starting laser-help

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

i am of asian orgin and am going for my first laser treatment a week today. The laser they will be using is the yag laser. It is a respectable clinic called skin clinic, they have branches all over the uk.

my concerns are that a few years back I had 2 sessions with them on the side of my face. I experienced no shredding what so ever. Is this normal, or does it indicate the laser is not working. It is alot of money per session. I am having half of my face done and the front neck. the hair on the chin thick, while the rest of face it is medim, not fine and not thick.

i am having my cheeks done, so if you draw a straight line from the bottom of your nostrils all the way to the sidw of your face and all the way to my neck is the aera i am having treated. This should not affect my eyes.

i really would appreciate your advice.

#2

A picture might help the most, but… Look up the fitzpatrick skin type charts and find out what skin type you are. Your skin type usually dictates what sort of laser is best for you.
Mostly you SHOULD experience shedding. You need to shave the area before you go in, then after the treatment, hair “grows” through, and eventually sheds. After treatment, hair is usually burnt, so its thick and black, moreso than usual, and feels weird. If it doesn’t shed there is something wrong. Did you have hair free periods after those treatments? If you did then that’s good - though doesn’t neccesarily mean that the hair was destroyed, if you didn’t then that is a sign that the treatment didn’t work. You should have a consultation first and find out what settings they are plannig on using. Some people on this forum can tell you if the settings would be high enough to be very effective :slight_smile:
For laser to work, your hair needs to be black and THICK, like underarm hair, not thin. I don’t know about medium - again you’d have to post a photo. You can do this easily by making a photobucket account, then uploading a pic and posting a link or the picture into a post.
If the chin is the only area with thick black hair then the chin is the only area which will, in all likelihood, be effected.
Look in this forum, under the topic Laser FAQs. They might help you out a bit. :slight_smile: Goodluck.

#3

I experienced no shredding at all. I therefore had no hair free periods what so ever. After each laser treatment that I had, my skin felt normal, it didnt feel strange or weird. I have emailed the clinic to find what the settings are going to be. I have already had a consultation with them. The lady said it should work on my skin.

Does Ultra VPL (variable pulse light) work on asian skin?
has anybody had Epil-pro?

so confused!

#4

Laser is probably not a good idea for you regardless. Very few women have coarse enough hair on their faces. It needs to be the coarseness and density of men’s facial hair, i.e. beardlike growth, at least patches of it. Otherwise, you’re risking induced growth.

Photos would help. I would however definitely not go in for treatment just yet because you figure this out. You may need electrolysis instead. We rarely recommend laser for a woman’s face.

#5

I agree. Unless you’ve got a hormonal disorder that literally leaves you with hair as thick as a man’s beard or thicker, you are really risking making the hair worse. This is THE most common complaint we get from girls who treat their faces, convinced that dark hair with medium thickness is enough to justify laser. They end up with TONS more hair than they started with. This is not an appropriate area for laser 95% of the time, really.

Post a photo and we will tell you for sure if you are a candidate for laser. The clinics will always say you are, many of them don’t even know about the studies showing induced growth is a risk. You can’t trust them, you need to empower yourself.

#6

thank you for your replies. i will try to post a picture soon. good advice i think i will cancel the appointment, if i had no shredding last time whats to say i will this time. i phoned the clinic and the nurse said she had never heard of the term shredding. she said that is not what they look for, but red bumps. i then went on to ask what laser set they will be using she said they would start on 25 for a yag laser.

i am of asian orgin (indian) and i spoke to one lady who does electrolysis and she didnt recommend it simply because with asian skin i am more likely to experience pox marks. if i did go for electrolysis, is it possible to treat half of the face and neck all in one go, how long would the session last.

The only place i do have coarse hair is the chin, otherwise the rest of the face is medium, not thick or light.

really apprecitae your advice guys. these clinics are really bad.

#7

It’s not called “shredding”, it’s called “shedding”. 3 weeks after the session, your hair spontaneously falls out if the treatment is done correctly. This is called shedding (the way a dog sheds his fur). If you did not experience this, then the treatment didn’t work.

#8

Electrolysis treats one hair at a time. A good electrologist treats 5-10 hairs per minute. If you’re in London, consumers on this forum recommend Sharon at Parkside beauty.

Do some research about electrolysis first. You basically go in for longer treatments frequently first to clear the entire area. Then you only come in every few weeks to kill any new hairs that pop up. You should be completely done in 12-18 months.