What setting is best on ND:YAG

I went for my first laser appointment this morning. The clinic I went to uses the Coolglide laser. My skin is a II and my hair is dark brown. The tech used 45 joules at 15 ms. Is that high enough to be effective? What settings should be used for this type of laser?

[ April 26, 2004, 10:09 AM: Message edited by: Guinn ]

Hi! The setting used is a little low, considering your skin type. If you are truly a Fitzpatrick II, I would start with at least a 50/20 initial setting, unless the hair is finer in texture, in which case I would start you at a 55/15 setting and see what kind of results. How long have these practitioners had their machine, and which model is it? The Coolglide is very protective of the skin, so see what happens with this treatment. I do not like to second-guess other practitioners, however. There may be good reason for the settings being used, so talk it over with your tech, and see what they say. Good luck with your treatments, and keep us posted. :wink:

hairfetish,
does the same thing apply to lightsheer? i’ve had 2 treatments at 26J. is that too low? i have light III-IV type skin and dark hair. thanks in advance.

r.c.

hairfetish,
it was the coolglide XEO and they have operated it I believe for about 1 year. An RN did my treatments. Will I see any hair reduction at the levels used on me or was it a waste of time and money?

Rainbow: In answer to your question on Lightsheer settings, my personal belief is that it is only appropriate on Fitz 1 or 2 skin types. The reason the initial settings for 3-4 skin types might be low (if your tech is having any mercy on you at all) is that a diode laser has a great affinity to melanin, so it will be attracted to your skin as well as the hair. Lower fluences must be used with alexandrite and diode lasers on darker skin types in order to preserve the skin. The down side of that is that the effectiveness of hair removal is compromised, and there is the question of lower fluences actually stimulating hair growth in certain Mediterranean skin types.
Guinn: In the case of the XEO, if they have had the machine a year, then they should be comfortable with higher settings. Are you on medications (oral or topical) that might indicate lower settings? You will get hair loss, just from the shock of the heat, but you will need higher fluence levels to get effective removal. Talk to your tech and ask about settings, why certain levels are used, and what you can expect in effectiveness. I welcome any questions my clients have, and strive to educate them as much as I can. I hope this helps you out. :wink:

Thank you hairfetish for your quick responses. I will check with them today on why my settings were set so low. They wrote them in my chart so if I don’t see an appropriate loss of hair I’ll ask for a reshoot. It’s a really nice office and I like the girls. They rated me II on the scale.

eek! so you’re saying that the last two treatments have been a waste of time/money? hmm. they have a coolglide machine at the place that i’ve been going to, but the nurse said that lightsheer would be more effective because my skin is quite light (i never go out in the sun) and the hair is black. should i switch to coolglide next time? obviously, i’d like to avoid skin damage, but it’s more important for me to reduce the hair quickly and effectively. thanks again for the advice.

r.c.

rainbow_carnage, I tried the lightsheer one time prior to switching to the coolglide. I found the coolglide to be a lot less painful and my skin was not at all red after the treatment. I just want to make sure my settings are accurate so I can get the best results possible.

my skin is type III/IV and my clinic started with settings of 40j and its taken them 6 treatments to move to 47j. My patch test was 38j. Think they may have been undertreating me. Last time i left it till i saw hair before going back and was surprised to see so much hair still there. In the past i have gone back within 6-7 weeks feeling relatively hair free and not really been able to judge effectiveness.

Next time i am going to question the settings

[ May 10, 2004, 05:34 PM: Message edited by: Guinn ]

thereish, I think that is an appropriate setting for your skin type, if you are using a Coolglide ND:YAG. After talking to the nurse who performed my treatment, I feel fine with the setting. She explained that the first setting is at 45j on most clients with my skin type and amount of black hair, that since I had no adverse reaction to the laser the next visit would be 50j and the third around 55j. She said that these are standard precautionary settings. That if turned up too high on the first treatment it would be quite painful, possibly leaving a large amount of reddness around the hair follicles.

thereish, I think that is an appropriate setting for your skin type, if you are using a Coolglide ND:YAG. After talking to the nurse who performed my treatment, I feel fine with the setting. She explained that the first setting is at 45j on most clients with my skin type and amount of black hair, that since I had no adverse reaction to the laser the next visit would be 50j and the third around 55j. She said that these are standard precautionary settings. That if turned up too high on the first treatment it would be quite painful, possibly leaving a large amount of reddness around the hair follicles.