Rough Guide to UK Laser Clinics (Add, Comment please!)

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Part I [revised March 6th 2004]

This is my own personal guide to the laser clinics I have come across, therefore some clinics are not included. Please add your comments, suggestions and your own input to this discussion. Thanks!

Before I get started, just a few facts.

I’m quite dark-skinned, perhaps a type IV or V, with back hair, shoulder hair and arm hair I would like to reduce/remove. I approached laser hair removal clinics in December 2003 and from that point for several weeks afterward. I was interested in what the clinics could do for me. I contacted those clinics by e-mail, preferring to write about my condition in the initial instance than speak about it, and this is what happened…

Bare Necessity -

This, to me, was a problem clinic. My initial contact was by e-mail.

I wrote to them enquiring about what I wanted to be greeted with an e-mail that said “it would be easier to talk about this over the phone” and then there was a request for my telephone number.

I provided a telephone number and informed them about suitable times they could ring me. Seven days passed and I didn’t hear anything so I e-mailed them back and was greeted with the following message:

“My college [sic] already responded to you, please ring in.”

I saw this as a lack of professionalism. In the first instance there was a reluctance to write a response over e-mail. They asked for my number, they didn’t bother to ring it, and on the follow-up e-mail they asked me to ring in. Needless to say I didn’t bother.

The one question that bugged me, however, was why this occured. When considering a company who is using technology that, in the wrong hands, can lead to disasterous/dissapointing results, the last thing you want is any discrepancies with the human element and this is what I got. Customer service is indicative at all levels and with regard to LHR, you can’t take any chances. Based on the inital actions of the company, I’m glad I didn’t.

I did some minor research on Bare Necessity and came up with the following:

“I had laser tx from Bare Necessity, they caused scarring and hyperpigmentation. They were very uncaring and unprofessional.”

This was from a thread of mine I had started about Bare Necessity on this very forum. The link for which is as follows:

http://www.hairtell.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=43;t=000746

Elsewhere on the net I found a discussion of problems with the staff and general dissastisfaction with the company:

http://www.consumerbeware.com/forum/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=14&TopicID=1690&SearchPagePosition=1&search=bare+necessity&searchMode=allwords&searchIn=Topic&forum=0&searchSo rt=dateDESC&ReturnPage=Search

On the other hand, the clinic did find some praise in this thread:

http://www.consumerbeware.com/forum/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=8&TopicID=1522&SearchPagePosition=1&search=bare+necessity&searchMode=allwords&searchIn=Topic&forum=0&searchSor t=dateDESC&ReturnPage=Search

[i]“The bare necessity place was wonderful!! Very professional in the layout…I was very impressed with the service and felt completely at ease with the tech. The tech was honest and told me what I should expect (I have a few fine hairs which will prob remain since diode doesnt eliminate them all together!)”[I]

[same poster, different post]

Truth is that I loved bare necessity…very professional and just seemed like a nice place! I was disappointed slightly since the tech who’ll be treating me said that due to me having dark FINE hairs, she couldnt guarantee me complete elimination of hairs…chances are they’ll just get finer and finer!

Bare Necessity has press testominals on its website:

http://www.barenecessity.co.uk/news.htm

These are, naturally, positive.

Further on the plus side, Bare Necessity offer a helpful consumer guide to LHR which is welcome:

http://www.barenecessity.co.uk/laser_info.htm

They are also open about their prices, which is a plus.

However, nothing, in this case, discounts personal experience and that has been the trump card for me in the assessment of this company.

Had they stated that, at the time, they were busy or offered some valid reason, I could forgive them for their less-than-great customer service. As it stands, their first impression left me, well, a little bit cold.

In summary:

website: http://www.barenecessity.co.uk/home.htm

lasers used: Lightsheer XC

consultation cost: free

test patch fee: £18

prices - from £19 to £199 per session

Still to come: The London Cosmetic Laser Centre, The Harley Street Group, Lasercare clinics and Body Smooth

Part 2 coming soon!

[ March 06, 2004, 01:13 PM: Message edited by: Zambo ]

#2

i’m going for a consultation at body smooth this week. i’ll let you know how that goes.

r.c.

