Laser options and skin type

Hello, I am new here but have read on the forums off and on for a year.

Some background: Many years ago I had what I thought were laser hair treatments on my face and underarms. It was completely ineffective and actually made my face worse. I know now that the medspa was using an IPL machine and not a true laser. I’ve been doing electrolysis every 2-3 weeks for probably 5 years now, with a few longer chunks of not going thrown in there.

I am hoping with knowledge I will be able to get treatment for something that has made me self-conscious for a long time. I believe I am a Fitzpatrick II, and I have dark, coarse hair on my legs/bikini area that I would like treated.

I live in a relatively rural area in Idaho. A local plastic surgeon has a GentleYag machine, but I believe I would be best served by a GentleLase, and from what I can tell the nearest clinic offering that is 2 hours away. My first question: would going to the local place get the job done? I don’t have a good grasp on the difference between the two machines.

Thank you!

GentleLase would be better if you have lighter skin, but just because they have the laser doesn’t mean they’ll use it properly. Have you tried using this?:

http://www.candelalaser.com/patients/index.cfm?task=practSearch

You should search for either GentleLase or GentleMAX. I would hate for you to drive 2 hours to a place only to find out they don’t use proper settings necessary for you to get rid of hair.