Laser Did Not Work Out Well....

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hi guys, I am not TG but I am a 19yo male with brown skin and I am very hairy all over even for a man, and it bothers me so much. I was doing laser for quite a while with treatments all over my body but they were all very spread out and the place I went to was disorganized about scheduling.

Anyway, I only ended up treating my legs and arms about 2 times, my chest about 4, back twice, and buttocks maybe 3 times. All that hair eventually came back and was not gone for long. Early on in the treatments I decided to stop those areas and just focus on my face. So I did about 10 or 11 treatments on my face, and it would seem like it was clearing up, but slowly. Hair would shed after each treatment and leave my face very patchy, but with each progressive treatment less and less hair would shed. I ended up with these stubborn patches of hair that wouldn’t leave. I stopped some time ago and am now trying to get my money back as the place I went to closed down (but the chain still exists).

Since I stopped, most of the hair has slowly grown back, but I still have areas on my face that are “reduced” or less coarse/dense. There are no clear spots, just spots with finer/less hair. It’s not horribly contrasting, but it’s definitely noticeable. Do you think if I keep waiting all the hair will eventually come back? I can’t tell if the hair has stopped coming back or not. This whole thing has been such a pain and I don’t know what to do, but I know I will never go back to laser again. Please help.

#2

first of all proper scheduling is necessary. You should be doing a total of 8 treatments at least per area about 8-12 weeks apart. Also find a good GENTLELASE laser if your light enough, how brown did you say you were you might need a yag laser.

#3

Androby, I really feel badly for you. I don’t know where you live but there are quite a few very knowledgeable professionals on this forum who could direct you to a reputable place and prescribe an appropriate plan of treatment with the right laser for your situation. I have gotten some good advice and learned quite a bit in a short period of time just be reading posts.

#4

Legs, chest, back and buttocks need more treatments than the few you had, so you really can’t reach any conclusions as far as the efficacy of laser on these areas.

For male facial hair, patchiness is frequently reported. Perhaps enough hair follicles were damaged to result in the hairs being finer. You are a young man and you may have a better chance of having these patches fill in as you develop more hair over the next 20 years. If you want the stubborn patches removed permanently, then think about electrolysis to correct this imbalance.

You will just have to wait and see how much hair comes back. Give yourself a good year and then you will see what you are truly left with.

Permanent hair reduction (laser) is labeled as such because of outcomes like yours. Many people are happy with having hair as long as it is finer and lighter, but I understand why you are less than satisfied with all the patchiness.

You will never get your money back, by the way. Sorry.

Dee

#5

I have had 10 laser treatments, and have had basically the exact same experience. It was nice after 7 treatments, but even with followup treatments it would shed and then slowly come back. I still have a helpful reduction, it did seem to do some long term good, but it was not what I had hoped for.

Even 3 weeks after laser and a heavy fallout, it would have taken 6-8 hours of electro to clear up the patchiness left over (you’d be amazed how much hair a male face really has on it!)

Now, in all fairness, everyone’s results will vary. If you post some details about your skin time, type of laser used, settings etc. I am sure some folks can give you some advice. A close-up picture of your hair might also be helpful.

I was also 19 when my facial hair turned from soft and light to deep, thick, dense terminal hair. Just to warn you, it might get worse over the next new years, which is what I and some folks I know experienced.

Remember, you can do both electro and laser if you schedule enough time for the skin to heal between them (ask your practitioners about proper healing time for you.)

#6

Laser hair reduction is not a cure-all, but it can be somewhat helpful. That is why we always advise that you have a skilled electrologist on standby to swoop in and deliver the final punch of refinement. The two modalities work well together for tough situations like yours. Our trans women know about this best because they’ve been there!

#7

Thank you for the responses and advice. I definitely think I will consider electrolysis at this point, and whether or not and how I will use that in conjunction with laser as you have advised, Dee. Though I have to say that the whole laser experience was somewhat traumatizing for me, so it would be hard to go back to that.

I might just wait a year or so like you said to see what I am really left with (there’s not really patchiness on my body as that has all come back so the only concern right now is my face). Who knows, maybe by then some new hair removal technology will be developed or at least in the works. I have to be hopeful.

Actually, this is not a new development for me. I have been this hairy for quite some time now. I started getting a lot of my hairiness very early on and it hasn’t changed much for a couple years now. I’m really pretty sure I can’t get much hairier! haha. Most of my male friends, from my observation, have experienced what you did, but that was simply not the case for me.

But I do have a question as far as laser and electrolysis together. Does that only work well for complete removal or reduction too? I ask this because the way my hair patchiness/distribution looks right after several laser treatments is not how it eventually looks with a lot of time. In other words, if I treat with electrolysis after laser, and I base my electrolysis treatment on how the results of laser look at the time, what I actually end up with after enough time has passed may be skewed. Does that make sense? Sorry, I know that was kind of confusing but hopefully you got what I meant.

Also, for reference, I have a type III or IV skin type, (I am half persian/half hispanic) so it is light-medium brown I guess. The laser I used was called Palomar, they tried the Apogee on me a few times but I got better results with the Palomar it seemed so I went with that. I would usually treat on my face with the highest settings they would allow (though I don’t know what those exact settings were) and I would do a double pass.

It’s funny because there was one nurse who was very very thorough and I would get pretty good results with her in terms of longevity of hair reduction, but she left the place I went to and none of the other nurses, regardless of experience, could come close. The thing is that that nurse was more willing to allow superficial burns if it meant better treatments (I realize this has liability issues and is the reason most nurses are more cautious) but she was simply the best in terms of results. Too bad she left, I wish I could find her…oh well.