OK so I'm seriously rethinking the electrolysis path and starting to look at a combined Electrolysis and Laser approach. Thinking of going Laser to get big coverage quickly then come back with electrolysis to get any grey hairs or other stragglers that don't respond to the Laser treatments.
I'm looking at two potential clinics and from reading their websites they've got different laser technologies they use. The one that is nice and close and convenient says they use a 1064nm laser (Nd:YAG) where as the other boasts using a Lumenis Light Shear Duet with an 805nm (AlGaAs Diode).
From what I've been able to gather with a little limited research is that the 1064 wavelength technology is older and in fact possibly the first laser for hair removal. 805nm I can't find a lot of information about so it seems to be a much newer technology. So I'm curious if newer means better? I've read that the 1064 wavelength is better for darker skin tones but I don't really have an issue there (I'm a type II with dark black hair).
Does anyone know what if any advantages there are to the 805 wavelength? Is it more effective? Would it be worth driving 35 minutes instead of 5 minutes to go get a treatment in order to have it done with the LightShear instead of the 1064 Laser?
I have dark hair with light skin. Removed >80% of hair on body 3 years ago with laser, cleared the rest of those areas with electrolysis. But I found laser just wasn't effective for face or genital area - ended up using thermo electrolysis, very close to 100% now.
My electrologist has 25+ years experience, she doesn't worry about competition (her schedule is fully booked, and she referred me to a laser specialist for initial genital hair removal). The pattern she has seen with several genetic-male clients: 1 to 2 years after laser, patches of thin dark hair sometimes appear on face and neck - slightly thicker than velus hair but noticeable enough these need removal and it can be frustrating to have these patches appear out of nowhere on an otherwise clear face. With electrolysis, once hair is gone it really is gone - I've seen this myself.
Something to consider: MTF hormone replacement therapy is known to stop and reverse hair growth on the body but not facial hair. That's because post-puberty facial hair on a genetic male is a different type of root. This difference also impacts the effectiveness of various hair removal methods.
Same with genital area - expensive laser work thinned my hair down there, many of the remaining individual hairs were thinner diameter but still there. I've used 3 types of laser including YAG where the skin is darker. Now I'm having that same area taken care of with electrolysis - all that laser work downstairs had weak results.
Every body is different, but if I started over - I'd use 100% electrolysis for face & genitals, laser everywhere else. Electrolysis requires time and pain, but the results are soooo worth it!
I'm in a similar boat with type II skin and very dark hair. My laser ladies have been zapping me with a Lightsheer Duet and it works great so far. While it might not be 100% permanent for every single hair it's one hell of a start. My cheeks are about 70-80% clear and I just did my second session about two weeks ago. The chin and lip are taking their sweet time but there is noticeable thinning.
I wouldn't worry about the chemistry of the lasers so much as the wavelength. Shorter wavelengths are great for fair skin, but really can cause damage for darker folks which is why they hit them with ~1000nm lasers as you find with the ND:YAG ones.
The absolute best thing about the Lightsheer Duet for me is the "high speed" head which zaps a larger area every time. It makes the underside of the chin and cheeks so much faster.