My Laser Experience: Cutera Nd:Yag Type IV skin

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

My details: female, mid-twenties, light asian (indian) skin, a few dark coarse hairs on chin.

Background: I have tried laser hair removal before last year. Unfortunately, I did no research and paid no attention to machines/settings/results - silly me. I was treating fairly fine hair at the time and wasn’t warned that there’d be issues. I stopped treatments as I had 6 treatments with absolutely no results, had forked out lots of cash and wasn’t holding the pain very well.
I then noticed dark coarse hairs growing around the chin area - I’m not sure if this is related to the laser treatment or just a function of hormones.
Now I’ve decided to go to a laser specialist with my research done. So here’s goes!

#2

Session 1: 10th April 2008

Settings:
32Joules
Spot size 10mm
Pulse 20ms

Machine: Cutera Nd:Yag
Location: Laser chain in UK, London who claim to have extensive experience with asian skin.

Treatment around face area on coarse black hair that. My skin did swell up around follices. It wasn’t painfree but not particularly painful.

Its being suggested that 32J on 10mm is probably too low so I’m considering having them test me on 40J before my next session.

#3

It’s been a week and I’ve not seen shedding although I tested tweezing a couple of hairs out and they seemed to come out a little easier. The hairs I pulled out were shorter than usual and didnt have a ‘root bulb’. I don’t know if this is just a random occurence or if it is signifying success.

I’ve shaved the area three times since my session because I can’t stand to have any hair showing and hair still seems to be growing.

#4

Falling out hairs don’t have a bulb. So that’s a good sign. If you can pluck and they’re not giving any resistance, that’s a good thing. That means they would have shed. The hair is not “growing”. It’s coming out to shed. You’re just not letting it since you’re shaving, so it will take a bit longer for them to fall out.

#5

That’s certainly reassuring - thanks!

Today I rubbed my chin abit and saw a hair fall out on my finger so I gave a go at pulling out some other longer ones with my fingers and they just popped out.
There are a few shorter hairs I can’t get at so I’ll wait till they grow. I’m getting quite excited that this may actually work!

I’m still considering asking to be tested on slightly higher settings even if I am shedding.

#6

What does your skin look like after getting the treatment? and do you have a shadow from shaving? I am east indian as well, and I am very nervous about getting laser hair removal on the fine hairs on my upper lip.

Thanks :slight_smile:

#7

If you have fine hairs on your upper lip, you should not be looking at LASER as your first choice. That would be well performed electrolysis

#8

Kelle, I would recommend for you to look into electrolysis for the fine hairs on your face. Your skin type is especially prone to induced growth on the face.

#9

I don’t really have shadows from shaving but now that the hairs are out my skin does look clearer. Apart from the ‘mosquito’ bite type swelling which was expected and went away in an hour my skin was as usual.

The hairs haven’t yet grown back, I’m waiting to see what they look like when theyre out.

#10

9th May 2008: All hair in the treated area ‘fell’ out in the second week and I’ve had clear skin for a while now. Its been a month since the 1st treatment and I’ve not had any regrowth in general. There is a small patch in where hair has regrown a little finer but still coarse enough for treatment.

Plan is to wait for more regrowth before returning.

#11

I have had treatments with the same laser. The fallout took about 2 weeks, though the last two happened in 1 week and the fallout continued longer. Each treatment has lead to more and faster fallout. However, as said, your best bet would be electrolysis being a genetic female and having such a small area to treat.

Your hair may look different, but I can spot the hairs which were successfully treated and are about to fall out. Compared to the surrounding hairs, they are a tiny bit thicker, look dull and are hard and rigid like dried spaghetti. I can pick them out of my skin with my fingers, no tweezers. My electrologist can easily spot them under her magnifier.

#12

Retested at 36 joules, 20 ms pulse.

#13

Completed my second course last week at 36J, 20ms pulse and 10 spot size.

The hair fell out much quicker than last time - it only took a week.

I actually noticed that after the first session, some hair never grew back - great!

#14

this sounds quite promising, i am also a skin type IV and i am half white half oriental, i am wondering if the ND-YAG might be better suited to me rather then the gentleLASE. the gentleLASE power will be only at 12J, 16J max, surely 36J on a ND-YAG sounds a lot more effective? or does it not work like that?

#15

Not to be a naysayer :slight_smile: but remember hair grows in cycles and the hair you lost the first time around could regrow in the next growth cycle. That is what happened to me, the hair I thought was gone came back (with a nice reduction in density and thickness) about 10 months later.

How was the pain at 36J?

#16

PaleBoy, settings are not equivalent among various lasers. You can’t compare alex settings to a Yag laser settings. It’s apples and oranges.