recommend it.

Mantaray

you didn’t fully answer his question though. you had 5 treatments with Comet elos laser on your back (i.e. not beard, which was the question)

Mantaray - are your comments coming from firsthand knowledge of beard removal (as a patient or a tech)?

…And the answer is I have firsthand experience of beard removal with electrolysis. That answers the question put forth.

Mantaray

11+ laser treatments male beard.

patchy results and hypopigmentation.

intense pain, acne, ingrowns, out thousands of dollars.

did my research, studies are incredibly misleading.

the FDA needs to do its job and stop laser hair removal.

Thanks for all the responses. To those who had unsatisfactory removal with lasers: did you get any results? My plan has always been to move on to electrolysis eventually, but I was hoping to significantly reduce the total number of hairs first, so I could spend fewer hours in electrolysis.

Patchy regrowth is not a problem for me, as I’m eventually looking for complete removal.

I know laser is never good for complete removal, but has anyone had it reduce the number of hairs, to jump-start electrolysis? Or did you find that it all came back anyway?

Use your money wisely, do the proper thing, and start with electrolysis from the get-go. Why waste thousands of dollars on laser when it will most likely re-grow? The face especially seems very sensitive to burns. No, start with electrolysis and get it done the right way. I promise you, I know many, many people who’ve had facial hair removal and not a single one of them was happy at ALL with laser in that area. You’ll thank me later. Good luck.

yes, it can make sense to do that. it’s your decision in the end. read recent posts by TheMonkeyMan. He had good unpatchy results that reduced the overall density on his face/neck area and is now considering more laser hair removal before switching to electrolysis.

wereyounotafraid, once again, completely biased and not helpful.

She asked an opinion, and I gave it. I’m biased towards results and people not getting hurt, I’ll admit. There’s getting to be far too much accusation on this board. You even agreed with me. How is that unhelpful? I’ve had my entire beard removed, thank you. I think I know what I am talking about.

we don’t even know if this person is male or female. we don’t know if the hair is coarse or fine. how much of it are we talking about here? it’s impossible to give them more information here. they also had treatments before that seemed to work. there is a transexual person on here who’s had 9 laser treatments and then electrolysis done. they might be able to offer a better perspective. it is simply not true to say that laser won’t provide some reduction, ultimately reducing the number of electrolysis hours needed. it definitely could and i would do it if it was me. but it really depends on all the factors we don’t know here. it’s impossible to recommend it one way or the others without answering the first couple questions i posed.

Beatrix is a woman’s name. As she said she needs a full beard removed, which almost no women have (not like men do, anyway) I can reasonably assume she is a transsexual, or at the least is a woman with a serious hormonal imbalance. After three full clearings with electrolysis, more than likely she’d have had a serious reduction. With laser, she tells us it’s all grown back. Add on to that the horrible results I’ve seen and heard about with other transsexuals and laser beard removal, and I think my advice makes perfect sense.