Sixth LightSheer Treatment: MALE FACIAL HAIR

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Is it time for treatment 6 already? Here we go…

I just had my SIXTH male facial hair (beard, upperlip, chin, cheeks, nose) treatment using the LightSheer laser yesterday (October 27, 2003).

If you want specific information about my first five treatments you can see my old posts:

First LightSheer Treatment: MALE FACIAL HAIR from Dec 24, 2002
Second LightSheer Treatment: MALE FACIAL HAIR from Feb 24, 2003
Third LightSheer Treatment: MALE FACIAL HAIR from Apr 23, 2003.
Fourth LightSheer Treatment: MALE FACIAL HAIR from June 23, 2003.
Fifth LightSheer Treatment: MALE FACIAL HAIR from August 25, 2003

My member number is #1466. You can use this number to make it easy to find the previous messages. I think that the search function only goes back so far, so you may have to find the messages by going through the posts by date and looking for them. I promise they’re there. I’ve found them myself!

Once again, if you guys haven’t read the previous messages, I recommend reading them to understand the big picture of how my treatments have been going. This way I won’t have to repeat stuff and take up too much unnecessary space.

Anyway, it has been two months since my last treatment.

About two weeks after the fifth treatment (the one before this one), there were a couple of small patches of hair that were missed. Most were around the upper lip and chin (especially under the chin. However, those patches were definitely much less than after any of the other treatments. I had some mild scabbing, but it was VERY mild compared to any of the other treatments. The scabbing has gotten milder every treatment. I started to have some mild scabbing around treatment 2 or 3. But since treatment 4, I have been being treated at the same fluence settings, and the hair has been getting reduced and removed.

Just like after the fourth treatment, I drew a picture of a face and marked all of the missed spots for the doctor. I showed it to him before this treatment and I also reminded him it was a mirror image.

The doc kept the settings the same as he did for the fourth and fifth treatments (33J, 30ms, 1.0 Hz repetition rate).

I used generic 5% lidocaine on the cheeks, neck, and nose this time, about 15g, and waited about 1.5 hours before the treatment. I also used about 5-10g of Emla, but only on the upperlip and chin. I could tell during the treatment that the Emla was more effective at dulling the pain, in spite of the fact that it was on the more painful areas to be treated (chin, upper lip). Next time I’m going to use the remaining lidocaine (I hate wasting stuff) only on the nose and upper cheeks, and Emla everywhere else.

It felt like there was a little bit more pain than usual this time! I don’t know why, but hopefully next time I will use LOTS of Emla (about 20-25g!!)

The doc used 33J this time, and 30ms pulse width. Same as last time, and the setting as the time before that. He said that because of the (mild, but still present) scabbing he would not go up anymore until the remaining patches of hair got a lot finer during later treatments:

1st Treatment (Dec 24, 2002): 23J, 30ms
2nd Treatment (Feb 24, 2003): 27J, 30ms
3rd Treatment (April 21, 2003): 30J, 30ms (repetition rate slowed down to 1.5 pulses/second)
4th Treatment (June 23, 2003): 33J, 30ms (repetition rate slowed down to 1.0 pulses/second)
5th Treatment (August 25, 2003): 33J, 30ms, 1Hz
6th Treatment (October 27, 2003): 33J, 30ms, 1Hz
7th Treatment (not done yet): 33J, 30ms, 1Hz
8th Treatment (not done yet): 33J, 30ms, 1Hz
9th Treatment (not done yet): 33-34J, 30ms, 1Hz
10th Treatment (not done yet): 33-34J, 30ms, 1Hz
11th Treatment (not done yet): 33-34J, 30ms, 1Hz
12th Treatment (not done yet): 33-34J, 30ms, 1Hz
13th Treatment (not done yet):33-34J, 30ms, 1Hz
14th Treatment (not done yet):33-35J, 30ms, 1Hz
15th Treatment (not done yet):33-35J, 30ms, 1Hz
16th Treatment (not done yet): 33-35J, 30ms, 1Hz

Again, copied from my fifth treatment report:
About the chart that I made above (the one with the fluences): I also don’t think he would go up in any bigger increments, because now we’re definitely above the “threshold” that some have talked about for ‘permanent’ reduction for my type IV skin type, while also getting into the kinds of fluences that can cause scabbing and other nasty side effects (hypo/hyper pigmentation). So I assumed that the max he would go up is 1J every three to five treatments or so. It is very likely I have reached my max threshold at 33J and that if I do go any higher it may be only by 1J when about 95% or more of the coarse hairs are gone.

In either case, it won’t go that much higher until only fine hairs are left to be zapped. At that point (which I think I will reach at treatment 12 or so), I might be able to go a max of 3J higher, bringing the potential max fluence to something like 33-35J.

This touch up (the first five treatments were included in the package price of $1500) cost $100, and I bought a 30g tube of Emla (just in case I run out next time) for $55. So the total amount I paid today was $155. I think that it’s going to cost about that much every two months for these treatments, so approx $80 of my monthly budget will go towards LHR! I think that after about 6 more treatments, I will still have to go in at least once every 6 months for a touch up… But only time will tell.