#3

to follow up on my previous post, i did go to a consultation at bodysmooth in london. the staff were very friendly, though i did have to wait 30 minutes before i was seen. the nurse sat down with me and explained the basics about the treatment, answered some questions. she then did a free lightsheer test patch on my jawline at 25J. the pain was tolerable. i had some ipl done in the same area a few years ago. this felt different. more like a pin prick, rather than a rubberband snapping. afterwards there was a bit of redness and swelling, but it mostly went away by the end of the day. two days later, and all i can see are a few tiny red dots in the area. barely noticible.

i will call tomorrow and make a proper appointment for the first of eight recommended treatments. if anyone has had a really bad experience with bodysmooth, please let me know now (:

reen

#4

It’s not a bad experience as such but when I went for consultation, their Coolglide machine wasn’t working properly therefore I couldn’t get a patch test done. Basically I had a wasted journey because they’d known all day that there was a fault but they didn’t bother to tell me. Also the main nurse who woulde be performing treatments was away on holiday.

Also the intercom to their building wasn’t working and therefore I spent ages trying to gain access.

However, I have previously had a consultation with them when they were based in Victoria area. At that time they used Lightsheer only; the nurse was very honest saying that she’d probably eliminate 90% of hair, that it would hurt and that also an nd yag may be more suitable for my skin. After bad experiences with Lightsheer at Bare Necessity I decided not to torture myself again with that machine and chose Coolglide at Boston Clinic.This is about 18 months ago.

#5

Part 2

In my quest for a hairless back and thinned-out arms, alas, I’m still at the looking-around stage!

Oh the life of wannabe-hairless chap!

So here is part 2 of my “rough guide”. This concerns The London Cosmetic Laser Centre.

Quite simply I applied through the folllowing link for an information pack:

http://www.londoncosmetic.com/info.php

I received the pack promptly and was dissapointed. The pack reiterated more-or-less what was on the website without any firm detail on the type of laser used or a firm price list of costs (both of which were readily available on the Bare Necessity website).

The best one can muster is the following:

“[the treatment] uses a visible light laser to gently remove unwanted hair, putting an end to routine shaving and waxing.”

What was disturbing to discover, however, came a month or so later. My sister had subscribed to the Which? on-line trial. For those unfamilar with Which? they are, essentially, an independent consumer guide for, you guessed it, consumers. The London Cosmetic Laser Centre came up with some negative comments against one of the chief practioners Dr Fayez Abu Mahfouz. As the Which trial text is not to hand, I searched on the internet and found a BBC news article related to the case:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3389647.stm

This, quite obviously, was quite enough for me.

In summary

website: http://www.londoncosmetic.com/

laser used: unknown

consultation fee: unknown

test patch fee: unknown

prices: unknown

Part 3 on the way SOON!

[ March 06, 2004, 01:39 PM: Message edited by: Zambo ]

#6

I am currently going to Christianos laser clinic. I was told they were good and I’m not dissapointed. They use the Chromos 646 (sp) which I hear is a very good laser. They have clinics in London, Leeds and Manchester.

I go to the one in Leeds and the staff are all very friendly. Consultation and test patch is free, but their costs are quite high.

I’m having full beard for £250 a treatment but so far it’s been worth every penny. You can’t pay for sessions in advance, they only charge you for the sessions you have.

Just do a search for Christianos laser on google and their site is quite informative. I would love to have other areas treated but their costs are so high and I was wondering if anyone had any experiences with LaserCare, I think they are pretty wide spread and have clinics all over the country but I have no idea what laser they use.

I’m skin type 2 and have dark brown/black hair. Anyone in the UK reccomend LaserCare? Which clinic did you visit?

Thanks

#7

just to update:

this morning i went to bodysmooth to get lightsheer done on my chin and neck. i paid £70 for 30 minutes. lesson learned there. 15 minutes would’ve easily been enough, but because i had booked 30, she stretched it all out a bit. i wound up having a few of my lower stomach hairs zapped as well, just to get my money’s worth. next time i will book only book 15 minutes. live and learn.

the nurse used 26J for the duration of the treatment. i have dark hair and light olive-toned skin (type IVish). many of the hairs “popped out” during the treatment. a few black dots remain, but should come off with a bit of exfoliation. this part is new to me because nothing “popped out” with the IPL treatment. they kind of just burned off.

it’s been about an hour since the treatment. i had put on some tendskin as soon as i got home. most of the redness is gone.

so far, i’m satisfied. we’ll see how it goes over the next few weeks. i will update again.

