My first treatment

I’ve been reading a lot of these posts and decided to contribute myself.

Brief bio - 40 year old woman who has been dealing with excess facial hair since 16. I have been shaving on a daily basis since then.

After exploring alternative ways to get rid of the hair (waxing, electrolysis) and getting as much information as I could, I decided to have Laser Hair Removal. The deciding factor for me was that I could shave the area while I waited for the treated hairs to fall out.

Luckily, I have fair skin that never tans and the hair is dark, so I’m an ideal candidate for this treatment. My first treatment was last Thursday and it wasn’t too bad (less painful than childbirth!) - the EMLA definitely helped. When the technician was done with my face and gave me a mirror, I looked like a freak with a really bad sunburn and these hairs that had popped out of the follicle. But she immediately applied cold aloe vera gel (the green Banana Boat) to soothe the face & soften those hairs. While she did my bikini area, the redness on my face had diminished considerably. I was able to gently wash my face and apply makeup to the area before I left the office (I looked like I had been working out and was flushed).

I realize that this is a process that will take some time. My husband asks me if it’s worth it. I’m doing this for me, to make me feel better about myself. But it’s good to know that he accepts me for who I am regardless of my condition. Wish me luck!

Hi BDK!
Nice to meet you! Glad you stopped in to say hello! Sorry that we all have to meet eachother under these circumstances, but I’m glad that we are not alone and there are so many other people out there who understand what we are going through.

I’m glad you decided to go for hair removal if it makes you feel better about yourself. You can’t put a price on happiness and confidence, it is very important.

Did they say what kind of laser they are treating you with? I’m sure everyone will be curious to know what you are using and how it will end up working for you. Did you have fine, dark hairs or were they coarse?

I just had my 2nd facial treatment a week ago (for coarse chin, upper lip hair) and am starting to see some of the remaining hairs coming out. My 1st treatment got rid of about 75% of the hair for the last month or so (still gone, so that gives me hope). I’ve made some other posts about my treatments if you are interested in reading them.

Good luck and keep us posted on how it is going for you! :smile:

Take care!

They use the LightSheer XC Diode.

I would characterize the hair on my chin/neck/jawline to be coarse & dark. I could definitely smell the burning hair during the treatment. If I remember correctly, the technician had to use a higher setting when doing my bikini area because the hair was finer (after months of waxing). I was afraid that they were’nt going to be able to work on my bikini area because they had me shave (so that the EMLA wouldn’t sit on the hair) and I got a terrible rash. But I do notice that it’s smooth and I haven’t had to shave the bikini area since my treatment less than a week ago.

My facial area still feels stubbly, even after I shave, but I’m hoping that that will change when the hairs fall out. I haven’t tried to tweeze any of the treated hairs. I just extend the make up further down my neck. I’m leaving for vacation next Saturday and hope that the hairs will have fallen out by then - 2 weeks after the treatment.

This is my first time accessing this forum. I would like to warn anyone who is thinking of laser hair removal to think carefully before undergoing the procedure. I did not have a lot of facial hair when I decided to try the Yag laser last June. It was manageable through bleaching and I had had electrolysis treatment years before which was pretty successful. I decided to have the laser treatment since I thought it would help with the remaining hair. I had three initial treatments, each 6 to 8 weeks apart. The regrowth was not too apparent at first but after the third treatment it was very apparent. I was never told that the treatment would be permanent however, I was never told that it could result in regrowth that was ten times worse than I had started out with! At this point, I am facing extensive electrolysis treatments (pain and expense) in order to get rid of a heavy regrowth that is ten times worse than I ever had!!! I would like to know if anyone else has experienced the same reaction to the Yag laser. I would have never started the treatment if I had been told that there was even the slightess chance of regrowth worse than what I started with!! This was never communicated to me.