RJC...

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

When having lightsheer treatments do you have gel applied to the area before being treated?

I ask b/c its being applied on me(clear gel) but when i looked on the lumenis site they show videos of the lightsheer at work but i dont see any gel.I’ve had 2 treatments and im dissatisfied with my results so far.In fact i see hair where it was previously fine had actually become coarser…very concerned im not being treated effectively.I thought maybe this could be the reason and the the gel was blocking the laser beams.

#2

Yes, my practitioner does apply a gel to me before the treatment and it has had no negative effects.

What fluence are you being treated at? My last treatment was at 45J. How dark is your skin? Did you feel anything during the treatment? Did you have any redness afterward? Maybe you need to be treated at a higher fluence.

Did they use compression? That’s when they press down hard with the handpiece. That makes a big difference. It temporarily forces blood away from the nearby capillaries so the hemoglobin doesn’t interfere. It also causes the follicle rotate closer to the surface where the laser can more easily reach it.

I had my arms treated once at 28 Joules with a substitute practitioner there was no hair loss from that session. When I went back to see my regular practitioner my arms were retreated for free.

My practitioner says you have to be agressive with the Lightsheer to get good results.

She also applied Aquaphor ointment after treatment to prevent scabbing and help cool the area down.

RJC2001

#3

Thanks for the reply RJC

No he does not use compression.I read about this in the forum and asked him why his response was"gliding and pressing down is the same,and it would take forever if i did it the other way."

Im having a large area done at once:
Chest-Abdomen-Shoulders-Neck-UpperArms-Underarms-EntireBack-Neck-Buttox

Price:$7000 for first 6 treatments and $3500 for the next 6(if necessary)so i said this means so much to me.Plus this price was an absolute bargain compared to other places i checked out. Ill try it out and gave him 7 grand cash.

My skin is “snow” white with dark hair and was told i was a great candidate or so i thought.My skin reacted bad too.Blotches,redness,blisters,pimples were all side-effects that didnt go away for about 3 weeks.I hesitate to even ask him to raise the fluence now because at 45J or 50J my sensitive skin might burn like crazy.

Results after 2 treatments at 34J: Zilch ! More hair then i started with.

Im worried as hell even after 6,8,10 treatments im gona accomplish nothing but waste time b/c ofimproper technique.I have a feeling he wont change his stance on this either.

So now i dont know what to do.I really would like to go to someone that knows what they are doing but not at the expense of losing 7 thousand.

Should i break this guys jaw or what ?

#4

Also 1 more question

Is compression used with only the Lightsheer and not other lasers ? I only have experience with the LightSH

#5

Does your practitioner have an explanation for the lack of results after 2 treatmets? I would ask if you didn’t already.

I am surprised that you had the redness, etc. with pale skin and the lower fluence. Compression makes the cooling sytem work better too.

Do you have all of those areas treated during one session? If so how long does the treatment take. By comparison, it takes an hour to have my chest and abs done. And it takes an hour to have my entire back done. Being treated at a 100ms pulse width also helps, but that does slow down treatment. The first time I had my back done it took 2 hours but that was with the Apogee which was a slower laser. It couldn’t be pulsed as fast.

Did you shave before the treatment? If not that could cause the redness and lack of results.

I am type IV and had redness and a few blisters with the Lightsheer, most of it was gone in 3-4 days and some lingered for a week.

Andrea did say that some people with ideal skin and hair types do not respond to laser but nobody knows why. Are you taking any medications that may promote hair growth, such as prednisone or minoxidil?

Keep investigating and ask questions of your practitioner.

RJC2001

#6

The gel is to protect the epidermis and allow higher fluence levels. It’s possible you weren’t treated at the proper fluence for your skin type. There’s a bit of trial and error, which is why I usually recommend a test patch.