#8

Just been checking out the body smooth website and they seem pretty good. There prices seem ok, but again they charge for the time spent which means they can easily go slower to get more money out of you.

Still they are an option since I have hear a lot of good stuff about the lightsheer. Do you know where they have clinics? I checked the website but it didn’t mention where they are based.

#9

bodysmooth are located in central london, right next to the oxford circus tube stop. the reason why i went with a place that charges by time, rather than by area done, is because it seemed much more practical for me. my first priority is to get rid of the hair on my chin and neck. if i went to a place that did it by area, i would be paying for these two areas. the thing is, though, i don’t have that much hair in either area. i mean, it’d not like a man’s beard. it’s much more spread out, with a bit here and a bit there. the whole thing can be done in 15 mins. looking at the by-the-area prices, i’d wind up paying twice as much for treatment.

#10

How often are you going to visit. I go every month for full face but I heard thats its a waste of time to go every month.

Someone said that 8 weeks interval between treatments is the best. Or does this depend on the body area. I’m confused

#11

i think it does depend on the body area. the nurse said that for an an area with high folicle density, like the face, i should start out having monthly treatments and then space the sessions further and further apart. she also said that the hair cycle is faster in this area, but i’m not sure if that’s true. it does seem like my facial hair grows faster than my leg hair, but it may be because i don’t use a magnifying mirror when looking at my legs.

if i had to pay £35/month for the rest of my life to keep my face clear, i’d be more than happy to do it. it’s not much more expensive than waxing, and if it does manage to kill some of the hair, i’ll be happy. the only thing that bothers me is that my face looks a bit crappy for a few days afterwards. red bumps and stuff. it’s not terrible, but as i work in an image-conscious place, it does make me feel like shit. it’s been 4 days and the bumps are almost gone. some marks remain, but it’s nothing that i can’t cover up with makeup.

i keep reading posts on this board from people who’ve tried laser, were unhappy with the results, and turned to electrolysis. i’ve tried electrolysis. it’s a great thing, really, but i just can’t afford to grow out my hair for 2-3 days before each treatment. that 2-3 days that i cannot leave the house, plus one more day of post-treatment redness. i can’t miss that much work each time.

#12

I had my first treatment at lasercare clinic in leicester yesterday. I am pleased with how the treatment went and the staff were very friendly. They work in conjunction with the NHS which gives you a certain degree of added trust in them in terms of honesty. I had a test patch in september and the hair is still noticeably thinner in that area after only one treatment. Their prices are also very reasonable at £180 for the chest and abdomen for 1 treatment and £865 for 6 pre-booked treatments. The technician also treated my neck and the T-shirt line on my back for no extra cost.

I’m not sure which lasers they use, but I know that they have two, one for dark skinned people and one for those with light skin and dark hair.
You can contact them on 0800 028 7222 for more info, they will send you an information pack and price list.

As everyone that has researched laser knows, it is hard to give an idea of success at such an early stage, but I would say that I’m definitely pleased with the test patch, the staff and the prices.

#13

Anyone know of anything like this in Plymouth or Bournemouth?

What has been your total price per inch? - completely gone that is including number of sessions needed. (so I can budget)

#14

Question for matty:

what lasers do they use at lasercare leicester?

Is it the lightsheer and lyra lasers?

#15

I know the Lyra is one of them, but am not sure of the other, you can ring them on 0116 254 1111 to find out.

#16

UPDATED: April 24th

Part 3

Lasercare Clinics

Lasercare Clinics was founded in the 90s and absorbed another UK chain of laser care clinics (Hairaway) - http://www.hairaway.co.uk/ - making it officially the biggest chain of LHR clinics in the United Kingdom.

I approached Lasercare Clinics with some inital questions by e-mail through their website. All of them went unanswered. I was attracted by their prices and their willinginess to discuss prices as well as the information provided on their website, which informs of what lasers they use, where their clinics are and how you can contact them. Obviously by e-mail, in my experience, you’re not guaranteed to get a response but, bolstered by matty’s positive experiene with them, I decided to give them a go.

I booked an appointment for a consultation and test patch. I had high hopes, sadly they were not met.

