Hi all. Apologize if this is a bit long. I’ve been in and out of these forums for a while and I’m not giving up on lhr yet.
Male, late 20s, middle eastern, light olive skin
My situation is that a few years ago I went in for LHR on upper arms and shoulders and upper back. Admittedly I didn’t go in for treatments on schedule and only had 2-3 tx. I started noticing increased hair growth or paradoxical hair growth after laser treatment. I later found out that I was treated with low settings on the Gentlelase. I believe it was 15MM 12 - 14J. I’ve been skeptical about lhr since, yet remain hopeful.
I’ve consulted with a couple other doctors who specialize in lhr and some say it will work and others say that I am the perfect candidate for induced hair growth because I have olive skin and the potential for burning is a problem and therefore treatment at low settings can cause induced growth. Some say it’s hard to tell if it is induced hair growth or just genetics since my dad and grandad have heavy body hair Some doctors say my hair is dark and dense, others say its kinda dark and not dense enough. I think I definitely experienced induced hair growth and that I never should’ve had laser hair removal in the first place. I think the initial doctor I went to wasn’t aggressive enough and “took” my money. Note: he was recommended by some people here who had positive results. I can’t change the past, so I’m focusing on the present and future.
I’ve tried electrolysis (blend method, nobody i’ve heard of here near San Francisco uses pico or micro). I had one electrologist do my left shoulder and honestly I can see some progress made there. However it was slow and left marks on my skin that took 6 -10 months to resolve. I went to another electrologist for comparison on my right shoulder. She was MUCH faster, but I had zero results with her. Also had skin marks but they resolved much faster. I think the difference between the two was the 1st electrologist stayed in the follicle longer and therefore the process was slower, but I had better results and more skin marks (like brown spots). I was very good about staying on schedule with both. At the end of the day, it was too slow for me and both electrologists didn’t have the time for me.
So I’m back to lhr again. I’m seeing a pretty reputable doctor, though he doesn’t perform the tx himself. I went for a consultation 10 weeks ago. His analysis is that my skin is not that dark and that the hair is dark enough. So, we did a couple test spots. One on the right shoulder with Gentlelase Alex 18MM 14J and the left shoulder with a YAG (don’t remember the settings). Both test spots about the size of a golf ball. 10 weeks later, the differences are interesting. Both had shedding. The Alex has grown in much slower. The left shoulder has regrowth that is thinner. Hard to tell if it will growth thicker/darker/longer over time. Given previous experiences, Id say it does. The right shoulder seems to have absolutely clear spots and a couple dark tufts (new hair or missed hair?). When I rub my finger over both, the right shoulder is smoother than the left. ALSO, NOTE, the area surrounding the test spot on the right shoulder definitely seems darker and denser now. Could be induced hair growth in adjacent area. No problems on the left shoulder. Not sure if I’m ready for a 2nd treatment. But, I’m going in tomorrow to have them look at my skin so they can see if skin can handle higher settings and possibly treat the test spots again and see how it looks in another 10-12 weeks.
QUESTIONS:
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Do I stick with 10-12 weeks intervals? Do I treat again even though the new hairs are still growing in and will likely get thicker and darker as they grow in?
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Is it a better sign that the right shoulder (alex) is smoother than the left (yag) at this point?
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What are the best options for natural looking results. I.e. No T-shirt look on the transition from lower arms to upper arms?
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What are good settings on YAG?
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Lots of dark, long hair mixed in with vellus type hairs. How do you treat that?
Thanks everyone!