Late 30's (male) and finally getting LHR!

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Yeah, first post… didn’t know where else to list this, hopefully in I’m the right place.

I’m late 30’s in Oklahoma, married. I worked out pretty hard core from 21 - 29. My body (other than my chest)stayed hair free. Then early 30’s it all changed: went bald and the hair took over. I now have extensive body hair, most of which isn’t bothersome, but the back and shoulder hair are annoying. I never took LHR seriously because of cost.

My wife has talked about it for some time but never followed up either. Yesterday I was going through Groupons and found one for Tulsa for LHR. I called and got the rates. It was incredible… Just to be sure I wasn’t being scammed I called around other places and found them to literally be 3X more expensive.

In im just here trolling for information… I’m happy to do a before and after because I’m very excited too.

Here is what I found. I only had good conversations with two of the several listed in the Tulsa area (one being the Groupon).

#1
Coolglide Laser

Me
Back (6-treatments) $2600
Neck (6-treatments) $400
Shoulders (6-treatments) $200
Total = $3,200.00 which includes 2 follow up touch ups

My wife
Legs (6-treatments) $3700
Brazilian (6-treatments) $1250
Total = $4950.00

Grand Total = $8,150.00

Option 2 (Groupon)
Starlux 500 laser

Me
Back (6-treatments) $398
Neck (6-treatments) $198
Shoulders (6-treatments) $298
Total = $894

My wife
Legs (6-Treatments) $398
Brazilian (6-Treatments) $298
Total = $696

Grand Total = $1590

I know this sounds too good to be true so i started researching the place. It is owned by two MD’s (both women) They have two techs that work there, both certified in whatever, and they are there daily to oversee everything. It is a new facility in a new medical complex. Ergo, I’m guessing the laser is probably in very decent shape too (if not new). According to the girl on the phone they do LHR pretty regular.

They are very, very polite and easy to talk to. As of yesterday afternoon they have sold over 300 Groupons. The Groupon only last until September so they told me to come in and buy all 6 treatments in advance and they would issue certificates against the treatments and honor the Groupon price.

They also do a host of other procedures from re-surfacing, G-spot enhancement, tattoo removal, etc. Seems pretty legit…

I just know NOTHING about lasers. Until yesterday I had never taken any of this seriously. Not that I didn’t believe it worked but it is so expensive I figured, hey… in already in my late 30’s, married with kids… maybe I should just forget about going shirtless ever again. I literally just decided to suffer through the “eek” stereotype and live with the excessive body hair, only grooming 2-3 times a month.

Given these prices we have an out! I am very excited and hope this is everything It can be.

So yeah, long first post. Sorry… this is not the only board I’m a member of. I’m also a moderator of a few large boards so I get the TLDR part of it… just stoked!

Opinions very welcome and appreciated as this is uncharted territory for me.

#2

Ok so here’s the problem: Almost every groupon place will not get you good results. Most of the time, they are very conservative with the settings and won’t go high enough with the power for you to experience permanent hair removal. If I recall correctly, the Starlux 500 is an IPL and not a real laser, so it’s even more unlikely that you won’t see results. I sincerely hope you didn’t buy the groupon yet.

The coolglide is decent BUT it’s also a yag laser. If you and your wife are both really pale (which based on the fact you’re in Oklahoma is a possibility), you may be better off with an alexandrite laser (Gentlelase, Gentlemax, Apogee Elite, etc.) It depends on what your skin type is.

I would really encourage you to read this before you get started: http://www.hairtell.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/35257/LASER_FREQUENTLY_ASKED_QUESTIO.html#Post35257

Additionally, for you, the back and shoulders have a tendency to experience induced growth (more the shoulders and upper back) if the hair is very fine and not coarse. If your hair is really coarse, then that’s different.

As for cost, there’s good places out here that do the back for $300-350 per session at very strong settings in a dermatologist’s office (I might suggest you look at dermatologist’s first). I would imagine you could find a place in Oklahoma for a little less.

