Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Most of my hair everywhere is blonde or red.

I did 3 full body laser treatments that got rid of most of my darker hairs but the majority of my hai's are blonde now.
My beard hair has a red hue to it.

I've read there are a couple of lasers that are supposed to be effective on lighter hairs, but not much information or testimonials out there.

Has anyone found a certain laser that is effective?

Thanks!

Electrolysis will work better in the long run.
It is a hard pill to swallow but there you go.

Quote from: VivianJane on April 03, 2017, 05:52:21 PM
Electrolysis will work better in the long run.
It is a hard pill to swallow but there you go.

It's simply not an option for me.

The nearest electrolysis to me is an hour away. Even if I had the money for it (which I don't), I certainly don't have the time it will require to clear my face, let alone anywhere else on my body.

Therefore, it makes the most sense to utilize mass effect options before I attempt to kill my hairs one by one.

I had a mixture of 65% dark hair and the rest were red, and blond (and probably some gray). The laser only worked on the dark hair and the rest had to be removed with electrolysis. Laser did still help me tremendously.

My Beard is about 60% Dark and about 40% Grey...I have had about 10 Laser Sessions along with a bout 7 IPL treatments(long story short  - IPL + me = waste of money)

The laser has worked really well on the dark hairs, the only thing I have heard of is where a type of dye is applied to the grey or blonde hair then zapped with a Laser...don't know how good this is but from the very little I have read it is not that effective mainly due to the dye not being able to penetrate all the way to the root...could try looking for something like that

Liz

I am a natural strawberry blonde with a mix of facial hair colors.  I get electrolysis on my cheeks and chin because the hair is blonde/red there and laser on my neck and mustache area because the hair is brown there.  The laser tech confirm it would be a waste on my cheeks.

The consensus is that laser works on dark brown or darker hairs, everything else is best done with electrolysis.
IPL is hair reduction, not permanent removal and even laser is thought to be by some.
Leaving electrolysis as the only proven method of permanent removal.
As I said before, it is a hard pill to swallow but elecro is the certain choice.
It is a long process but it works and yes it is expensive.
I feel sorry for those who think there is a quick and easy route.
Every aspect of transition involves slow gradual steps and hair removal is a prime example.

I've had my entire body lasered several times and I'm over it. I now get waxed, but I may get the laser again in the future.

I had laser hair removal earlier last week and the dark hairs I have left are slowly turning into slightly larger versions of themselves as they swell and die because of the laser.

There are three stages of hair growth and Electrolysis will deal with new and current growth but if the hair has gone into the die off mode you will not kill the follicle...when it comes back you can kill it. Laser works only on the actively growing hairs. If the laser has been succesful then it will vaporise the follicle and all the cells around it. If however there is one follicle cell left alive that enough for that hair to come back...hence why NO PLUCKING on laser ever...even if it appears to slide out...very slight sensation as it comes out? That hair is coming back.

With Electrolysis most people think that one zap one hair permanently removed....in theory this may be the case but in practice it is not. I really good tech might get a 80% success rate so that leaves 20% growing back.

The average male beard has 48000 hair follicles.

There is no quick solution unless you are lucky enough to have the perfect coloured hair and skin. Even then it will take several months to clear initially then several years of occasional clean ups. Which by comparison with someone who has an entirely thick heavy beard is really fast. Electrolysis is the same, I want to be at the point when a session last no more than a few minutes to clean up the stragglers. I should get there by the end of this year...I hope...been doing this on and off for over a year now. Lucky for me I get good results from laser....

Liz

When you understand how lasers work to kill hair follicles, it's clear why it doesn't work on red, blond, gray, or colorless hair.  The laser energy has to be absorbed by the hair and conducted down to the root so that the hair papilla is heated to around 130 deg in order to destroy it and neighboring germ cells. 

Light colored hair will not absorb enough energy to achieve that temperature.  Thermolysis uses high frequency EM (microwaves) to excite the moisture in the dermis at the tip of the probe to achieve the required temperature regardless of the color of the hair or skin.

As you age, your skin gets drier so that thermolysis and blend electrolysis become less effective.  For thermolysis, the tip of the probe must be inserted near the papilla for the follicle to be killed.  It's not a precise process, and not everyone has hair which is easy to kill, so multiple treatments are usually needed to finally kill a follicle. 

Many clients are very sensitive to pain especially near the nose, mouth and ears.  An electrologist will reduce the energy level to where the client can tolerate treatment.  Unfortunately, lowering the energy level also reduces the chance of killing the follicle.

Blend works by electrolysis supplemented by RF to create hot lye.  The lye travels down the hair shaft to the papilla and destroys the cells very close to it.  Thus, blend is much less likely to cause permanent damage (scarring) on your face.  Unfortunately, it takes about 12 seconds to treat a hair by blend so the cost to treat a full beard is too expensive for 95% of clients. 

Almost any electrologist can use blend safely and effectively.  Precise location of the probe is not as critical as with thermolysis, since the means to killing the follicle is not temperature, but alkaline burning.

Laser, followed by judicious use of thermolysis, and finally blend will help to avoid visible skin damage which leaves an orange peel texture to the skin where facial hair is most dense.

Quote from: ElizabethK on April 08, 2017, 07:14:40 PM

The average male beard has 48000 hair follicles.

48,000/500 per  one hour session per/week = 96 weeks.  About 2 years.  Price tag around 7 grand.

Sounds about right.  If you have blond or light red hair might as well save the money you would spend on laser and put it toward the 7 grand that your going to have to end up spending on electrolysis eventually anyway.

Quote from: Jane Emily on April 08, 2017, 11:42:09 PM
48,000/500 per  one hour session per/week = 96 weeks.  About 2 years.  Price tag around 7 grand.

Sounds about right.  If you have blond or light red hair might as well save the money you would spend on laser and put it toward the 7 grand that your going to have to end up spending on electrolysis eventually anyway.

That doesn't account for any regrowth. If you're able to be done under 100 hours I am quite envious. I'd say it's a safe bet to double that.

Quote from: Brooke on April 09, 2017, 12:06:33 AM
That doesn't account for any regrowth. If you're able to be done under 100 hours I am quite envious. I'd say it's a safe bet to double that.

Yeah. Mine was always more like this:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FWfuSvxP.jpg&hash=488f26e54b98938ba11847804347c82c87d60c2b)

than this:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FhroRPC8.jpg&hash=f7140015d2016868b9229e43e77568eb2eaeee4c)

Possible androgen insensitivity? Maybe. I suspect so. 
But the ones I'm most envious of are those with light skin and a dark black beard that is easily killed with laser. Not fair! :)

   All you good folks are depressing me. I grew up a toehead (almost white) blond and waited all my life for it to change color. Even now at 64 I cannot tell if my hair is white or grey. My facial and body hair is pretty much the same story. If a dark hair grows it is unusual.
   It sounds expensive.

  Hugs,
    Jeanette

Thank you all for the informative posts!
Although the ones about electrolysis and how much time and money I get to look forward to spending, are a bit on the depressing side.

I read about a few places claiming their laser works on blond and red hair, so I had some hope, but I guess it may be a pipe dream. :(
I was hoping someone here had found one.

Zero change of laser working on blonde or red hair unfortunately.  I am a red head and have had this confirmed by numerous people who work in this area.  Have started bulk electrolysis sessions - owwwwwww!