I looked around past posts but couldn’t find an answer. The laser place I’m going to start with just got in their Aurora Comet today and I have a consult on Saturday. Posters and the guy at the center tell me I can and must shave before treatments, but I was wondering, can I use a cream like Nair? I was thinking that maybe it gets the hair a little too much under the skin level so maybe it’s not recommended? And maybe more so on finer superficial hairs? Anybody have anything on this? Much thanks as always.
Depilatories were not recommended to me before laser treatments. Too much opportunity for irritation. The chemicals may sensitize your skin to the laser I suppose.
I am very anxious to hear from somebody that has tried the Comet! Look at the clinical papers on the Syneron site. They can be found under Physician info.
Don’t leave their office without at least a test spot!
I know from experience that the diode laser works, the RF an only make it better on light hairs.
If you have any light colored hair, get a test spot there too!
Back to your question, it is best to shave before the treatment, preferably with a blade.
Hey RJC,
I guess no creams then. Sorry, I hope I didn’t goof up here. I just now came back from the consult and set up an appointment on the 28th. I kind of wanted it sooner to get this going, but that’s the earliest I could get in. He talked to me for a while, answered all my questions, then showed me the room (cold!) where they do the work. They had four lasers. Some early machine (five years old?) that cycled once every 3 seconds, an Aurora, a Polaris (Diode?), and the new Comet. Superficially, it looks very similar to the others, but it’s light beige and it has sleek ovoid buttons and these pearlescent aqua blue bars around it. He was saying the technology is really the same as the Polaris, but the Comet cycles twice within a second, and that allows for faster treatments, and allows for more synergy between the light and RF components. He said it is painless, regarding the area is shaved properly, and they use no topical anesthetic. He went over the theory pretty well with a bunch of posters and props. Also, something that I liked, is that he made no promises, he just said all the studies on the machine have been very successful, but there’s always the exception that it may not work for each and every single person. It didn’t dawn on me to get a test spot when I was there. Actually, I asked over the phone about a test spot, they said I could if I delayed my consult two weeks due to the full schedule they have (the waiting room was full at their opening time of 9:00am). So I decided just get the verbal consult and mini-tour and use the hour time slot they did have open for the full blown treatment. You know, after all the calls and footwork I just want to get to losin’ the hair, you know? Anyway, it’s $299 per full back session, they space at 6 weeks, and since I’m getting chest too, they’ll get shoulders and high back-of-neck for free. It seems if you approach them with the idea that it’s going to be a long term bigger project, they’ll do the adjoining ‘in-between’ areas no charge.
Anyway, we’ll see how it goes. As for now, I’m just glad the Doc got to visually asses me with all my hair growth intact. At least now I can start shaving this stuff off. Jeez, two months with hair. A record for me.
And RJC, thanks for all your great posts here. You make this forum better.
If it is that hard to get an appt. that could be a good sign they have a lot of satisfied patients/customers. And yes, it is true that you get a better deal the more areas you have done.
My practitioner is looking into getting a Comet demo. There is supposed to be another new machine coming out by I have no details yet. I am very happy with the Lyra-i. But it would be a significant step forward to have a device that could treat finer and lighter colored hairs.
BTW, I had the second leg treatment a few days ago. Since this was my second time and I had no post treatment scabs or redness, my practitioner used a higher fluence level this time. I could really feel it this time, especially on the hamstring area. I think we got rid of a lot of hair this time. Now, even if I shave with an electric, it feels like I used a blade.
It’s hard to get information about hair removal, epsecially for men. That’s why this forum is so great and I am happy to contribute what I know from my experience.