Hi Julie.
Yes, that’s what I was saying, but feel free to say anything you want, anytime you desire. Free speech is never discouraged here!
Thanks,
Dee
Julie, can you ask what pulse width and spot size they’re using on the LightSheer in addition to joules (which seem to be 26-28 or so based on your previous responses)? It’s important to make sure they’re using high settings. I know you feel you should leave it up to them, but you have to understand that in this industry many clinics don’t go to the conferences and educate themselves enough to learn how to provide the BEST treatments. That’s why many find this forum so helpful. It’s UNBIASED since none of us have any vested interested in your results or lack thereof.
Also, are you seeing shedding of all treated hair 3 weeks after each treatment? This is very important in order to be able to judge results. As you’re getting treatments so often, you can’t really tell the effect of treatments since you’re not letting the hair grow out enough to see what’s actually still there. I don’t want you to stop treatments in a few months and see 50-80% of the hair return.
It also sounds like you’re going to one location of the infamous chain clinic, which isn’t great (see posts on law suits…there is one class action suit even going out). At least they’re still using the LightSheer though, which is better than the machine most of their centers switched to (Amerilase and Amerilight by Synosure…basically the Comet rebranded).
No one on this forum has yet seen any results from Meladine in the past 5 years, mainly because laser works by targeting the follicle UNDER the skin and disabling it with heat, and Meladine doesn’t help that process whatsover since it doesn’t change the color of the root of the hair (and that’s what laser is attracted to). But of course it’s up to you to try it out if you feel it’s worth your time and effort to find this out for yourself.
Okay, I will comment on my first use of Meladine with LHR. I used Meladine 6 times on my face and throat in the morning and in the evening for 2 weeks. Meladine folk say 4-6 weeks, but it was only 2 weeks until my next laser session, so this isn’t recommended since I was 2-4 weeks shy. However I will report anyway with that in mind. 95% or more of my remaining whiskers are gray and therefore not terribly affected by the laser. On my 5/29/9 session, after using meladine for the aforementioned 2 weeks, I noticed a definite increase in the number of whiskers I felt dying under the laser; I hadn’t felt that since the first couple of times. The technician, who did my previous session also noticed that many more were popping-out.
Does this really mean it works? I do not feel that this is enough of a test for me; I want to see after next session on 7/10/9 and see what I can really see on number of whiskers gone too. But that is what I have to report.
LAGirl,
I have added to my calendar to ask the laser folk what my history was for pulse width, spot size and joules, so that I remember to ask them. Can you give me an example of, “high settings,” please?
I saw the shedding to which you referred over the first 3-4 sessions, but now, all I have left is gray, so I haven’t seen as much (I don’t actually see this happen, but know that there is less whiskers mostly from the feel of my razor).
ALSO, my laser people are giving me two years of free laser treatments regardless; that’s how they work; you have 6 sessions and after the 6 sessions, even if there are no more apparent dark whiskers, you start 2 years of sessions every six weeks. At this point, 95%+ are gray only, whereas I had a lot of dark and light red. So thus far, it sure looks like laser hair removal works, but that’s only for sure if they don’t come back like you say.
I feel good about my laser folk; they seem very professional and skilled.
As for Meladine, see my report to Dee. Now this is ONLY saying that I definitely felt a distinct increase in the number of whiskers burned; see my report.
And finally, PLEASE remember that I’m just this person doing my best to report what I’m encountering; I’m not some kind of expert at reporting or a scientist or something. To reaffirm, I have no vested interest in meladine; in fact it costs me money to buy the stuff and I was actually going to NOT use it at all until I learned from my laser folk that we get two free years anyway.
I hope I’m answering all the questions ok.
Julie
Can you please clarify what you mean by “whiskers”? That sounds like fine hair, which laser can’t affect whether it’s dark or light in color. Laser only works on coarse hair. If that’s what you have, I would spend the time on electrolysis on this point even if the treatments are free because they won’t do anything to fine hair.
On LightSheer, there are 2 variables: pulse width and joules. Joules should be higher than 25j and pulse width should be under 30ms or so. These are the minimum effective settings I would say. The higher the joules and the lower the pulse of course, the better, as long as your skin can safely handle it. Also, LightSheer either comes with a 9mm or a 12mm spot size (size of head of the machine). The larger 12mm spot size is better. If they’re using the older model with a 9mm spot size, adjustment in the settings for that is important too.
I define whiskers as thick, stiff, coarse, very male facial hair and have never heard of whiskers being described as simple hair, fine hair, peach fuzz, etc. Furthermore, I’m Scottish and we have some pretty darn thistlish like whiskers.
Thanks for the info on the settings; I’m pretty sure that all of my sessions used 26+ joules and I’ll find-out about the pulse width.
I think that the spot size is the 12mm; like a large chicklet, but I’ll ask.
Per request, below is my complete treatment schedule for laser hair removal on my face and throat as of 07/13/09. All were done with a Diode Laser 810 nm at a spot-size of 12x12 mm. There is no mention of pulse width, but there is a pulse duration, which always “auto” except for the first treatment which was 30 ms.
11/08/08 24 joules
12/13/08 28 joules
01/24/09 26 joules
03/07/09 28 joules
04/17/09 29 joules
05/29/09 31 joules
07/10/09 34 joules
By the end of the 03/07/09 treatment, I’d say that the vast majority of my colored whiskers were all gone. The remaining whiskers were grey/clear. I rarely saw any whiskers in my shaving scum. And I felt very few whiskers being zapped on my 04/17/09 treatment.
Two weeks prior to my 05/29/09 treatment, I started using meladine 6 times in the morning and 6 times in the evening. On 05/29/09, I and the technician who had performed my treatment for 04/17/09 noticed a definite increase in the number of whiskers that were getting zapped.
For the five weeks up to my next treatment, on 07/10/09, I kept using meladine as indicated. I noticed that there were now dark whiskers in my shaving scum and a significant increase in the number of whiskers being zapped during my session. The tech saw them popping and it felt like one of my first sessions again.
There is the possibility that my whiskers didn’t become darker because of the meladine, but rather that these are actually my old whiskers returning. I however, don’t believe this since, in my opinion, it would be a miraculous (or diabolical) coincidence of astronomical proportions. They also increased the power to 31 and 34 joules on my last two sessions respectively, but that wouldn’t explain why we’re clearly seeing dark whiskers were these had all but vanished.
This week and next week, I’m going to stop shaving on Thursday (so I will not shave on 07/18/09 and 07/22/09) through the following Monday (so before I shave on 07/20/09 and 07/27/09) and make a report on amount of whiskers (as best I can judge) and color.
Those are decent settings. If they can go down to 20ms, even better. The lowest is 10ms on this machhine.
It’s really actually hard to tell which hairs you’re treating. To really judge, you would have had to wait 6 months to make sure that no more dark hairs would come in, which would be pretty unrealistic after 7 treatments. Laser doesn’t remove 100% of the hair.
As I stated in my 07/13/09 entry, I stopped shaving last Thursday and checked my beard, but on Sunday rather than Monday. There is clearly much fewer whickers overall; it’s difficult, if not impossible to determine how many whiskers are actually gone. I’d guess that at least half are gone, but that the remainder still represent a significant number. However, these remaining whiskers were all gray before whereas now, after having used Meladine for the last 8 weeks, there are areas that have color. Again, I can’t state for certain that the Meladine did this or not, but that is my report. I’m happy so far and look forward tot he next laser session. I do not think that I will do this test again next week, as I said though.
Okay, thanks.