Well lagirl, I don’t think that I am negative, maybe more realistic. Also unfortunately here in Sweden there are no clinics that use Yag laser for hair removal. The best there is for people with darker skin types is LightSheer and IPL machines.
I would like to ask you a question. I am going to be treated at a new clinic here in Sweden and they have both LightSheer and IPL (Starlux). They say that LightSheer hurs more than the IPL and that it takes longer because of the smaller contact spot size. Therefore they advice me to use the IPL machine. But isn’t a treatment that hurts more also more effective as it kills the hair follicles better??? I’m confused.
If I were you, I wouldn’t waste any more money on either one. With LightSheer, they will have to use low settings that won’t affect the hair and if they make them higher, it will burn your skin. Any settings under 25-30 joules will most likely not product results. If you do decide to try this, make them do a spot test first to see how your skin takes it and what is the highest settings your skin can take. The reason they are saying it will take longer is because they probably know that they will have to use very low settings on your that won’t produce results, but they will be telling you to come back in anyways because “it is taking long”, not because it’s just not working. This is a business after all, and you have to look out for your own interests. Pain level really varies from person to person. I think Yag lasers overall are more painful. I’m not sure about the differences between LightSheer and IPL, but I’m sure they are not significant. Usually, the higher settings, the more it hurts, on any one laser machine.
Check these out (I googled):
LASERKLINIKEN i UPPSALA SWEDEN
Head of Clinic: Dr Peter Noren MD Consultant Dermatologist
Address: Laserkliniken i Uppsala, Vastra Agatan 16, 75309 Uppsala, Sweden
Telephone: + 46 1810 2350 Fax: + 46 1810 0995
Laser: Ruby; Q-switched Ruby; long Nd:YAG; Diode, CO2
Treatments: Vascular lesions & pigmented lesions; Tattoos; Skin resurfacing; scars; hair removal.
General Anaesthesia: No
http://www.shorelaser.com/LaserLinks.html (this lists all laser manufacturers with websites where you can search for a location in sweden with a Yag)
Box 27137
Stockholm (Sweden) 10252
Phone: 46 8 767 2700
Fax: 46 8 767 2706
www.irradia.se
(they seem to sell Yag lasers. maybe you can call and find out which doctors bought it and get a referral like that)
Try google in swedish too. I’m sure you will get more results that way.
Thankyou for your answer Lagirl.
The clinics in Sweden do have Yag lasers but the thing is that they are only used for tatoo removal and other treatments, but never hair removal.
I will consult with the clinic I’m going to get treated at, also I have good contact with a reputated dermatologist here in Sweden, Peter Norén, (actualy head of the clinic in Uppsala that you found on google)and I will talk to him about LightSheer settings etc. This Peter Norén thinks that I am possible to treat succesfully with LightSheer and he has also examined my skin and hair. But he did say that the practitioner is the most important factor and that a practitioner that knows what he or she is doing won’t just follow the instructions about settings that are delivered with the machine but will use his/hers experience and skill.
By the way, when I said that the clinic told me that treatment with LightSheer will take longer, I meant that each session will take longer because the spot size is smallet than the IPL’s spot size.
IranianboySweden: I hope my response was not taken as offensive. I merely suggested a different solution be tried if the current one was not satisfactory. Unwanted hair dominates my life too but I have slightly learned how to live with it in the meantime before I begin electrolysis. I have been shaving since April and for now it is ok, although sometimes it becomes problematic.
That is good to hear of your cousin’s satisfaction with electrolysis. Hopefully one day the two of us can report similar experiences =) With you being a doctor, you could probably pay for us both!
-MD
I wasn’t offended, don’t worry hehe. If a become a “hair remover” a can treat you for free <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />
What parts of your body are you shaving and what parts are you going to have electrolysis on? I have tried shaving but I gett bad skin.
Yes, practitioner skill is most important and if he said that himself, I would definitely let him try a treatment. Make sure he does a spot test of course and if the settings are high enough without causing burns, try it for one treatment and see how it goes from there. Good luck.
