Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hi! Tomorrow, I'm going to a laser center for a consulation about my face. Yay!! :D I'm closely following azSam's thread on cost, but I wanted to know if there's anything I should ask about specifically?

If any of you girls have any advice, suggestions, comments about a consultation, please let me know!!

I'm nervous, but super excited. It's Step 3 for me. :icon_chick: 

Welcome to the world of zapping!

I have my last programmed visit to the laser tech in a couple of weeks.   Five sessions down and I am really happy with the progress.

Try to book sessions on a Friday.   It will take a couple of days for the redness and swelling to go down, particularly with later sessions attacking finer hairs.

Take some painkillers before going.  You're going to need them.

Remember that it is likely that after the first couple of sessions, you may have patchy beard cover.  My chin looked like a checkerboard for a couple of weeks.   People are likely to notice.

Also, remember that the hair doesn't go immediately.   You have to wait a couple of weeks for the dead hair to go. 

If they want session closer than six weeks apart, they are conning you to do extra work.    The hair growth cycle is important as the laser will only hit the growing hairs and not those which are dormant or dying.   The cycle is around six weeks

If you go out in the sun, wear a sunscreen of factor 20.   Treatments cannot be carried out on tanned skin as there is a danger of skin discolouration.   The laser will destroy the pigment of the skin, not the hair follicle.

I am lucky.   I have fair skin and had dark hair.   The perfect mix.   You may need electrolysis to get rid of grey or clear hairs

QuoteTake some painkillers before going.

Ya laser hurts but happily it isn't enduring. I remember when she handed me a mirror after my first session, I honestly expected to see blisters and burned flesh. I don't know why we use waterboarding to get information, because I wasn't Arab with that typical thick, dark beard...but I would have told you anything you wanted to know to make the burning on my face stop.

Thanks for your replies Pippa and Becca!! They were truly helpful. :)

Here's what learned....

The machine they use is the Candella GentleLASE Plus.
Wavelength (λ) is 755 nm
Pulse width is 5 msec
Max pulse is 50j

They told me it would be about 8-10 sessions, with about 5-6 weeks in between each session. They mentioned that it won't get rid of greys or clears or any other color (like red). They don't typically use any creams or pain reliever (she recommended 800 mg ibuprofen (OTC) before the treatment), but will apply Elma (SP?) if it's really painful.

The place has been in business for about 8 years. They do offer electrolysis follow ups for any hairs that laser doesn't get.

They don't do packages. It's a flat rate of $165/session. At ten sessions, that would be $1650. That's not too bad!

So, that's pretty much everything! :) Does that seem like a pretty good price?

~Jas :icon_chick:

Quote from: Jasmine.m on February 15, 2010, 10:44:37 AM
Thanks for your replies Pippa and Becca!! They were truly helpful. :)

Here's what learned....

The machine they use is the Candella GentleLASE Plus.
Wavelength (λ) is 755 nm
Pulse width is 5 msec
Max pulse is 50j

They told me it would be about 8-10 sessions, with about 5-6 weeks in between each session. They mentioned that it won't get rid of greys or clears or any other color (like red). They don't typically use any creams or pain reliever (she recommended 800 mg ibuprofen (OTC) before the treatment), but will apply Elma (SP?) if it's really painful.

The place has been in business for about 8 years. They do offer electrolysis follow ups for any hairs that laser doesn't get.

They don't do packages. It's a flat rate of $165/session. At ten sessions, that would be $1650. That's not too bad!

So, that's pretty much everything! :) Does that seem like a pretty good price?

~Jas :icon_chick:

What color is your facial hair? If it is dark enough for this specific laser to get most of them the price would seem worth it. I pay $250 a visit and was told I only need 5 visits but this is a laser that gets light and dark hairs (all but grays I guess).  I will have to follow up with electrolysis as well.

I paid £675 for 6 sessions, see if they do a bulk discount.  I saved about £300 ($500).

Hi Dana! I've never grown a beard in my life, so about three weeks growth in the back-country is all I have to go on. At that length it's very dark, but also kind of reddish. They told me that the laser wouldn't get the reds, but she also said that the root might be black and the length of the hair might red and that would work. I dunno how likely that is, but she said so I thought I'd mention it here. It's hard to say, b/c my stubble is so very black.

And here's the other thing... She told me it would probably be best to wait until next fall. She asked all these q's about how I tan and then found out I'm going to AZ in April and then recommended waiting.  She said she wouldn't do laser with any amount of tan and that it would be to risky even to try in the summer even with sun block on. So, that's a Class IV bummer!! She did say we could get in two session before April if we started now, and then could finish in the fall when the tan wears off, but Pippa, you say it's like a noticeable patchwork after a few sessions? So then I'd have a noticeable patchwork beard shadow all summer long that I couldn't really work on until next September or so? Maybe I should just wait? She actually made me slightly more nervous about the tanning issue then the pain!!

She did a little test section, so I'm going to see how that goes.

If you are tanned the laser can destroy the pigmentation of your skin.  The laser attacks the chemcals that cause your skin to tan.   These are the same chemicals that colour the hair follicle.   You could end up with permanent patches of skin which has no pigment.   Think of Michael Jackson and the issues he had with the loss of skin pigmentation.

My aesthetic nurse would also not treat tanned victims!  However, a factor 20 SPF sunscreen or higher should stop tanning.   I made sure that I was well covered if I went out in the sun.  I also wore a hat with a peak or large brim to shade my face.

I was lucky, after the first couple of sessions we had a wet summer and very little strong sun (if you could describe the sun in the UK as strong).   I didn't go to the med for my holiday and so tanning was not an issue.

Discuss appropriate sunscreens with your beautician.

I'll be tan, there's no doubt about it.... I'm planning a week long hike through the desert in Arizona. Having been there numerous times, I can attest that no amount of sunblock or brimmed hats can stop the sun in that environment.

*sigh*... I knew I should've started last fall, now it's starting to look like I'm going to have to wait.

It's worth it, the arizona desert is a force of nature all it's own, I'm jealous. Is there a rush? You mentioned grey in passing are you actively greying or was that just info? Have fun and be safe!

No grays yet, Becca! :P I only mention it b/c I've seen it before and the lady also talked about it.

I suppose there's no rush, it's just I've got this plan... you know? And now it's slightly thrown off. Only by a season or two, but it's an adjustment none-the-less.

:hugs:
~Jas

Our hair pigment is varied.  Even though I was lucky nd had a dark growth, I still had light brown hairs and hairs with no pigment.

I have relatively few hairs left and the ones without pigment I just pluck.