third laser treatment

Last week I just completed my third laser treatment on face, underarms, and lower legs. After the first treatment I noticed a terrific change- all hair under my arms shed, all of the coarse dark hairs on chin, sideburns and mustache shed and my legs had 30% of the hair and it was growing in really slowly. That was my best result. Hair grew back in just thinner and sparser. On my face I noticed the thinner hairs growing faster ( I have to bleach twice a week instead of every 2 weeks) although I am not having to pluck nearly as many thick hairs.
On my third treatment they got a new laser (I am type 3 skin using a yag) that is much faster, air cooled and supposedly can be both a yag or a diode. I think it is cyteron or syteron? At any rate I am not having the same results that I had the first 2 times. My leg and underarm hair that remains hasn’t shed as before and is growing at a normal rate. The technician adjusted the energy flow to my face to help with the growth, but it just keeps on coming. Can one ‘plateau’ so to speak with laser? Are some hairs just not going to be affected? I must say that I am pleased with the change so far, should I keep going? Does anyone know anything about this new laser? It was virtually painless compared to the origional yag that gave me such great results. I would appreciate any feedback.

Company is Syneron. Was it their Comet or the Galaxy laser? They’re both diodes with RF technology (not Yags). If you didn’t feel anything, settings might have been too low. If you had good results after first 3 treatments and now this, it’s the fault of the switch of the laser. Either they haven’t figured out how to use it best for your best results and are not setting the settings in the most efficient way, OR it’s just not as good of a laser for your skin and hair type. I would switch back to a Yag if that was working well. What is your skin and hair type?

I just looked up the new laser, it is the cynosure apogee. I am type 3 skin with coarse black hair.

that’s a good laser. You’re probably talking about the Apogee Elite model then, which is an alexandrite and a Yag in one. Were they using the alex or the Yag setting on you? What fluence?

They were using the yag at 35 joules. That is the same setting that we used on the other yag. On the new laser it didn’t hurt at all, on the other laser (cutera coolglide) I felt extreme pain and needed ice packs afterward (my clinic doesn’t use pain killers). On my face they adjusted the spot size to help with the accelerated hair growth. FYI I am going the the clinic in Denver that trains laser technicians.

They were using the yag at 35 joules. That is the same setting that we used on the other yag. On the new laser it didn’t hurt at all, on the other laser (cutera coolglide) I felt extreme pain and needed ice packs afterward (my clinic doesn’t use pain killers). On my face they adjusted the spot size to help with the accelerated hair growth. FYI I am going the the clinic in Denver that trains laser technicians.

So you had better results with the Coolglide compared to the Apogee Elite? That is very interesting information. Cutera does claim to have higher output power than other YAGs. When you were treated with the Elite, did they use the YAG or the alexandrite?

RJC2001

They used the yag. It has now been another 2 weeks–shedding has happened and what I have found is the technician felt that she could go much faster with the new laser (than on the cutera) and she seems to have missed alot more spots. I have 2 strips of hair remaining on one underarm and several spots on my legs. I called the technician and she said that they are very interested in feedback on the new laser as they are all learning and finding their way with it. The best use seems to be on back hair as the clients seem to be able to tolerate pain better than with the cutera yag. I will be trying it out on my bikini line next week. I have been reticent because of the pain felt on my underarms earlier. But this new one is virtually painless comparatively.

if they missed entire strips on such small area as underarms, i would ask for a free touch-up…