skin type IV / V help - first time!

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hi everyone

I’m very new to this and have found this site very useful. I was wondering if I could get some advice on laser hair removal.
I am male with skin type IV / V (indian) with black hair.
I am planning to get LHR done on my lower back and butt(!) to start off with. I wouldn’t consider the hair in these areas fine.
I have had a consultation with one of the places in my area (South Africa) where they did a test patch on my stomach.
They use the lightsheer diode system (pulse width 400ms and intensity of up to 100j).
First, does anyone know what sort of settings i should be asking for / suggesting? Can’t remember what was used for the test patch.
Also, what should I be seeing after treatment? The test patch was slightly red for about 2-3 hours after treatment. I have had no adverse reactions, but since this was done only a week ago (and they shaved the test area) I am not sure how effective it was.
I am planning to get the first treatment done this weekend.
Thanks in advance!

#2

What you consider not too fine of hair on the lower back and buttocks, may indeed be considered too fine or light for laser hair reduction. A picture would be helpful. Shedding should occur in one to three weeks. If you see this, that is a good sign. Special technique is required when using the LightSheer diode, so hopefully the tech is using compression with this device. Doing a test spot does not always offer a full picture of how effective this laser or any laser will be for your areas and hair type. Levels are determined by the person doing the treatment as they can observe and assess you the best.

When I do electrolysis on these areas, many of the hair “bulbs” are white and out of the growth phase. If you go forward with this, don’t give up before the 1 - 1.5 year mark so you can get to through the all hair growth stages. Hopefully, you can get through all the hair growth cycles and thus have a lot of dark “bulbs” eventually that will attract the laser light.

#3

hi dfahey

thanks for the response. well i’m going to try attach a picture of a my lower back. I would say it is definitely coarse hair. my back and bum are quite similar in terms of coarseness, though my cheeks do not come in so hairy, tapering out (only slightly!) as you go wider.
i’ve been reading on these forums and i get the impression that anything under 30J at 100ms using the diode (which i think is the 12mm version) is probably not going to do permanent reduction? if i remember i think the test patch was about 20J at 100ms.
also since they shave you prior to treatment should i be expecting immediate shedding?! or will this happen in a couple of weeks?

#4

hi again. okay this is a picture! it’s actually worse than i thought! hopefully lhr will be a good solution…

#5

The photo system on this site doesn’t work. Try uploading to www.photobucket.com and posting the link here.

Also, please call the clinic and ask for settings used (spot size on their machine, joules, and pulse width used). We can’t advise on settings over the internet. They should be testing you and using the highest settings your skin can handle safely.

100ms is very high. If you can’t handle under 40ms settings, you should be using an ND:Yag laser instead.

#6

hi LAgirl
here’s a link to the picture. just going through the forum and reading up on the internet it seems like acceptable results were achieved at around 100ms, though at 30J or higher. I am going for a first session on saturday and will discuss this with the laser person. unfortunately there are few places here with the ND:Yag, I thought i would give the lightsheer a try.

#7

The hair is mixed, some coarse some finer. You should get some results, just not 100% removal.

Just because 100ms is possible to use doesn’t mean it’s going to be very effective for permanent reduction. For that, the hair needs to absorb enough heat to disable the follicle permanently. The best machines like GentleLASE and GentleYAG go down to 3ms. There is a reason for that. The shorter the pulse width and the higher the joules, the more effective the treatment.

It’s up to you what you want to do. I’m only here to recommend the BEST way to do it, i.e. to get permanent results and in as few treatments as possible.

#8

hi again

okay the settings on the test patch were 25J at 100ms using the lightsheer diode.
i haven’t had any adverse reaction so far, though i guess it’s still too early to determine the shedding?
lagirl thanks for the advice, i don’t mean to be contrite, I am just eager to get this started. i suppose the smarter thing to do is to plan it out properly!
i have managed to find a laser centre that uses the apogee elite, which i understand has both the alexandrite and ndyag lasers. can anyone suggest the minimum settings for my skin type? i am going for a consultation this weekend but want to be sure that i am not being duped!
sorry for the repeat questions! searching the forum for settings on the ndyag is a little like finding a needle in a haystack!
thanks again for the very useful info guys.

#9

Apogee Elite is a good machine. Get a test spot and let us know what settings they use. We can judge whether they’re being aggressive enough. I would tell them up front that you don’t mind the pain as long as it’s effective because some clinics try to use lower settings on the test spots and in general to avoid scaring off the customers.

You need to give it 3 weeks for shedding to complete.

#10

hey again. okay got a test patch done using the elite. settings were 30J at 40ms using the nd:yag at at 10mm spot size, though i am not certain of the last parameter and will have to double check that. It was less painful than the diode, though that may be because I knew what sort of pain to expect. Slight reddening for a couple of hours after the test (though with my skin colour, redness won’t show up too much). one day later and the area is still slightly sensitive to touch.

#11

Those are ok settings, though slighly on the low end. They’re likely being conservative to start and not scare you off. Let us know how shedding goes in 3 weeks. There shouldn’t be any side effects after a few days.

#12

hi again

just an update. it’s been almost 3 weeks since the test patch. i would say there’s been about 80% - 90% shedding. no real side effects, very little scabbing, if any, to mention. just to correct the settings used: 30J at 40ms with a 12mm spot size.

#13

Sounds good.

There shouldn’t be any scabbing in any case. The only potential side effects are redness and inflamed follicles for a few days. You shouldn’t see anything else.