My face is a little red and puffy, but not as bad as the first four treatments (where I did not want to go outside for a week!)

I will keep posting!

WEAR SUNBLOCK!

Zap
RAISING THE FLUENCE IN 2003

#2

As always, an outstanding and detailed report, Zap! This is the kind of consumer reporting that makes a difference!

Definitely keep us posted!

#3

No problem, Andrea. Thanks for the kind words.

I will continue to post regularly because I know what it’s like looking for information about any kind of new product or service, especially one that directly affects your health. I’m at that point right now where my career goals and other concerns are taking over and I realize now how lucky I was to be able to have the time to look on the Internet on your forum and find information about this procedure.

Had I not known about this forum and had the time to do some research, I probably would have gone to some horrible place like the Institute of Laser Medicine in LA, or even worse, some random EpiLight practicioner!

At this point, I am very excited about my results, and I realize that I will have to keep going back for quite some time, but I realize how bad my facial hair would be if I had never started having these treatments in the first place.

I’ve been having these treatments for over 10 months now, and it looks like I’m probably going to go back every two months for at least another 5 or 6 times, but then I will be able to space the treatments out to maybe two or three times a year. But in the end the results that I will get will have been totally worth it… Already the results are amazing and I’m glad I had this treatment done.

#4

Zap, I appologize if you’ve already answered this question, but could you tell me if your goal is to have your face totally 100% free of hair, or if you are just interested in a major, major reduction in the amount? Thanks.

#5

Hello Redhead…

My goal is to have as little hair as possible on my face.

If I get to a point where electrolysis is more practical, I will get that done to remove the rest of the hair.

From the results that I have had so far, I have a feeling that it will be possible to remove most (if not all) of the darker, coarser hair with the LightSheer. After all of the dark hair is gone, I might have the fluenced raised 1J at a time (very carefully) as long as there is no scabbing to remove finer hairs. Right now, as long as there is some reduction in the hair with every treatment, the settings are going to be kept the same.

It would be nice to have 100% total permanent removal, but that may be practially (or more importantly…financially) impossible. I could do much better things with that money!

If you look at my message from June 24, 2003 (Fourth LightSheer Treatment: MALE FACIAL HAIR), I tried to estimate what the costs would have been if I had only electrolysis vs. only laser vs. electrolysis and laser. Keep in mind I have some VERY thick facial hair (I am a male, and am from the southeast Indian subcontinent, where men have some of the thickest beards in the world). Because of my thick beard, I could have EASILY spent $40,000 (or for that matter even more) if I only had electrolysis done. And that’s just for a reasonable amount of clearance, not necessarily 100%. For that price, I could go through 20 laser treatments (every two months for over three years, the price including anesthetic), and have enough cash left over to have 4 treatments per year for the next 50+ years. Or I could go through 20 (or even more) LHR treatments and have enough left over to finish up with electrolysis. The hairs that are left are exponentially finer than the original thick hairs, and several electrolysis practicioners have looked at my beard and told me that those hairs will be significantly easier to remove with electrolysis (basically, it will take significantly less time per each hair).

Already, the hair on my neck is over 95% (closer to 99%, actually) gone. There are many spots on my cheeks, chin, and even upper lip that are completely hairless. Are there spots that still have thick hair? Yes, definitely so, although those get removed and/or reduced with every treatment. Are there spots with fine hair? Yes… Although some of that hair grows so slowly that I don’t have to shave it between treatments until right before the next treatment.

Do I wish it were better in some areas? Yes. The chin and upper lip are going to take a while to reduce. And also on the cheeks–in the center of each cheek there is some “medium fine” hair remaining. Also, along the jawline (especially underneath) the hair is definitely reduced and much finer, but not as fine as some other ares.

However, the difference between when I first started having these treatments and now is pretty dramatic. I look like I’m 16 years old (I’m really 22) now because my previously permanent 5 o’clock shadow is not nearly as prominent. The only areas where it becomes visible (1.5 months or so after the treatment) is on the chin and upper lip, which for a guy is not so bad. It is also nowhere near as bad as it could be had I never had LHR treatments.

I wish I could post pics, but I have somewhat high profile career in the entertainment industry and can’t have pics like that floating around… If it were any other area besides my face, I definitely would!

In the end, I am very happy I had these treatments done, and I realize that it’s not a “quick fix” solution. I think that it’s going to take at least 6 more treatments until I can stop (if I want to stop), but I will keep going back over and over again for quite some time, just less often as it progresses.

Zap

[ November 03, 2003, 08:59 AM: Message edited by: Zap ]

#6

Thanks, man. I follow your posts with great interest and wish you the best of luck.

#7

Hello Zap, good report…

I have had 8 treatments for my face and neck over an 18 month period. I started the treatments because I had very bad razor bumps that never went away. My neck skin was permenently inflamed. This is something of the past.

I do agree with you that the clearance is not uniform all over. My neck and throat have had an approx 80% reduction while my upper lip has had almost none. I could increase the fluence for that area only – unfortunately it is also the most painful area…!

After 2 more treatments I hope to switch to “maintenance mode” meaning going twice a year for touch-ups. But I am not sure how the long-term effects since I have not been more than 2.5 months without a treatment.