I currently shave my abs, chest, shoulders, and upper arms. It may sound like a lot but I’m not very tall or thick so it isn’t that much space to cover. I am somewhat hairy so that can at times complicate things. When I have electrolysis I want to completely clear the chest and shoulders, and thin the abs and upper arms.
I used to get really bad skin irritation from shaving too, but I guess since I have been doing it for a while the effects have lessened. I have found its best to let warm water run over the area for a bit, apply a thick lather of shaving cream and let it sit for about two minutes, then shave with a newer razor. Also, I don’t have the patience or will to shave every day or every few days, so I shave about once a week; pretty much about as soon as it begins to itch. This always allows for cleaner and smoother shaves for some reason.
As much as I disdain having to shave, it has actually become a very therapeutic practice for me. I would suggest giving it another try if unwanted hair has been plaguing you.
Ok, but I begin to itch like the next day hehehe. I think my hair grows very fast. But I will try your shaving method, I used neither warm water nor shaving cream the one time a shaved my chest and abdomen.
It’s possible to treat people with darker skin with the Lighsheer without burning the skin by using longer pulse width. I believe your limited results are because you have been treated with IPL and I think that you should at least try the Lighsheer to see if it works on you or not.
You mentioned that you are planing to get electrolysis too, do you know any good clinics in Stockholm offering electrolysis. I’m also thinking of trying electrolysis to remove hair from areas where I have very little hair left after having most of it removed with laser.
/Carter
Maybe I will try LightSheer and se how it works.
There are many places in the Stockholm area where you can get electrolysis (or “diatermi” that is mostly used in swedish). But I found one place that seems rather good (but there are others too). Här är länken till deras hemsida: http://www.diatermisalongen.se/
And here is a article from Näringslivs Respons about the place: http://diatermisalongen.stockholm.nrespons.se/
I have a question. You said that your practitioner is rather thorough when zapping you with the laser and that she doesn’t miss so many patches. When having a thorough treatment like that couvering most of the area you wanted to treat, was the regrowth still very patchy and patterned?
My regrowth has had patchess and patternes, but only on the places she missed. I meen, I don’t think that hair populations naturaly grow in geometric formations although my practitioner tried to convince me that “this is a new population of hair”. But those hairs never shed at all while everything around them shed, like islands.
I hope with this new place that I’m going to be treated at and that wants you to come back after two weeks to treat patchess that were missed, my regrowth will be less patterned.
Thanks for the info regarding diatermisalongen.
My practitioner rarely misses any hair, I’m impressed with her beeing so carefull. Offcourse there is always some hairs that are missed but its very little and she always tell me to come back for a free touch up. Usually I can tell after about 1-2 weeks after the treatment if there has been any missed areas. The regrowth from the treatet areas comes back looking natural, no patches just less hair in cuantity.
What you are describing I believe is missed areas and your practitioner is probably lying to you. If most of your hair comes out after treatment and some patches dont they prabably missed them.
/Carter
Yes, my practitioner or former practitioner is lying. They don’t want you to demand touch up treatments.
Do you shave your back before treatment or do they just trim down the hair? Mine only trimmed and therefor it was very easy to see the missed patches; they continued to grow while the treated hairs didn’t.
But this new clinic I’m going to say that they always shave and that it will look like all hairs are growing when they are beeing “pushed out” of the skin. I think that maybe this will make it harder to detect missed patches in early stage.
I shave my back before treatment. You will still see the missed areas on an early stage because the hair in the missed areas grow faster then the treated areas. Already after 1-2 weeks you can defenetly tell wich areas was missed, atleast that’s how it works on me…
Have you tried any electrolysis (diatermi) or been on a consultation?
/Carter
Okay, that sound good.
No, I have not yet tried diatermi or been at a consultation, I think I will inom en inte alltför avlägsen framtid, hehe. But a friend of mine (a guy) is going to have beard removed where it has grown to far up his cheeks (alltså inte allt skägg (!) utan bara det som växt över gränserna så att säga). I can update you on his experience. But he has not made an apointment yet.
make sure that you are closely shaved, not trimmed, before treatments. you want the full laser power to go to the roots of the hair and not waste energy on the pigment in hair above the surface.
