Your experience w/ laser treatment to face?

I had my first treatment last Thursday to my face (jawline, chin & chin-extended). I’m interested to hear from others that have had treatments to the same area. While my skin doesn’t seem irritated, I have a considerable amount of stubble that I’ve been shaving every day since the treatment. While I understand that it may take a few weeks for the hair to fall out, I can’t seem to get a smooth shave in the meantime. I currently shave in the shower in the morning with a Mach III blade & Skintimate Shave Gel. Any suggestions? But I have noticed that the “growth” is much slower than prior to my treatment. I guess I’m trying to get feedback from others to see if they’ve had the same experience.

Hi there,
just wanted to stop in and say my experience with chin LHR has been the same as you describe. It is more difficult to get a smooth shave after the procedure. I guess the hairs seem to be very soft afterwards and don’t respond very well to a razor.

I’ve had 2 treatments now and almost all the dark, coarse hair is gone at this time. 1.5 weeks post 2nd treatment.

I wish I could tell you there was a good way to get a better, closer shave, but I sure couldn’t get it. :frowning:
I took the coward’s way out and stayed home for a few weeks after the first treatment, so I didn’t even try to shave the area.

After the 2nd treatment, I did shave since there was much less hair. Some of the hair did not shave close for about a week. But it was easy to cover. after about a week, I started pulling at the hairs gently to get them to come out. Most slid out easily. A few have not, so they were probably missed.

Well, good luck and hang in there! Keep us posted on your progress!

Ellen3, thanks for the reply. I actually went back to the doctor’s office where the treatments took place and he said that I had a reaction to the laser- that it was probably set too high. So he prescribed a hydrocortisone / steroid ointment to apply three times a day for three days. That made all the difference. My inability to get a close shave was because my skin was irritated & bumpy. I’m still waiting for the hair to fall out, but it hasn’t been a full two weeks yet. He noted in my file for the technician to lower the setting for my next treatment.

I have another question for those of you out there. Most women just have the soft, vellus hair on the face unlike men. For someone who didn’t have excess hair issues but had the area shaved for whatever reason, would that hair come back darker & coarse? The reason I ask is that I’ve noticed quite a few blonde or grey hairs that I know won’t be treated by the laser. Assuming that all of the dark hairs are eventually removed, if I was to not shave the blonde/grey hairs, would they grow back similar to vellus hair?

You need not worry about your vellus hairs. If you shave hair that is light and fine (vellus), the hair that regrows WILL NOT return darker and coarser. If you were to shave the hair you have now that is blond or gray and fine, it would return the same way it looked as before you shaved. It may feel coarser because the ends are blunt after shaving. Unshaven hair have ends that are tapered so they feel softer on the end.

People that claim shaving caused their hair to return darker and coarser are mistaking the coincidence of hormonal influences that caused the hair to change. Shaving is not the culprit.

Dr. Mildred Trotter published a classic article in 1928, proving that shaving does not affect hair growth. In 1970, Lynfield and MacWilliams confirmed the studies of Mildred Trotter saying that shaving does not affect hair growth. Also in 1970, two Japanese researchers, studied the hair growth cycle and also demonstrated that shaving does not have any affect on hair growth.

As an electrologist, I find it nearly impossible to convince women that shaving is a great temporary measure that will not worsen their problem. Old myths die very hard.

Dee

Hello
Just wanted to say I am about to go for the 3rd laser hair removal treatment on my face, chin, side burns (yes I got long girlie ones), neck, and above the lip. So far, I have noticed a bit less hair, but for the most part, they are still growing back at a slower rate. I have found it does seem harder to shave the area, or it is more sensitive to the razor after as well.

:smile: Just my two cents