Quick question for anyone in the states...

I am checking out options for laser and electrolysis  (I am blessed with salt and pepper hair).  I am being quoted $125/session for laser, with an estimate of 6-8 sessions to take care of the front and sides of neck. Electrolysis for the grey would be extra. I know this is a big expense, but is this in the world of reasonable?

Thanks,
Toni

Quote from: Antonia J on March 20, 2013, 06:52:40 AM
Quick question for anyone in the states...

I am checking out options for laser and electrolysis  (I am blessed with salt and pepper hair).  I am being quoted $125/session for laser, with an estimate of 6-8 sessions to take care of the front and sides of neck. Electrolysis for the grey would be extra. I know this is a big expense, but is this in the world of reasonable?

Thanks,
Toni

My session actually cost a lot more than this.

It's expensive up front, but you save a lifetime of shaving expenses and time. Every cloud has a silver lining!

Mine was about 175 a session and it may have cleared about 1/2 of it in 6 sessions.

Yep, ive been doing electrolysis for a little longer than a year now, at a barebones price/session and I have already spent close to $4k+.

It is seriously worth it though, especially when you touch your skin and feel skin not stubs .  Shaving doesn't get rid of any of that.

They can estimate all they want, but that's all it is. I had over 20 with a coolglide laser (half of which were free because of their estimated 10 sessions -- they didn't even have to) and I still have copious amounts of hair on my face, particularly my lip and chin area with sporadic spots all over my cheeks. Laser works better for some people than others, even if you have ideal skin tone and hair color (which I do).

The price isn't that bad, it's nearly the same as what I paid per session. But I basically threw my money in the garbage by going the laser route.

I spent $2400 on 2 years of laser. The original estimate was $3200, but they had a promotion that gave me a discount. Then, as I was making payments, they knocked a little more off if I was able to pay it off faster.

Quote from: luna on March 20, 2013, 11:07:50 AM
They can estimate all they want, but that's all it is. I had over 20 with a coolglide laser (half of which were free because of their estimated 10 sessions -- they didn't even have to) and I still have copious amounts of hair on my face, particularly my lip and chin area with sporadic spots all over my cheeks. Laser works better for some people than others, even if you have ideal skin tone and hair color (which I do).

The price isn't that bad, it's nearly the same as what I paid per session. But I basically threw my money in the garbage by going the laser route.

Bad thing with laser is  your hair has to be perfectly grown(right stage), good thing with electrolysis its gonna get quite some hairs and even if its not a direct kill they do get a tad weaker.  At the expense of being money money and painful since you have to do it more.

for me extremely expensive I had absurdly thick and strong facial hair, like the thickest of all my male friends I would bleed randomly sometimes.

When I was 18 and *not* on HRT I got 6 sessions of IPL costing about £700... it wasn't very effective... Well it was then it just regrew I dunno if it was because my facial hair was still coming through. Although it was so painfully thick anyway. This thinned it by about 30%

After that a couple of years passed I had 3 sessions of YD-YAG laser, which was ineffective Costing me £80... After that a couple more years passed and I begun to transition and I got electrolysis, I went for 2 hour sessions frequently for over a year although sometimes broken up by a few months of me going to uni and other life issues.
This in total cost me over £2000

After that I left it for abit and my facial hair gradually regrew... A fair bit happened when the NHS screwed up my hormone blockers.
I brought another 9 session of laser of a different type. costing £930 I appear to have finally broken it's back. After 2 sessions less than 3% of my facial hair remains. It's abit sad I have quite a few wrinkles on the spots of my face that have received treatment I suspect I might have damaged the skin as part of my endless war.

Total cost: £3710
which in American money is $5613 Over 7 years.

Skin is fairly resilient, even if it appears damaged.  Hydrate it, scrub it, and pamper it for a while.

Yes, it is expensive. Very expensive. As are most things related to transition. But it sure beats the heck out of having to shave in front of boyfriend every morning. Now that's priceless.

