First laser session at Sk:in Clinic, UK

[Padma]

Just thought I'd report in on the pain factor: I found it wasn't so much painful as shocking, like getting a series of small electric shocks, worse along the lip and the jawbones where I seem to have the most nerve endings. There's something about not being able to see what's going on that heightens the shock factor, and the jet of cold air blowing unexpectedly up my nose freaked me out when it happened - but all in all, not a big deal.

[xander]

mmm i get you  - i've had the hair removal laser and the tattoo removal laser used on my skin.
you can see the the black smoke coming up O_O
and smell it.
I was pretty raw for a few days afterwards.

I can imagine it'd be a lot worse having it done on your face! I only had mine on my lower body.

[Padma]

On the face, you can't see anything because you have protective eye goggles on (these ones were white ceramic, which was like something out of a scifi movie). So you just get the smell, and the sharp red flashes that still make it through the goggles. Exciting!

Apparently the tattoo removal is more painful, because it has to go further below the surface and heat up all that pigment. Probably no worse than getting the tattoo in the first place .

[xander]

I think it's supposed to be more painful - I don't remember, I had my laser surgeries done when I was like 15
Got a tattoo at 18 or 19

Oh yeah I completely forgot about the goggles, mine weren't cool and ceramic, I had dodgy plastic things =(

[Padma]

I was surprised - they were like tiny porcelain baking dishes... but cool in both senses of the word .

[vanna]

i liked skn overall but i have a couple of issues,

i was unlucky enough to have an operator who was later let go but she allowed me to have many low level session causing my usual and verry black latin american hair to turn white and unresponsive to lazer

they also were not that good at reporting my progress and just seeemed to want me to book another session until the training nurse took over my sessions

dispite this i did well, above the 60% i was later told to expect (but not on the consoltation) and only left with a year or so of eletro to complete

on the good side they were forever doing special offers, all in all i ended up having 14 sessions

[Padma]

I'm going to keep my eye out for their special offers - I was originally getting a package deal, but they refused me credit because I'm not employed, yawn. So I'll just do 'em one at a time as and when it's cheapest. there's also another place a lot nearer to where I'll be living in Devon that does it, so I'll see how they are too.