Laser hair removal

[Wanda Jane]

I've heard a lot pro and con for laser. I know my experience has been very good.  It does hurt, but no one told me this would be easy and it's not that bad. This is with 4 treatments over about 4 1/2 months and 3 months HRT. The before is about 4 hours post shave. The after is over 24 hours post shave and is down to a couple of small areas that even try to grow back. I've been tweezing the greys, since laser won't get them, and they are slowly giving up. It's been worth every pain and penny. I have 2 more treatments scheduled and the tech thinks that should pretty much do it. This is with 55 years of testosterone poisoning to boot.

[findingreason]

Your results look very good! I'm going to be starting laser sometime this summer once my referrals from my doctor go through.

[KathyLauren]

I wish I'd started sooner, while I still had dark hair.  Now my laser teatments are just to keep the stubble that I have to grow out for electrolysis from looking too bad.

[KayXo]

The real test is waiting about a year after your last session of laser. Some people report regrowth up to a year after treatment and that the reduction was only temporary. Beware...Electrolysis remains the only PROVEN permanent method of hair removal.

[Sarah leah]

Why so often for the treatments?

Facial hair is on a cycle of 49 days, so you should only go once per 6-7 weeks to clear it correctly. Otherwise you are throwing money at nothing. I got this advice from my dermatologist and they seem to be on the ball.

I have had four sessions 7 weeks apart on my chin/lip area and I only have 3cm across my upper lip by 4mm and a 1cm x 2cm under my bottom lip left. My cheeks and neck was IPL so I do not include it as IPL is not good for most people. I was lucky as it cleared my cheeks and neck in 5 sessions total and the fifth was just to kill a few odd hairs we missed.

[Colleen_definitely]

The idea is that not all follicles go active on the same day so you can catch more of them in the growth phase if you go monthly.

[chris.deee]

The real test is waiting about a year after your last session of laser. Some people report regrowth up to a year after treatment and that the reduction was only temporary. Beware...Electrolysis remains the only PROVEN permanent method of hair removal.

That was my experience with laser as well. In retrospect it wasn't a good investment.


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[laurenb]

Thanks for posting those pics. You look great in the after pic. My beard is similar to yours - especially the upper lip. How was that? Did it really hurt bad? 

[Wanda Jane]

It's definitely not fun! LOL. It is bearable though. I do have a high pain tolerance, but the tech says she has not had anyone who couldn't go through with it. I just meditate on why I'm doing this and how I'll look when done. The first couple of weeks afterward it seems like nothing happened and it can initially look worse because, for me, the hairs hung on for a bit, but wouldn't shave out. Then they just disappear and you feel fabulous. At least I did.

Yeah they said the same thing, since the hairs don't all grow on the same cycle I went every 4 and now 6 weeks to try to catch them all. It would seem to me if you go in close to the growth cycle you will always miss the same hairs and get regrowth. I will re-post here if I do get regrowth after a while because that is why I started this thread anyway. If it doesn't work I want to let y'all know that also. With the newer lasers I think they are seeing better long term results.

[LizK]

Sounds to me you go the right laser treatment for the job...I swear by laser... it left only about 30-40% of my face needing treatment from electrolysis...I am about to have my 10th laser treatment. It hardly takes any time at all and we really are chasing down the stubborn ones now...When a follicle is killed it is killed, you may end up chasing the last few for awhile but as I get the last of the greys removed with electrolysis, she is also clearing the errant black ones the laser can't get usually because they have a grey root....top lip maybe 1/2 doz black hairs still left but I am still shedding from last treatment. Weirdly I have also discovered many of my greys actually have black roots

Liz

[KayXo]

The bulb of a growing hair (anagen phase), no matter its pigmentation is always black. If the bulb is white, it means the hair was no longer growing (catagen, telogen phase).

[LizK]

The bulb of a growing hair (anagen phase), no matter its pigmentation is always black. If the bulb is white, it means the hair was no longer growing (catagen, telogen phase).

Interesting...Never heard of that before could you provide me a link to that information...

Thanks

Liz

[AlyssaJ]

Sounds to me you go the right laser treatment for the job...I swear by laser... it left only about 30-40% of my face needing treatment from electrolysis...I am about to have my 10th laser treatment. It hardly takes any time at all and we really are chasing down the stubborn ones now...When a follicle is killed it is killed, you may end up chasing the last few for awhile but as I get the last of the greys removed with electrolysis, she is also clearing the errant black ones the laser can't get usually because they have a grey root....top lip maybe 1/2 doz black hairs still left but I am still shedding from last treatment. Weirdly I have also discovered many of my greys actually have black roots

Liz

The issue that some experience with Laser is that often times instead of killing the folicles, some of them just go dormant.  They can go dormant for a year or more which is why some people report regrowth as much as a couple years after treatment stops.  Now there are certainly people for whom laser works and it never comes back.