Yes it is but its money well spent. I have well over 2k invested in hair removal

135 $ a session sounds reasonable. To give you an idea, I paid 2600 $ for 7 sessions, and it was 40 % off. Don't trust the big chains with the pretty waiting room and TV ads. I later found out a new small clinic had opened up right next to where I live. 35 $ per 15 minutes, with the same LightSheer machine, each session usually being about 45 minutes or less. If/when I want to get some body hair removal done, I'm shooting for this place.

Anyway, the price you've said is fine. There's cheaper, but there's much more expensive, too.

Here's a thread about groupon.com, where you can find some really great deals on LHR (~$40 per treatment are not uncommonly found there):
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,132137.msg1076395.html#msg1076395

There's a post by allthewayhome towards the bottom that provides a link. You really should read that link so that you aren't mislead by some of the offers on groupon, should you take interest in that route; a lot of the people offering deals use IPL on you, while you need a different treatment for more secure results. The link has some really awesome insight and direction into that issue.

Good luck!

Gotta be careful with Groupon (and other similar sites)'s offers. They can be really advantageous, but there are risks. Often, a clinic does a deal with Groupon to give itself publicity at all costs, and sometimes, they even end up selling treatments at prices lower than what they cost them. I've heard some stories of clinics closing up and group buyers remaining un-refunded.

Also, such offers bring a huge volume of customers in a clinic at the same time, so appointments can be long to get. Worst case, you might not even be able to get the one appointment per 6-10 weeks necessary for optimal effectiveness.

I've only just started with laser (literally one session) for my face and Ive had some great results and some areas where nothing has happened. Directly under my chin and on my jaw I have spots where the laser has worked perfectly and spots where it hasn't, I am disappointed that I have as yet lost nothing on my top lip at all. I know I have only just started, again, 1 session is absolutely nothing! (isn't instant gratification too much to ask for?! hahahah) but I have thick dark hair and I cant help but wonder if I should be going down the electro path. I figure I can always get "touch ups" with electro after seeing how effective laser is.
Also, I know the title of this thread is about facial but I do want to ask about other girls body hair and how they have managed it. I'm not on HRT (yet) and know that that has a good impact on reducing body hair and hair in general but is it enough? I would say I have a "medium" hairy chest and medium/less medium hairy back. Legs are easier, I use an epilator, but I would like to not have to worry so much about my arms/legs/back/chest. Waxing is out cos long term its expensive and at the 4 week mark I know it looks terrible and I get ingrowns +++. Shaving is not an option, bad experience with shaving my chest! (I dont recommend it! WORST REGROWTH EVER!) Is chest electro really an option? I can just see that it would cost A LOT OF MONEY and I dont have a rich sugar mummy or enough money to fund it myself. Chest and back laser I was also quoted $500 australian dollars per side normal price but I might be able to ask kindly and get some of a discount.
Should I just wait until I start hormones and try a bit of patience? Sure it might teach me to stop and smell the flowers, but I want it now! I dont wanna look in the mirror and see hairiness anymore! (hahahahaha Yea! Putting on the spoiled brat part a bit right now).

I'm going to Advanced Medical Laser in Columbus, OH. I was able to use a Groupon, so it cost me $185 for 6 sessions on my neck (done with that for now) and $385 for six sessions on my whole face (one session in, already seeing a BIG difference in my beard shadow). I am aware I may need to buy additional sessions, and/or do electro for lighter stubble, but so far it's been worth the money (and tolerable but still unpleasant pain).

I negotiated *hard* to get, with coupons and discounts, a price of $1000 for 6 sessions plus six months of free touch-ups if necessary afterward. So ~$800 looks pretty good.

(And 6 sessions and 2 touch-ups = basically 100% clearance, as it worked out.)