Lastly, this may aid you in your search:

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

This is a practitioner search for those that use candela lasers (these are fantastic lasers for hair removal.) For you, if you’re a skin type I-III, search for Gentlelase or Gentlemax. If you’re a skin type IV-VI, search for GentleYAG or Gentlemax.

Good luck!

#3

From what ive been reading they are a dual machine. Again, I dont know the difference…

And actually, being pale in Oklahoma isnt a safe assumption. Oklahoma actually has a very diverse culture. Keep in mind Oklahoma is Indian country, an oil state, etc. Most people here have some percentage of Native American. Im actually 1/4 Cherokee and have a splash of Blackfoot in the mix.

I wouldnt consider myself pale but honestly im not dark. I do, on the other hand, have dark body hair. It is thick and a lot like the hair on your head as far as texture. My body/ face hair could shed cheese the day after I shave.

My wife is pretty white. Her hair is also dark.

I used the link you provided and found several people using that laser in the area. Im going to make some phone calls… Given the price difference we may not be getting the full treatment.

What percentage of treatment could I expect from the Starlux? It still may make sense to get the treatments and then clean it all up with one of the better lasers. All 6 treatments on my back are much cheaper than 1-2 as listed above…

#4

I assume you mean what percentage of hair would be gone permanently after you finish a course of treatments with the Starlux? Honestly, probably 0% most likely (maybe a bit more if you’re lucky.) Really, you would just be wasting your time and money using that IPL. Make sure you go in and ask what settings they use. Then we here can tell you if they will be strong enough.

Really, for “cleaning up”, you should use laser to knock out the bulk of hair and then electrolysis to clean up the remaining areas. That’s the most common way of cleaning up an area.

#5

Good insight… I will call and see if they divulge the information.

I also populated a list of others I plan on calling tomorrow.

#6

OK… ive spent the last several days researching this… Some still swear that IPL is great. However, there are nay sayers too. There are FAR less negative comments on Laser itself.

Here is where it stands. I found a local “Spa” that uses the Candela Gentle Lase. In March they are having “March Manness” where they are offering %50 off of hair removal so it is best to prepay. Below is what they have listed for cost, etc.

It does increase the cost considerably from the IPL. Ergo, the woman doing the treatment told me not to just pay for 3 in each area but it would be better to pay for all 6 in the areas I want to treat. Honestly, I can afford to cough up $1000+ a month but its a little harder to choke down $5,000.00 up front. Ive contemplated paying for 3 treatments up front and paying full price for the remaining three so it is not such a HUGE out of pocket expense.

This does not include the small areas. That is going to be another ball game. These are the three main we want to address for now. Im sure some things will change if we go in for the consult.

Back: Regular cost for 6: $2,100 (50% off) $1,050
Legs: Regular cost for 6: $2,400 (50% off) $1,200
Full Brazilian: Regular cost for 6: $1,500 (50% off) $750

Any input appreciated! Yes… this is more than I wanted to cough up but seems to be a decent price. What can you tell me about the laser? Is this a decent setup, deal, etc?

Super nice people, been in business for a while, the woman knew what she was talking about.

#7

Gentlelase is a fantastic laser, and in fact is my favorite laser for hair removal (I’ve used it on myself and have had fantastic results). It really is going to come down to what settings they use. On the Gentlelase, they should be using 18mm spot size and at least 14J. Anything less than that is a waste of time (ideally 16J is even better.) The prices are very good but again, the price means little if the place won’t use proper settings. Since you’re not that pale but your wife is, I’d expect them to use higher settings on your wife than they will on you (this is one of the reasons I mentioned about being pale in Oklahoma.) You may have underlying pigment that makes it unsafe to use such high settings. Only the technician in person can tell you.

Basically, if they are going to use good settings, go for it!

Speaking of “March madness,” I need to go finalize my bracket…

#8

Julyguy: Are you going to post pictures of your progress with Before and post-laser? It would be good to see the updates