Ok, time for a very belated update.
In between my last post and this post I actually moved abroad, so I never got to use any London clinics. However, I found a clinic in my new country of residence and had my first treatment 4 days ago.
I was treated on my upper arms, shoulders and full back with a Candela GentleMAX (alexandrite setting) at 20J and an 18mm spot size. The evening prior to my treatment I shaved my arms and shoulders, and on the day of my treatment the nurse shaved my back. I didn’t use any numbing cream, but did neck a couple of painkillers about 30 mins before the treatment.
I’m glad I did, because the laser was definitely more painful than “a rubber band snap”. Some areas were less painful than others, I guess depending on the density of the hair, but generally the shoulders / upper back were most painful. I have a reasonably high pain threshold, but at times it really did make me wince. I was determined to use the highest settings, and the pain at least made me realise that the follicles were being damaged - which is the whole point.
The whole treatment took only 90 minutes, which is quick when you consider the amount of hair I have (see photo link on first post), I am also a big guy, and my back is a large area. The nurse was very thorough, she had 7 years experience, and I could tell she was overlapping the shots to get complete coverage. She marked me up with a white pencil after shaving me and systematically worked over each section. After the treatment I was slathered with Aloe Vera and headed home. I must admit, I felt pretty worn out by the treatment, I guess anticipating each zap and bracing for it will do that to you.
The post-treatment pain feels pretty much like you’ve been sunburnt. My back / arms are clearly a nice shade of red, and I have distinct red spots over my pores. The redness is just starting to subside, after taking a good day or two to peak. It definitely isn’t “all over” after just a few hours or even a few days.
My treatments are scheduled at 3 month intervals, to ensure maximum re-growth and to target as many follicles in the growth phase as possible. This is a little longer than the usually quoted 8-10 weeks, but the clinic insisted this was the optimal method, and was critical of the notion of anything less. They did acknowledge that certain body parts require different gaps between treatments. Apparently some unscrupulous establishments will have clients in every 6 weeks or so, which only serves to keep their books full and the cash rolling in!
Anyhow, I will add some photos over the next few weeks and continue to document my process. I feel very pleased to have finally gone through with the treatment after procrastinating for so long (many years, in my case), and would urge anyone who is in limbo to find a good laser and reputable practitioner and “just do it”.
Baboon.