Quote from: cynths on March 21, 2013, 08:58:55 AM
I've only just started with laser (literally one session) for my face and Ive had some great results and some areas where nothing has happened. Directly under my chin and on my jaw I have spots where the laser has worked perfectly and spots where it hasn't, I am disappointed that I have as yet lost nothing on my top lip at all. I know I have only just started, again, 1 session is absolutely nothing! (isn't instant gratification too much to ask for?! hahahah) but I have thick dark hair and I cant help but wonder if I should be going down the electro path. I figure I can always get "touch ups" with electro after seeing how effective laser is.

Dark thick hair is exactly what laser works best on. Electro is best for lighter hair. For one, remember that the upper lip is the area that's the most resilient. To give you an idea, it wasn't before session 3 or 4 that I started to really see an effect on mine. (Although I suspect that before they just weren't using a power setting high enough to kill those hard ones, since they've increased it gradually.) And literally most of the dark stuff on my neck went away with the first session, since it appears it's a weaker area for me.

The only reason laser might not work on your dark thick hair, unless you have dark skin, is that the laser sucks or is not used at a high setting.

Also, I know the title of this thread is about facial but I do want to ask about other girls body hair and how they have managed it. I'm not on HRT (yet) and know that that has a good impact on reducing body hair and hair in general but is it enough?

It greatly varies. For some, yes. Some others barely see a difference. Depends on the person, as well as how well your testosterone is suppressed. As for me, I've been unlucky. My leg and arm hair have only reduced by a little, and my chest hair has become mostly blond, yet still pretty thick, making laser much less effective on it. Owned, gamers would say.

I would say I have a "medium" hairy chest and medium/less medium hairy back. Legs are easier, I use an epilator, but I would like to not have to worry so much about my arms/legs/back/chest. Waxing is out cos long term its expensive and at the 4 week mark I know it looks terrible and I get ingrowns +++. Shaving is not an option, bad experience with shaving my chest! (I dont recommend it! WORST REGROWTH EVER!)

Chest is one of the areas I get the least trouble shaving. You might want to try:

1. Shaving in the shower, under warm water, with shaving gel. It wastes water and electricity, but it reduces irritation
2. Using an electric razor, which reduces irritation a lot
3. Exfoliate religiously with a good exfoliating tool or product often.

If really, you can't shave at all, look into hair bleaching creams. The hair will still be there, but it'll become less visible.

Is chest electro really an option?

Body electro is possible, of course, but it'll take a long time and cost a lot. For your whole torso, I think 10 000 $ isn't too pessimistic. If you're willing to travel to Texas, in the US, there's Electrology 3000, where you're subject to super-intensive electrolysis for a day, clearing a very large area, and I'm not even sure it's more expensive than the same number of treated hairs with normal electrolysis. Though you need to pay for travel and stay.

I can just see that it would cost A LOT OF MONEY and I dont have a rich sugar mummy or enough money to fund it myself. Chest and back laser I was also quoted $500 australian dollars per side normal price but I might be able to ask kindly and get some of a discount.

Per session? Hmm... The laser clinic I plan to go to evaluates their price for half-legs to 140 $. 500 $ sounds a little expensive, but I'm not so sure of how many legs' worth of surface there is on a torso.

Should I just wait until I start hormones and try a bit of patience?

For the face, I don't think you should wait, really. Hormones seldom have any effect on the face, so you can be early for that. For the body, the dilemma is yours. You might get reduction - and some get really impressive reductions - with HRT, rendering any laser done before pretty much useless. And you might get what I got: hair lightening but not thinning so much, rendering it immune to laser.

Sure it might teach me to stop and smell the flowers, but I want it now! I dont wanna look in the mirror and see hairiness anymore! (hahahahaha Yea! Putting on the spoiled brat part a bit right now).

Thanks for all of the helpful responses!  The facility is actually a part of a well known dermatology office in my city, and they use the Lightsheer Duet if that makes a difference.

One more question - they charge different rates for the face and upper lip.  The face is $175 per session, and also I was told 8-10 sessions.  The lip was $200.  Is it common to get different prices based on location?

Again, than you so much for all of your help.  I really appreciate it as I get started.