I decided on using a clinic that uses the lightsheer diode laser, i am going in for a test spot next week. Is there any advise any of you can give me going in. I have type 3 skin and looking for removal on back and shoulders. I have been looking through the forums on this site and people have posted that it is important to have the right settings for using this laser in order for it be effective. Are there any particular settings that i should expect to have done on the test spot or should i ask for specific ones(joules, spot size, pulse width). Any advise would be great, i am really looking forward to having this done. Thanks
You should ask them for the joules, pulse width and spot size they’re planning on using for your treatments. Then post here and we can evaluate their choice for you. LightSheer machines have either a 9mm or a 12mm fixed spot size. And the pulse width setting clinics often use is “auto”. So the spot size and joules and most important to find out.
Is your hair coarse and dense? Can you post photos?
Also, please keep all your questions and experience in the same thread so others can easily follow.
yes the hair is dense and black. what would be a good joules setting to start with?
We can’t provide you with settings. We can’t see you or test settings on you. “Minimum” or “good” setting will depend on your specific skin and what it can handle.
Upload the photo to photobucket.com and post the tag here. That Attachment feature doesn’t work.
This is exactly what my technician did to me… she let the lightsheer glide all over the whole area. I had my back and shoulders done…and practically none of my hair is singed. This was the 1st time I went to this person and to make matters worse, she said she would do it for $250 at first - then raised it to $370 after I came in for the treatment & was sitting there with my shirt off (as if I could walk out at that point - over the sudden price change…maybe I should have).
Probably should have - maybe get it in writing next time. The gliding technique is valid but in the wrong hands seems to be useless every time… That’s why I think people need to know their practitioner is experienced.
I think, if the treatment is $370 - phew - make sure she uses the compression technique and go pulse by pulse. Or else you might have to find somewhere else. Usually after a session, the hair follicles should be a dark red. With the hair singeing - it was shaved beforehand wasn’t it?
Emilily, Thanks for the reply. Yes, the hair was shaved - so really just the black end of the hair stubble that was visible was what singed. She is also the first person who made a big deal about me shaving the hair vs. doing it herself (it’s not easy to shave one’s own back hair…). Anyway, some of the follicles were dark red after the treatment… but not many.
It has been a week and very little has shed. I told her numerous times I just need to be hairless by labor day (5 weeks) & she said it would be fine because it won’t regrow for at least 8 weeks. All of the hair is still there, and it is actually growing too… not stunted like it usually is with the alexandrite after the treatment (what I’ve had previously for 3 years… I just thought I’d try something new)
Should I contact them and ask for my money back? I am tempted to call them… it’s frustrating especially since my regular person is amazing (with the alexandrite) and I totally feel like this was a huge mess.
How many treatments did you have with the Gentlelase? Was it on the same spot?? Seems like a lot of treatments to have, especially if there is still a lot of dark hair growing.
At this point it might be best to go back to the clinic, show her how much hair she missed, and ask for a touchup.
I had the same area done with gentlelase about 7-8 times over 2 years in my late 20s so I may have been growing new hair as well. I had already lost some hair due to the IPL over 1 year prior, though that seemed to have created more thin hairs than anything. I think the gentlelase is not really eliminating hair permanently, but it is making it take a lot longer to grow back, and it leaves no stubble - and grows back thinner when it does finally grow back. I get really bad reactions from wax so I just use laser instead. It’s actually not even that much more expensive if you calculate out how much I’d have to get waxed & how often.
A week is too early to tell oftentimes. Even if the hair is still “growing” that doesn’t mean it won’t shed. So I would give it until week 3 before panicking (though I suspect you will be right and the hair won’t all shed). If there is a bunch missed, definitely ask for a free touch up. If you feel you were tricked into paying too much and treated poorly, you can try for a refund, but don’t hold your breath. 
It’s odd that you switched from an alex laser (the best, essentially), to a temperamental, mediocre laser. If an alex didn’t work for you with good settings (assuming you’re light enough for good settings), then a diode probably won’t either. If you have reached the “point of diminishing returns” with laser in general, then you need to stop or you can restimulate extra growth.
Most areas should take 8 treatments total (sometimes less). After that, you’re just wasting money on hair that won’t respond anyway. How long ago were your alex treatments and how many did you have? How long did the hair stay gone?
If you haven’t had that many treatments yet and your hair is still coarse enough for laser, then go back to the alex if you had nice results with it previously. If you’re not light enough for that, then try and find a clinic who is good with a diode.
Hmmm, if you are using lower settings on the Gentlelase it can serve to temporarily disable follicles rather than killing them permanently, BUT what happens more often is that people have 6 or more years past their last session and actually just experience completely new hair growth. It’s something that would have happened anyway, but its more noticeable to you since you don’t have other hair to blend in with it.
How many years of hairlessness did you experience after it? It would be really interesting to know how long it took to grow back in? The thin hairs would probably be hairs that weren’t affected by laser since they were too thin I would guess.
But I think you’re pretty on track with the laser versus waxing. Also, waxing pulls the skin and can make it saggy so with laser you’re doing your skin a much bigger favour. 
I also agree with MagicalPrincessKitty - wait til the three week mark just in case, but if I have hairs that grow out before then they are usually always able to slide out, so it sounds like you’d need to be retreated!
Just had my first treatment with the lightsheer diode laser today, went good it was more painful then i thought. The worse part of the treatment was on my upper back and neck where i had the most hair. She used 50J on my back and 24J on my neck because i have tan skin on neck. She pulsed from spot to spot and applied pretty good pressure when using the laser. I am optimistic that i will get good results. Right now my skin feels a little tight almost like a sunburn and there are red and black spots all over, but no real pain. She said that this was normal and should go away soon. I am just applying aloe vera gel and hydrocortizone to the areas, any other advise?
Lero, you need to give it 3 weeks. Many people don’t start shedding until 1.5 weeks. Gliding can be ok - the problem is that many glide without applying the necessary pressure. Also, is your hair dense and coarse? All of it?
Cubbie, your treatment sounds good. Let us know how shedding goes in 3 weeks. Just aloe vera is fine. No cortisone necessary (it can thin skin).
cubbie, that is pretty much how it feels afterwords. Aloe should be perfect, it will feel (and look) better soon.
It’s a mix of dark and light hair… I put more detail and some pics in the other thread… though they are post-treatment pics, it’s not as easy to tell the density. You might be able to get an idea though.
Thanks for all the advise. How long after my treatment would i be safe to go to the gym and run? I forgot to ask her when i finished my treatment today, im not sure how sweat would affect the area that was treated.
I usually avoid the gym for a day or two. Probably a day at the least because they do say that sweat can aggravate the skin a little. But once the follicles are no longer red you should be fine.
I’d avoid sweating and keep the area clean and dry until there is no more irritation. Usually a few days.