Hello, I have been trying to figure out the best thing to do and hoping you guys can help… I have been struggling with hair on my arms for years. I’ve waxed and used Silk Epil, but have come to realize that I can not do either any more as the ingrown hair has become a problem as bad as the hair itself. I am trying to recover from last summer now… my arms are badly scared and I just have to find a more permanent solution. The Reveal MedSpa just had a 2-for-1 sale and I bought a package to treat my arms. They didn’t really give me an option, just told me it’s going to be Isolaz(spelling?) which is supposed to be a great new IPL technology. However, they said I will not have a hair free period, which is typical for the older, original Lazer they use, which is Palomar. The more I think about it the more I worry that I will only have 3 or 4 treatments before next summer and not sure how to deal with the hair then. If I shave my arms every day, I am sure I will get bad ingrown hair again. I think they will be willing to switch me to Palomar lazer if I ask. My skin type, I think, is III (using the types Andrea provided in the FAQ).
I appreciate any advise and insight you can give me… Thank you very much.
How coarse is your hair?
I’m not sure I’m understanding your concerns. Generally, I would recommend to go with a true laser, but it doesn’t sound like you can get out of this contract. How much are you paying btw? Palomar would likely be a better option than Isolaz, though both are IPLs. And no, IPLs are not better than true lasers though of course every clinic that only has an IPL will try to tell you this.
If the hair is coarse enough and the settings are effective, you should see all treated hair shed within 3 weeks after the treatment. You have to shave before treatments and then wait for shedding. You can shave or trim in between treatments while you’re waiting for new hair to come in.
You’ll likely need around 8 treatments. On this area, they should be spaced 8-12 weeks apart. You shouldn’t have much to treat earlier than this if the treatments are effective. After 3-4 treatments, you’ll already see a significant reduction.
Btw, epilating is likely causing the scarring and ingrowns. Once you stop it to do laser, you’ll see your skin clear up substantially.
what ever happen to the palomar at home laser they were going to introduce with gillete? Did they actually create the laser but are just waiting to introduce it cuz of marketing concerns?