Should I continue treatments?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hey guys I haven’t been around in a while. Some may remember i’ve been getting laser treatments on my hands. I’ve had 3 already and tommorow is my 4th treatment. First 2 treatments were with the Soprano Xl. Last time I had Lightsheer Diode. It seems the hairs have become thicker since switching to the Diode…
or atleast, it seems the Soprano made them thinner.
heres some pics.
before any hair removal
http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/7579/foto005p.jpg

10 weeks post treatment #3
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/2002/treatmentdrie10weekspos.jpg
http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/2002/treatmentdrie10weekspos.jpg

I understand because of hair cycles I would not see effectiveness in a while but after my 4th one, shouldn’t I be seeing a good notable diffirence by then?

#2

I don’t know why you would opt for laser. I would say go to Electrolysis. I had experience with a diode laser last year and it worsened my situation. I am so pro-electrolysis, I don’t even think laser works at all. For some people maybe, but it seems like 80% of the cases it worsens. I would say go for electrolysis; it may hurt, but my hands are 90% clear after 2 clearances.

#3

The hair is not very coarse or dense. I would expect only average results on this growth.

I doubt hairs “became thicker”. You are probably seeing hairs from another hair cycle. They don’t look any thicker than the ones in your original photo.

I don’t know where you’re getting your statistics, connor. They sound made up.

#4

I do not know anything about laser, however, I hate when I am successful in my predictions. I am sorry Johnson, I really wish that you had the reduction forecast by LAgirl, 70 to 80%?

By the way, Connor is correct, one hour in each hand and then you’d really this 80% reduction.

#5

I can see a diffirence but not too much I think.

#6

How can I get that kind of reduction with only a treatment or two electrolysis when there are a lot more hair cycles than that? From everything I’ve read all the hair needs to be treated once or twice in each of the 3 hair phases making it 3 to 6 treatments overall…

I would like to get electrolysis treatments one day but i tried laser first because i thought i was a good candidate. i think maybe 20 to 30% is gone after 3 treatments. tommorow may be my last laser appointment if I still don’t see a good reduction after 4 treatments in total.

#7

“From everything I’ve read all the hair needs to be treated once or twice in each of the 3 hair phases making it 3 to 6 treatments overall…”

Seriously, there needs to be a book written for the consumer that is scientific and non-biased — and not intended to drive business to your door. The internet is fine, but there is virtually too much information (misinformation) and, therefore, results in more confusion, e.g., the statement above. I suppose it’s time?

#8

A hairtell FAQ’s would be a good start until that book gets written, wink :wink: :wink: wink. This is terribly frustrating, I know. I do try to take into account that things are not explained too well in that first consultation and the client misunderstands what the practitioner was saying about hair growth cycles and such.

#9

Bare with me please. I just haven’t heard of 1 treatment having that amount of permanent reduction. And maybe it is true but damn, you guys are like the best electrologists in the world so I doubt it would be the norm.

Anyway, just for more clarification. My first treatment was late November last year and today is my 4th treatment. Just something to throw out there for you hair cycle experts.

Thanks for the help. I’d shake your hand with my gorilla hand.

#10

Hey Johnson, you are quite confused with the information you have. Indeed, 3 clearances are needed to finish with 99% of hairs in the area with Electrolysis, not because we have to repeat the same hair, nor because we have to kill the same hair in each phase.

I am going to explain the progress of your case if you had received Electrolysis from the beginning.

In your original photo, most existing hairs in the area were present, but a small percentage of hairs were lacked because some hairs fall out due to the natural cycle of our hair system every day. This is shedding phase and represents a small percentage of the total (10% perhaps in this area). Many people believe they have 100% of the hairs present, but in reality, some hairs always lack, even if you expect much time from the last epilation or you’ve never touched the area.

If you had started with Electrolysis, and all hairs present at the time had been treated, 80 at 85% would have gone in the first session. If in this session, your electrologist had cleared the whole area you wanted, the reduction of 80 % would be a fact.

PS:I fell in love with your hands since I saw them for first time. Please, if you decide to continue your treatment with Electrolysis in the future, it have to be done with the insulated needle (if possible Laurier). Those hands deserve this.