Lasercare Leicester is based at Leicester’s Royal Infirmary and is an easy find if you are travelling to the city by rail or bus. Even by car, the place is well sign-posted and finding the clinic is an easy process. The clinic is housed in the Windsor building, on the second floor and is self-contained in having its own reception, waiting area and treatment rooms.

I was greeted by the Clinic Manager (who interestingly is noted as a “Clinical Nurse Specialist” on the website). The business, I noted, was small and compact and the treatment rooms appeared discreet. On initial meeting, the Clinic Manager seemed friendly and jovial enough and asked me to complete a set of rudimentary forms, after which we would get started.

And we did.

I was taken into a treatment room and was asked, quite bluntly, ‘What can I do for you?’ I proceeded to explain my needs and was somewhat downhearted to discover I did so to someone who seemed tired and not fit to give a consultation. Basically I did all the work, explained my situation to a blank face which nodded up and down every so often and to someone who didn’t offer anything in the way of interest or follow-on questions to what it was I was saying. She asked to see the areas that would require treatment after which she explained the laser hair removal process, pausing occasionally to utter an approximation of, ‘My mind’s drawn a blank, you explain this stuff all the time, give me a moment.’ Needless to say, I was not impressed. She seemed to be reciting from a memorised script and seemed quite desperate to end the consultation as soon as she could. She informed that the equipment they had (Lyra) would soon be getting updated and she would be soon leaving the clinic as she was firm to point out that she was a “clinic manager” and not a laser nurse. Oh dear.

I asked a lot of questions, as I knew I should, despite my nerves, and was greeted with a hostility I didn’t expect, or rather a defensiveness that suggests a lot of the clients to the laser care centre pretty much listen and proceed with treatment. I didn’t and it seemed to shock her somewhat.

Anyway, moving on, she clipped hair from my back and performed a test patch.

Zap.

That was it.

And the nurse’s attitude was, ‘Let’s go back out into reception where you can hand me the 20 pounds you owe [for the test patch].’

Pathetic.

In summary. the Clinic Manager didn’t inspire confidence in me or my investment in laser hair removal. I was asked at one point, ‘Do I do physics?’ after I enquired about the settings for my test patch. (!)

In summary:

website: https://www.lasercare-clinics.co.uk/main.php

lasers used: Ruby, Alexandrite, Lyra (soon to change)

consultation cost: free

test patch fee: £20

prices - competitive, full back treatment £210

Still to come: The Harley Street Group, Body Smooth and - SHOCK! HORROR! - a return visit to another branch of Lasercare Clinics.

Part 4 coming soon!

[ April 24, 2004, 12:37 PM: Message edited by: Zambo ]

#17

update:

it’s been almost 4 weeks since my first lightsheer treatment on my chin and neck. so far, so good. there’s some re-growth, but nothing like before. the stubble is gone. there are some individual hairs, but they are much finer (though still dark). there are a few random thicker hairs on my cheeks that didn’t get zapped because they weren’t there a month ago. i guess they’re just starting to grow back from all the tweezing. but yeah, i’m happy. i wasn’t expecting a miracle. this is good enough for now. i can actually go a couple days without shaving, and when i do have to shave, it takes no time at all. i’m going to wait a bit to make the second appointment. maybe more will grow in over the next couple weeks, and then i’ll get my money’s worth in treatment. also, i’m thinking of having my chest (mainly around the nipples) done as well. i’ve been having electrolysis done there, but despite having not all that much hair, it’s taking ages. maybe i just need a better electrologist. can anyone recommend one in london?

r.c.

#18

Sorry to hear about your negative experience Zambo, all that I can say is that I can’t echoe your experience! It seems your negative opinion is firmly based on the attitude of one person. I have dealt with two nurses at the clinic, both of whom were very friendly.

It seems you can came across someone arrogant with a very high opinion of themselves. I think they have different nurses who carry out the lyra treatment, hence I have not come across her.

#19

lasercare’s prices don’t seem to be so bad they are only a little higher than those of the Boston clinic but it seems that they only have the lyra for dark skin.
Interesting that the pirces quoted for london and for leicester are the same i would have expected london to be more. Wonder what the people at the london are like.

