LightSheer XC Treatment

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hi everyone!

I just got my first treatment today (as mentioned in my other post with the LHR article). Since a lot of people are seeking information (like me) on laser treatments, I’d like to post my experience. I hope this will help those who need help as much as I have by reading the forums =)

Background:
Ethnicity: Asian
Sex: Female
Skin Type: III-IV
Age: 21
Hair status: Mostly fine hairs everywhere (not bad, but still visible :x) and coarse underarm. Hairs are dark.
Parts to be treated: Underarm, full arm, chest, abdomen, buttock, full leg, back
Laser: LightSheer XC
Place: Advanced Laser Clinics

Ok, so first thing, I was torn between using or not using a topical anesthetic because people have died from it. When the nurse asked me, I hesitated. She immediately knew why and informed me that their topical anesthetic contains a safe percentage of ingredients, so it won’t cause death. They are: lidocaine 4%, tetracaine 2%, benzocaine 12%. I did do a lot of homework before performing the treatment, so the percentage did seem right. I think the lady who had died used a topical with 30% tetracaine or so.

I only used it on a few places that I thought might hurt, and the nurse suggested me to put on the bone areas because her previous patients felt pain there.

The areas I treated today were: underarm, full arm, chest and abdomen.

I was very concerned with pain, so here’s what I experienced with laser setting at 22J:

  1. Underarm (with topical): Painful! She first used 24J, but it hurted a lot, so she tuned it down. This is mainly because the hair there are very dark and coarse. During the treatment, I could smell burned hair. The nurse reassured me that it was burning hair, not skin. (LOL) A lot of hair just popped right out.

  2. Full arm (topical on lower arm, none on upper): Not much pain there because my hair is fine. The lower arm has fine but longer hair compared to the upper. All I felt was periodic sensations of tiny pricks. Very tolerable.

  3. Chest (no topical): Not much pain there either. The hair there is fine, but visible, that’s why I treated this area.

  4. Abdomen (some topical around the belly button): Not much pain there as well. Again, fine hair, just visible.

Note: The nurse also shaved some hairs I had missed while shaving the previous night right before proceeding with the laser.

During the treatment, my skin became bumpy and a little red. However, the nurse said I heal very fast because by the end of the treatment, my skin was no longer red and the bumps were already going away. The redness went away completely after about an hour, with only very small bumps remaining (as I am writing this). The nurse told me to shower with warm water (don’t use hot water!) and scrub very very gently with a soft cloth to help some of the hair come out. Over the next two weeks, I am suppose to shed (as I have read from the forums and told by the nurse). The underarm hair comes out very easily right now, but I don’t want to start pulling too much of it out just in case. Since it should be coming out later on, I’ll just let it go naturally.

Last but not least — the price. I got their 5 treatment package because during the consultation, the lady told me it should be enough because I don’t have very stubborn hair. They are fine (but visible, lol) and just everywhere. The total price for all areas I mentioned above is: $4,635.87. I’m making three installments of $1,545.29. If I need more treatments on certain areas, I can upgrade the package or pay per treatment at half price. The nurse also told me they can do free zappings for missed spots (if there is any).

What I liked about my nurse today was that she likes to go over the same area twice just in case she missed anything. She knows that a lot of people are concerned about missed spots or patches. By the way, the nurse who treated me is a licensed nurse and was about 25 years old. I was a bit afraid to have her treat me because she seemed so young. However, the results were good and I think she did a good job. During the treatment, we also had little conversations which really helped me get my mind off the laser. But overall, it was not as painful as I thought. The only really really painful area was the underarm.

On Thursday, I am getting treatment on the rest of the areas mentioned above. Then I will be back to the clinic in 7 weeks exactly (July 25, 2005).

Hope this helps =)

#2

thanks for the post. it’s great to be able to follow someone’s experience. it really helps others.

i have a suggestion for you. go back in for treatment as soon as you see enough hairs growing in rather than on a strict schedule a clinic recommends. those 6-10 weeks intervals are approximate and really vary from person to person based on individual hair growth rate. you don’t want to waste your money on a treatment that will not be killing any hair if none have surfaced yet at 7 weeks.

hope this helps.

