So I went for my first of six Groupon full back treatments using a Gentle Yag ($299 for all). I had done some pretty good research before deciding on this machine, but I have a few questions regarding my actual session that I would like to get opinions on. I’ll try to keep it short so some of you actually read it, but I can get verbose sometimes :-).
I am a skin type IV. I can tan very well, but my back is usually out of the sun so it’s relatively light. My back hair is about as black and coarse as it comes (my friends make fun of me that they can find double and triple hairs coming out of the same follicle.)
I know that the Gentle Yag is known as one of the best lasers on the market, but I’m a little nervous about my actual treatment center. I’ve read that a full back should take about an hour. I was out of there within thirty minutes, and that was including the shoulders. The literature on Gentle Yag says it’s a faster treatment due to spot size, but should it only have taken 30 minutes? My concern is that they are not doing an effective job on purpose, so my treatment isn’t completed satisfactorily in six sessions so they can get me for more touch up treatments.
Secondly, there was very little pain. I had a spot test done a few months ago with an Alexandrite laser, and while it was tolerable, it was definitely more painful than this. The lady said she didn’t want to give me too much intensity the first session, which I can understand, but if I barely felt it, did it do anything at all? I did take two Advil before hand and have a relatively high pain tolerance.
Third, the spacing of red spots after treatment: There were small (pea-sized, maybe slightly larger) red spots after the treatment. I asked the lady if the non-red areas were not treated. She told me that the areas outside of the red were still treated, because the laser actually fans out from the diameter of the tube. I was a bit skeptical about that explanation. I’m hoping they just don’t do half the area to keep costs down.
Finally, she scheduled me for another treatment in 5 weeks. I’ve read that 8-10 weeks between treatments are ideal, but I’ve also read that 4-6 weeks can be effective when using Gentle Yag. Again, this was another red flag making me think they want the treatment to take longer than their already paid for 6 sessions. Should I go back in 5 weeks, or reschedule for 10 weeks from now.
I wish I had asked her for her settings to report back, but I forgot. Can you guys recommend a spot size and intensity level that would be most effective for me that I can request next time? I have no problem with the pain, as long as I know it’s getting me the most effective results.
Well, thanks to any of you who actually made it through this lengthy post. I appreciate any feedback you can give me.