Hej!
Kan du berätta mer om varför du tycker att Gamla Stans Laser & Kirurgmottagning verkade vara okunniga?
Jag funderar på att köpa ett packet därifrån (1h/2300kr mycket billigt!), men har fortfarande inte varit där på konsultation. Eftersom jag bor i GBG så vore det intressant att veta vilka deras brister är innan jag åker till stockholm? de är ju trots allt experter inom området(Laser).
Förresten vad har du för hudfärg, är du en typisk iranier eller har du mörkare hudfärg?! Har du provat LightSheer?
Tacksam för svar
Hej mimiek!
Förlåt att jag inte har svarat men jag såg aldrig din fråga.
Vad gäller kliniken på Gamla stan så tror jag att jag råkade få en extremt menlös och okunnig tjej att konsultera med. Hon hade inte koll på något verkade det som och svarade på alla mina frågor med ett apatiskt “Ja, jag vet faktiskt inte”.
Men det är sant att de har mycket billiga priser, fast kliniken jag ska till i Solna tror jag nog är ännu billigare. Men de har mera “skräddarsydda” priser. Dvs de drog av väldigt mycket för mig eftersom jag ska behandla hela överkroppen.
Vad gäller min hudfärg så är jag brunare än genomsnittsiranier (i alla fall de iranier man brukar se i utlandet). Jag tror att jag ligger mellan 4-5 eller kanske 5 på dendär Fitzpatrick-skalan. I södra Iran finns nämligen många etniska grupper som är mycket brunare.
Jag har inte provat LightSheer, men jag vet inte hur effektiv den lasern är med tanke på min hudfärg.
Hej igen iranianboySweden
Jo jag undrade över din hudfärg eftersom mörkare personer behöver vanligvis fler behandlingar än ljusare personer. Hur som helst vore jag mycket tacksam om du kunde ge mig hemsidan till din laserklinik eller lite prisinformation. Jag är intresserad av att behandla stora delar av min kropp, hela ben, full bikini, hela armar, ansikte och mage. Mitt problem är att jag har mycket fina men mörka hårstrån på kroppen (speciellt magen), vilket är otroligt irriterande för en tjej. Jag har sett ställen som erbjuder helkroppsbehandlingar, men är osäker på vad som menas med detta.
Tacksam för svar
Okej, så du är en tjej. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />
Här är länken till kliniken i Solna:
http://www.lasercenter.se/policy.aspx
Läkaren som äger stället är Syrian eller Syrier och en av tjejerna som behandlar är också syrian, hehe, så det känns coolt.
Priserna är olika. Men jag ska behandla hel rygg, bröst, mage och hela armar för ca 7000 kr per gång. Så jag tror nog att de kommer ta hänsyn till att du behandlar stora områden också, men som sagt så vet jag inte exakt hur de tar betalt per area. Men du kan ringa och fråga.
Har du jätte-tunt hår? Många iranska tjejer tar bort hår på armarna och i ansiktet med vax eller tråd, funkar inte det med din hud?
I can not understand the language of your post. Do you think laser treatment is effective on your back after 2 years? How much have you spent to this date (in dollars)? Is there less hair or is it like a “laser shave” that has to be repeated on a regular basis? How often do you have to be treated? How long is each treatment?
It would be interesting to get first hand reports from someone who had these treatments. Please answer my questions, if you can. I am treating a 34 year old woman who takes an anti-siezure medication. She grew a full male black beard (the hair on her head is light brown with blonde highlights and had to shave every day.) so I checked with the manufacturer of her medication and “hirsutism” is a side effect of treatment but they do not know what percentage of the patients develop this. I do not believe thet do not know as this medication has been on the market for many years and much data has accumulated on the side effects).
My patient had one laser treatment on her beard but when she went back for a second treatment they had closed their office. She paid (in advance) for 3 treatments so she was cheated. Many electrologists are treating patients who had laser treatments and the hair grew back. You will be providing much valuable information as to the efficacy of laser treatments.
If you want to answer me directly I included my e-mail address below but please do it in English.
Thank you.
Good Luck
<leftygg@verizon.net>