My LHR diary (start summer 2010)

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

So I finally started my LHR (June 2010). I’m very excited and optimistic about it. I’m keeping notes on the progress and as time will go by, I promise that I will keep updating and I will post photos when results will be visually noticeable.

I’m a male, 24, skin type III. Areas being treated are full front: chest and abs. 6 sessions.
On first session, GentleMax was used on Alex mode, 18mm spot, 16 Joules, 10ms pulse-width.

We started with 5ms pulse but it was very unbearable, especially on the chest. With 10ms I was flinching and twitching with every zap. My tech was friendly, social and nice enough to take short brakes when I’d needed it. I really underestimated the amount of pain that I’d face. It’s hard to explain, but it felt like multiple hot needles penetrating your body with burst X by an hour lol. All I was thinking about is pain = good settings and permanent results. :]
Today is second day post treatment, the skin is much calmer and slightly reddish. I’m using witch hazel and aloe vera. I’m waiting for shedding and will be going back in 2 weeks for touch ups.

Next session is in 6 weeks and I’m considering using a numbing cream and go lower on pulse width to insure best results. LMX5 is used by the place. I want to hear if there are better alternatives to this cream or will it give me good enough pain control? If I’m spending $60 bucks on numbing creams, I want to make sure they at least will work well enough and not be a waste.

#2

EMLA is a popular numbing cream.

Going back in 6 weeks is too early, especially if you’ll have a touchup. You likely won’t have anything to treat. I would give it 3 weeks for shedding to finish, then see if you even need a touchup. If treatment was good and less than 5% was missed, no touchup is really necessary (unless it’s free anyway and you want to do it). Then wait until there is enough new growth. This usually will be 8-12 weeks later.

Use aloe vera gel (the clear stuff in the sunburn section of the drugstore). Cool it in the fridge and apply a few times a day. I would also recommend bringing it to the clinic with you if they don’t have it. Or icing the area before and after. Both help with pain.

#3

My tech applied aloe vera gel after treatment and we used an ice pack during treatments. So it’s all good. I’m a little concerned about EMLA cream because of safety issues on large areas.

#4

You handled the pain without EMLA once, you can do it again if you want. I only use a topical cream on the most sensitive part of my bikini line, I don’t think I’d ever use it on an entire chest and stomach (not just because of safety, but because of cost).

#5

Honestly I don’t know if I can go through the same pain again. Plus, I want to be treated with lower pulse width which hurts way much more. Is EMLA just 1 cream in 5% concentration in 30grams? For some reason insurance covers EMLA but not LMX. If people with knowledge about EMLA can put me at ease about its safety, I might just get it. Any practitioners here use EMLA regularly and over large areas like full front: chest and abs?

#6

Topical anesthetics are supposed to be pretty safe if they are prepared properly. I think EMLA comes standardized so it should be prepared properly and thus relatively safe (in terms of not killing you spontaneously). I imagine it is still pretty hard on the liver though.

If your insurance covers it, then maybe you can at least use it on the most sensitive areas even if you don’t use it absolutely everywhere.

#7

EMLA is not any more unsafe than any others. All stories about death had to do with using creams compounded by pharmacists, i.e. too much lidocaine in it. EMLA is fine to use.

#8

Touch up for treatment 1 has been done (3rd week). Going back for treatment #2 in about 6-7 weeks.
Skin looks great, slightly irritated on day 2, but I’m sure it has to do with humid, sticky, hot weather here. I’m using cold Aloe gel several times a day.

#9

Update with photos.

BEFORE LHR TREATMENT STARTED

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5 HOURS AFTER 1ST TREATMENT

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7th WEEK POST TREATMENT 1

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7th week and most of hair is still not grown out. (Definitely too early for the next treatment at 6 weeks in this case.) Hope this helps people judge how the process looks.

#10

Looking good. Thanks for the update.

#11

photos of 10th week post treatment one. Second treatment will be on the 11th week. I expected to see more hair to grow out by now. Hair appears like it’s less coarser than at treatment 1, but maybe I’m just seeing things wrong.

http://img97.imageshack.us/g/img0598vs.jpg/

#12

Overall, the hair is not very coarse. There are coarse patches on the stomach, above and below the belly button, and around the nipple area. But the rest is relatively fine.

#13

I don’t know what’s up because my chest hair was like the coarsest section. Does laser really thin out hair so much after 1 session? In the pics it looks like more than 10% of hair has been killed off after 1 session because I expected more denser regrowth by now. It’s 10 weeks now, do I wait more and how longer or do I go in for another treatment as there is nothing I can do about it?

#14

It certainly can kill 10% (even 25%) in the first session, but when the next phase grows in it will look normal (because none of those hairs have been killed yet). If it’s 10% lighter than normal then it’s probably just because you don’t have any of the telogen/catagen hairs hanging around anymore (same effect happens when you wax regularly, you never look quite as hairy as before you started waxing, even when you let the hair grow for a few months, it’s part of why so many people just wrongly assume that waxing permanently kills hair over time).

If I were you, I’d just go ahead with my next session. Maybe wait another week or something. This hair probably didn’t show up until 4 weeks ago or something, so I don’t think it will go out of anagen if you want to stretch your waiting period a bit more.

#15

Your explanations makes more sense. Now I just hope that laser will still target most of this hair effectively.

#16

My second treatment was done yesterday. The tech raised the settings to 18/18 on GentleLase. This time, I used the numbing cream and I can’t emphasize how much of a difference it makes for pain management. 16 joules on first treatment felt like a nightmare and this time 18 joules with numbing cream felt like the true description of a light rubber band snap. Treatment went faster because I didn’t need constant breaks due to pain like last time.

1 day after treatment and redness is completely gone. I’m surprised because after my first treatment I was very red and it lasted several days. It maybe because the tech applied a special soothing cream after treatment. Overall, I’m happy with the progress.

#17

The hair is probably getting finer too, so the reaction is not as bad afterwards.

#18

November 2010 update photos of 10th week post treatment #2–noticeable reduction and hair is growing back sparser and finer. I’ll have my 3rd treatment (11th week) next week.
http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/2760/10thweekposttreament2.jpg
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/7657/10thweekposttreatment22.jpg
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/6004/10thweekposttreatment2.jpg
http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/7657/10thweekposttreatment22.jpg

#19

Thanks for keeping your promise to update. Very helpful for those behind you thinking of lasing their torso.

I am very impressed after looking at your before and after pictures so far. Keep pushing onward! So cool. By the way, your torso goes on and on. You look pretty tall, so there appears to be a lot of surface area to treat.

#20

The hair is getting pretty fine and the results seem great. Good luck.