Removing paradoxical hair growth

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hi,

I have two questions if anyone is able to assist.

(1) I have had 6 treatments on back, shoulders and upper arms. Four with the Lumenis Lightsheer Duet and two with the Alexandrite Gentlelase. I didn’t seem to notice too much of a difference after the first 5 treatments and then now, after the 6th, it’s as though I’ve achieved an 80% reduction on my back. That’s great of course, but I’m wondering if noticing a sudden and drastic reduction after a particular treatment is normal or might it be that the laser technician did something different during the last treatment, or perhaps it’s that the cumulative effect of hair reduction takes a while to become noticeable? The technician who did the last treatment was someone who had never treated me before, though I’m fairly sure she did not turn the power up.

(2) The downside of the treatments has been increased hair growth on my upper arms. Does anyone know if further treatments at a higher setting might get rid of this or will I need to get electrolysis? Most of my treatments have been at low to moderate settings as I am high Fitz III / low Fitz IV skin type and my skin goes quite red after each treatment. However, I think there’s scope to go quite a bit higher on the power (I’m currently at 8 J, 18mm spot size and standard spot duration for Gentlelease, though I’m not sure what that is).

As a matter of interest, the hair on my upper arms seems largely unaffected by the laser, after each treatment it grows back quite quickly so that there isn’t really a hairless period as you would normally expect after a laser treatment. I wish I’d never let the laser near my upper arms as they weren’t really very hairy to start with. Let that be a lesson to others.

#2

Are you sure you were being really treated at 8 Joules 18mm spot size?? Anything below 14 joules on 18mm spot size is a waste of time, money and effort because you are being severely under-treated. I would question if technicians have any training or experience because with those settings, I’m surprised you’re claiming “80%” reduction on your back.

#3

I’m pretty sure it’s 8 but I’ll check again at my next treatment. She told me she treats dark skin people at 6 joules. If 8 joules doesn’t work why would the manufacturer put that setting on the machine? Makes no sense?

#4

Maybe i am a bit biased as an Electrologist - but as soon as any “complications” occur in LHR You should look out for an Electrologist working fast and efficient. Especially if paradoxical growth occurs.

Despite earning my living by Electrolysis i am pretty open for photoepilation - as long as it is done right and the treatment is strictly restricted to the situations where it is appropriate (which usually seems not to be the case, unfortunately).

I have had photoepilation on pretty strong body hair myself - IPL (with the old Ellipse machine) at 22 J/cm^2. I achieved about 80-90% reduction in only two sessions four months apart. Prior to the treatments i depilated the hair and thus forced them into anagen - crucial for successful photoepilation because telogen hairs are usually not dark enough to absorb sufficient light (BTW: if You leave body hair alone, something like 80% of the hairs are in telogen state, so it seems to be crucial to depilate between photoepilation sessions).

So again: look for different people for Your hair removal. If You would like to stick to LHR, follow my hints above (mainly force the hairs into anagen and extend the treatment intervals until the next steady state hair density is reached).

#5

These machines are designed to treat skin conditions conditions too, not just for hair removal. If a setting is in the system it doesn’t mean it will work. If your skin is too dark for Alexandrite lasers, you need to find ND:YAG laser with appropriate energy used. There were studies that linked low energies use in lasers to stimulated hair growth. If you want results, Alexandrite laser is not right for your skin type.