#11

Josefa says she can treat hair in any growth phase. Unfortunately, 95% of other electrologists cannot. So I prefer to provide the realistic average estimates, which you can clearly see by reading diaries on the electrolysis forum here. It’ll take 12-18 months of at least monthly treatments/clearances.

#12

Josefa, he only had 3 treatments. I never said he’d get 80% in 3 treatments. Our FAQs clearly state 6-8 treatments.

#13

Well my 4th treatment was today. It was the most painful one yet and there was a lot of swelling and redness for a while. It’s all good.
it was 29J on 9 mm spotsize lightsheer diode. I feel good about this one as it felt like the most effective treatment yet.

#14

LAgirl, I wasn’t making a researched fact. :stuck_out_tongue: I meant it “seemed” like 80% of cases fail. This could be (I nearly guarantee) through ignorance, but it seems to me with what I’ve gathered and experienced, that electrolysis is foolproof. My neck area is a clear indication. I do not mean to argue! Because I know you could run circles around me with the topic of hair removal, but I just wanted to share my own thoughts.

I do not fully doubt laser hair removal, but I just think it needs a few more years of development before people can expect half decent results on a “mid-ranged” laser.

#15

Then I must have a lot of underlying pigmentation(I’m Middle Eastern and I came up with skin type 3 on that chart thing) because this is the limit for what I can take. There is no way I can go above 30 and not feel like my skin is literally being burned off, and I generally have a very good pain tolerance.

#16

Don’t be afraid of expressing your opinion Connor. You are basing your opinions on your personal experience. And, that’s what everybody else is doing here too. As far as real “research in the field of hair removal,” well, there isn’t any.

Oh, and I agree with you too!

#17

Yah, I’ve had successful Laser and also been organising my sister’s treatments (and my cousins, and my friends but hey). But there is always so much doubt. Are the settings high enough? Is this going to be permanent? How coarse do the hairs have to be to respond? And lots of researching on my part plus co-coordinating the treatment schedules because the clinics have you come back to soon.

Compare this with the electrolysis my sister has started to have with Josefa and to a some extent, my own with my old electrologist. There is no doubt. It’s just a matter of time and getting on the table. The main difference between my electrologist and Josefa is that Josefa’s work is so precise that she can make very accurate predictions and after just one clearance there is a HUGE difference. And we don’t need to do anything except turn up. The only ‘research’ I had to do is find her :slight_smile:

#18

Hmm, you know what I don’t get. Why can’t Laser work in 3 treatments? If you have all the hair in anagen at the first treatment and the hair in the subsequent treatments will obviously be also in anagen, and provided they are spaced apart appropriately and the settings are high enough, surely 3 should be enough to get through all the hair cycles?

Both Michael (I think, tell me if I’m wrong) and Josefa predict 3 clearances with electrolysis, spaced 3-4 months apart for areas with ‘established’ growth as enough to get through the hair cycles. Most of my Laser treatments were 3 months apart too.

#19

Sorry, Connor and Michael, but I disagree. The problem is that people like to compare BAD laser treatments to GOOD electrolysis treatments. That’s not a fair comparison.

For some reason, everyone loves to ignore threads and threads we have on the electrolysis forum started by people who’ve had years of ineffective electrolysis, some of which even caused permanent scarring. In those cases, people jump in and blame the electrologist. But when someone on the laser forum posts a less than successful story, everyone jumps in and blames the laser. A laser device is not a robot. Issues with both methods arise as a result of OPERATOR ERROR, not the method itself.

In this particular case, we’re trying to help someone with less than ideal hair and less than ideal laser get as much out of treatments as possible as that’s what he prefers. It’s too early to judge anything after only 3 treatments, just like you wouldn’t dare judge someone’s electrolysis skills after only 3 treatments.

In GOOD HANDS, laser is great and MUCH faster than electrolysis. Electrolysis can’t compete for areas like underarms, bikini etc in either cost or speed. By GOOD HANDS, I mean a good machine at good settings being used on the right type of hair.

Most people on this forum who have educated themselves are doing a combination of laser and electrolysis for a reason.

Try to be unbiased.

#20

I suppose I didn’t really read what connor was saying. I do agree that we believe what we see … that is not science.