Its a shame they don’t have the coolglide otherwise would definitely be tempted to give them a go

Zambo keep up the good work with the diary, i’ve lost track have you picked a clinic yet or are you still researching. Can i just say no matter which one you pick you will find that there will be some days that you are really happy with the treatment, the staff, waiting time… and there will be days when you will wish you had other options. Certainly my experince at the Boston, but the same goes sometimes for my hairdresser’s, my beautician etc…
All the best in your search

#20

Apologies for the lack of updates recently, I will finish off the “rough guide” quite soon. Just a quick update: I am off for a consultation and treatment at Bodysmooth later this week and I’ll let you know how that goes!

Sorry to hear about your negative experience Zambo, all that I can say is that I can’t echoe your experience! It seems your negative opinion is firmly based on the attitude of one person. I have dealt with two nurses at the clinic, both of whom were very friendly.

This is the reason why I started a thread dedicated to the UK as I wanted to bring together as much information/experience as possible and it’s helpful to have differing points-of-view so others can make informed choices. The lady I dealt with in the above post (which will be revised in due course–I wrote it pretty much straight after getting off the train home!) wasn’t a great advert for their business but your experience proves otherwise. Keep us updated of your treatments and experiences at Lasercare :smile:

It seems you can came across someone arrogant with a very high opinion of themselves. I think they have different nurses who carry out the lyra treatment, hence I have not come across her.

This is correct and the woman I dealt with said she was soon to be moving clinic so hopefully you won’t have to deal with her either!

lasercare’s prices don’t seem to be so bad they are only a little higher than those of the Boston clinic but it seems that they only have the lyra for dark skin.

At the moment, they use the Lyra, HOWEVER, the nurse I dealt with (at the Leicester clinic) said they would be replacing the Lyra with the SnartEpil/Acclaim nd: YAG (IIRC) – basically the benefits are a larger spot-size and an alternative cooling system. Although I have had a bad experience with Lasercare I must jump to their defense with regards to their pricing. It is very competitive.

Interesting that the pirces quoted for london and for leicester are the same i would have expected london to be more. Wonder what the people at the london are like.

This is VERY IMPORTANT and I’ll include this in my revised post but Lasercare acquired several clinics under the Hairaway chain (http://www.hairaway.co.uk/) which means staff greatly vary at the different clinics. My advice is to check the staff lists at the different clinics and see who is involved with which clinic. Generally speaking, clinics tied to NHS hospitals are a safe bet, though, as my experience proves, no less suspetible to bad customer treatment.

Its a shame they don’t have the coolglide otherwise would definitely be tempted to give them a go

Although the Coolglide won the best laser for dark skin award for 2003 (http://www.aesthetictrends.com/issues/winter03/Awards%20Proof.3FINAL.pdf), I’ve been reliably informed that the three big nd: YAG lasers (Lyra, Coolglide, SnartEpil/Acclaim) are pretty much identical bar the cooling methods used which is said to affect the pain one experiences undergoing treatment. I’ve been treated with the Lyra and can tell you that at the highest setting I received (a fluence of 60) it felt like a bee had landed on my skin and was “sucking the hair” out of my skin with a hot, repeated pin-prick action (!!!) That’s not nearly as bad as it sounds and with anything it’s usually the antcipation that creates “more pain” than the actually “thing” itself. Let me clarify myself, I would rate the “pain” as a 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. Not painless, but not agony either (of course some say it’s different on different parts of the body…something I will tell you about after my first full treatment!)

Zambo keep up the good work with the diary, i’ve lost track have you picked a clinic yet or
are you still researching.

That’s why I nicknamed it a rough guide :wink: I did my research and have yet to write up my findings but as noted I first tried Lasercare for my test patch and will now proceed with Bodysmooth for a full first treatment (I’m confident that a new test patch, for the nd: YAG laser, is not necessary).

Can i just say no matter which one you pick you will find that there will be some days that you are really happy with the treatment, the staff, waiting time… and there will be days when you will wish you had other options. Certainly my experince at the Boston, but the same goes sometimes for my hairdresser’s, my beautician etc…

You’re absolutely correct. But at the very least, there should be a demand for professionalism, especially with such a potentially dangerous/dissapointing technology like laser hair removal. But you should, if you want, post your views of the Boston Clinic here as I’m sure it would be helpful to other readers.

Thanks for the responses everyone, keep reading, keep researching and good luck with reducing that hair (that emphasis was for you, Andrea :grin: )

[ April 13, 2004, 03:39 PM: Message edited by: Zambo ]