#3

From your description, it sounds like the treatment was successful. Please keep us posted.

When she went to the areas with finer hair, did she turn up the fluence levels?

RJC2001

#4

She actually kept the same fluence level. I think I need to tell her to turn it up next time.

Thanks for the suggestion, lagirl. I’ll try to schedule a treatment as soon as I see hair popping up.

#5

Hi again!

I just came back from my part 2 of treatment #1. Since I am doing so many areas, I split my treatment into 2 parts.

Today I did full leg, full back and buttocks. It took exactly 3 hours to get them done. It was a long time in the laser room since we didn’t stop at all to take breaks during the entire treatment. The nurse adjusted the joules depending on the area and coarseness of hair. Although I used some topical cream, I was still feeling a lot. I think topical anesthetic doesn’t work very well on me. My nerves are sensitive, so even if I put the numbing cream on, I can still feel quite a bit.

  1. Lower legs (with topical): I think 22J was used with 30 mm (not 100% sure what this means. If I remember correctly, the nurse said this was the time in between shots of laser). Anyhow, since the lower leg has coarser hair, it was painful but tolerable.

  2. Upper legs (no topical): The nurse increased the joule to 25 (if I remember correctly) since the hair there are finer. However, it did seem to catch quite bit of hair because I was feeling pain. Again, pain is experienced but it was tolerable.

  3. Buttock (no topical): I think the nurse used 22-25J there, depending on where she was lasering (whether it is finer or coarser hair). It wasn’t too painful, but it did hurt on the muscles. The nurse knew it was going to hurt on the muscle, so she warned me before she went over it.

  4. Lower back (some topical): The middle where is spinal cord hurted more than the other areas. As I mentioned before, I felt pain but it was tolerable.

  5. Upper back to some shoulder and bit of neck (no topical): The upper back was ok on the finer hairs and painful for the coarser ones. This is true to most hairs, so I am going to stop repeating the obvious. The shoulder didn’t hurt much but the neck did! For the neck, she didn’t do continuous shots because that’s the area that hurts a lot. So every time the nurse made a shot, she’ll say, “ready?” And I reply “yea” and she shoots the laser. It is, like she had warned me, painful.

I was pretty tired after 3 hours of laser, although all I did was lie there. Since I didn’t use any topical anesthetic for most of the treated parts, I was always anticipating pain. I’d even jump a little when the nurse touch me. Although I keep repeating that I experience pain, they were all tolerable. Their post laser lotion worked really well, and took a lot of the redness away immediately. I might think about buying one next time as it helps soothe the skin. It’s $25, but I don’t know how much ounces of lotion it contains.

My next 2 treatments will be in about 7-8 weeks. This is what I have scheduled, but I might call in to change the appointment depending on the state of my hair re growth.

My underarms seems to be doing ok so far (it’s only been 2 days). Some hair falls right out when I gently tugged them, some are still there. My chest and abdomen has small and very light stubble looking hairs. I hope they are making their way out. From reading the forums, it seems like it takes a 2-3 weeks to shed. But then again, it makes me worry when it doesn’t. I guess it’s all patience now…

#6

Hi,

Great to read your experience. Please keep posting. It helps others a lot.

It does take 2-3 weeks to shed, so just be patient. Use a loofa and gently scrub in the shower to speed it up. It takes me about 1.5 weeks to start shedding.

Btw, the 30mm is not how far the pulse are apart, it’s the spot size, i.e. how much area one pulse covers. It can be adjusted. Usually, smaller spot size and higher setting (joules) used on fine hairs.

#7

Hi Aya,

I think one of the reasons numbing cream doesn’t work on some people is the way they apply it.

I use EMLA and LMX 4 (I don’t have a prescription for EMLA anymore). But I have a whole ritual of applying it.

I rub in a small amount over the area I’m numbing. Then I go back and apply a complete layer so it is totally covered. I wait about a half-hour and then apply a second layer, then cover the area with plastic wrap. By the time I arrive for my appointment, I am completely numb. I know it’s a lot of trouble, but it works great.

The appointments are much more pleasant. Although you call some of the pain “tolerable”, I prefer to have as little as possible!

Good luck!