I did a stack of research on this and ultimately decided that if I'm going to go through all this hell of hair removal, I want to make sure it's gone for good.  So I ended up choosing electrolysis.  More tedious and probably more expensive but it'll be worth it to know for sure that I'll never seen those hairs on my face again. 

Just about to leave for my next appointment right now

[Rachel_Christina]

It doesn't look like you had to much before hand to be honest.
Mostly around the mouth area.
It did a great job on you too, I am in a Similar position and my 5th session is this Friday.
I have see alot of blondes now, but i do think they turn brown just in time for my next session.

[ainsley]

The real test is waiting about a year after your last session of laser. Some people report regrowth up to a year after treatment and that the reduction was only temporary. Beware...Electrolysis remains the only PROVEN permanent method of hair removal.

I can confirm, from my own experience, that this is true.

[Rachel_Christina]

What about the greyness around the mouth?
I have baisicly nothing now hair wise, but that horrible grey shadow thing is still somewhat there.
Is it the space where the root use to be that has to fill in or is it the vessels that wher feeding the hair or what?
It's so annoying...
Anyone know?

[LizK]

The issue that some experience with Laser is that often times instead of killing the folicles, some of them just go dormant.  They can go dormant for a year or more which is why some people report regrowth as much as a couple years after treatment stops.  Now there are certainly people for whom laser works and it never comes back.

I did a stack of research on this and ultimately decided that if I'm going to go through all this hell of hair removal, I want to make sure it's gone for good.  So I ended up choosing electrolysis.  More tedious and probably more expensive but it'll be worth it to know for sure that I'll never seen those hairs on my face again. 

Just about to leave for my next appointment right now

You will get regrowth with Electrolysis...Laser works don't be fooled into thinking because you get some regrowth it doesn't. Laser will permanently kill hairs, once a hair is killed properly then it cannot regrow no matter how you kill it.

Many people talk about laser when in actual fact they are having IPL(I got suckered) which is nothing like medical grade laser. Don't be fooled into thinking laser is a waste of money and time because it is not and there are thousands of us out there who have had great results.

Negating its value by stating you will get regrowth in a year...yes you may but it won't be every hair you have removed and it will be smaller and finer and less painful to remove with Electrolysis or Laser. ...with electrolysis you will also still have regrowth. I have been having Electrolysis for over a year and some patches are completely clear but some are going to need going over again and again to ensure final removal and then I may still have to come back yearly or six monthly for touch ups.

As a way to kick start your hair removal Laser works really well. Don't be fooled into thinking that with Electrolysis it is a one zap one hair killed never to come back again...it does not work like that...so expect regrowth no matter what method you use.

Liz

[ainsley]

https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emittingproducts/resourcesforyouradiationemittingproducts/ucm252757.htm

Manufacturers should be aware that receiving an FDA clearance for general permission to market their devices does not permit them to advertise the lasers for either hair removal or wrinkle treatment, even though hair removal or wrinkle treatment may be a by-product of any cleared laser procedure. Further, manufacturers may not claim that laser hair removal is either painless or permanent unless the FDA determines that there are sufficient data to demonstrate such results. Several manufacturers received FDA permission to claim, "permanent reduction," NOT "permanent removal" for their lasers. This means that although laser treatments with these devices will permanently reduce the total number of body hairs, they will not result in a permanent removal of all hair. The specific claim granted is "intended to effect stable, long-term, or permanent reduction" through selective targeting of melanin in hair follicles. Permanent hair reduction is defined as the long-term, stable reduction in the number of hairs re-growing after a treatment regime, which may include several sessions. The number of hairs regrowing must be stable over time greater than the duration of the complete growth cycle of hair follicles, which varies from four to twelve months according to body location. Permanent hair reduction does not necessarily imply the elimination of all hairs in the treatment area.

https://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm048995.htm

Medical electrolysis devices destroy hair growth with a shortwave radio frequency after a thin probe is placed in the hair follicle. Risks from these methods include infection from an unsterile needle and scarring from improper technique. Electrolysis is considered a permanent hair removal method, since it destroys the hair follicle. It requires a series of appointments over a period of time.

Emphasis is mine.

Laser is not considered permanent hair removal.  Rather, it is reduction.  What Kayxo and I are saying is the only permanent method is electrolysis and you will get regrowth of the same hair from laser.  The "regrowth" from electrolysis is hairs in the two other growth stages that weren't present and treated.  Or, improperly treated hair follicles with electrolysis by an unskilled aesthetician.  (I have personally experienced that)

A timeless argument, to be sure, but laser is helpful in reducing, but my experience is, and the clinical data shows, laser removed hair has regrowth 6-12 months later. Not 100% permanent removal.

[KayXo]

I had electrolysis done between 2004 and 2008, on my face, chest and abdomen. No regrowth to speak of except maybe a few hairs, no more than 5, that are very thin, weak and barely visible, so hard to see in fact that I need a magnifying mirror to see them and it takes me forever to pluck them. Great job and a worthwhile investment. I started with laser but I'm glad I continued with electrolysis and did most of it with electro (i.e. thermolysis/flash).