hiii.

So I just had my first laser session. I just have upper lip hair and a few on my chin, so I saved money and now here I am.

She recommended some cream. But I can't remember how many times do we have to use it after the treatment. I just applied lotion but I don't think it's enough. Also, when to expect shedding? And we have to protect the skin from the sun, right??

Merci

I've had six laser sessions on my beard area so far. I use cream on my face twice daily, and I just apply a little more than usual after laser because my skin tends to feel drier the first day. Applying cream also supposedly can help 'loosen' the hairs once the shedding phase starts (between 5 and 11 days after your laser session; for me, shedding usually begins a week after the appointment), though I'm not sure how true this is. Nonetheless, you want your skin to be as moisturised as you can, since the laser can not only dry it out at first but can also cause some people to break out, which has happened to me a few times. Basically, just take care of your face a little more than usual.

You need to avoid too much sun exposure after each laser appointment, but it doesn't mean you can't come into any contact with sunlight, like Nosferatu. You just need to avoid a lot of direct exposure, as you might get from sun-bathing. Sunblock can work, but I've always just used my foundation to cover up my face, since you can apply makeup immediately after laser sessions, and it blocks out that kind of exposure.

Also, avoid trying to pluck out hairs a few days after laser. Sometimes, hairs that still seem 'rooted' in your skin will shed a few days later, and it's safer to just let them come out. Exfoliating your face and rubbing in circular motions from about five days on will help remove the hairs, and once the hairs have started shedding, you can test plucking individual hairs if you like--those that come out without any pain are the ones that the laser successfully treated.

Merci Gabrielle

I guess I'll just avoid contact with sunlight. I also moisturize daily so I'll keep my skin care routine and maybe but the product they recommended me. Maybe not. I just love my skin now! I'll likely need more. But OMGGGGGGGGG I'm like so excited.


OMG. I thought they would laugh at me, for my girlish voice and femmey face and manneirisms but they were super duper nice. Not really any problem. When I entered the clinic, I was dying inside. Lol.

Quote from: Auroramarianna on March 20, 2015, 01:37:13 PM
Merci Gabrielle

I guess I'll just avoid contact with sunlight. I also moisturize daily so I'll keep my skin care routine and maybe but the product they recommended me. Maybe not. I just love my skin now! I'll likely need more. But OMGGGGGGGGG I'm like so excited.


OMG. I thought they would laugh at me, for my girlish voice and femmey face and manneirisms but they were super duper nice. Not really any problem. When I entered the clinic, I was dying inside. Lol.

I know how you feel! When I first started going to my laser place, I was still presenting as male, but I told the person who was doing my beard area that I was transgender and she immediately became super-nice and encouraging. It actually got slightly uncomfortable--she wanted me to come in wearing dresses to see 'the real me,' which I would eventually do anyway, but I don't want to exist as a spectacle for anyone. But she's been kind. She immediately switched to my preferred name and even asked if I go by Gabby, which she changed my name to in her system, and she asks about my plans for HRT and how people are treating me since I came out, etc.

I think more and more laser specialists know that transwomen can and will come in to get their beard area cleared/reduced, and unless they're jerks with poor marketing sense, they'll either be netural or nice to us.

Congrats on starting your journey! Laser works differetly on different people. After six sessions, with regrowth in-between, my cheeks are almost all clear, but for a few individual hairs, while my chin and moustache area still have hair. Those two areas are the most resilient. But I can definitely notice reduction in the overall number of hairs, and the smoothness of my skin in the treated areas is so different and nice to me. I can't wait to be free of all of those pesky hairs, be it through laser or later electrolysis.

Quote from: Gabrielle_22 on March 20, 2015, 01:51:18 PM
I know how you feel! When I first started going to my laser place, I was still presenting as male, but I told the person who was doing my beard area that I was transgender and she immediately became super-nice and encouraging. It actually got slightly uncomfortable--she wanted me to come in wearing dresses to see 'the real me,' which I would eventually do anyway, but I don't want to exist as a spectacle for anyone. But she's been kind. She immediately switched to my preferred name and even asked if I go by Gabby, which she changed my name to in her system, and she asks about my plans for HRT and how people are treating me since I came out, etc.

I think more and more laser specialists know that transwomen can and will come in to get their beard area cleared/reduced, and unless they're jerks with poor marketing sense, they'll either be netural or nice to us.

Congrats on starting your journey! Laser works differetly on different people. After six sessions, with regrowth in-between, my cheeks are almost all clear, but for a few individual hairs, while my chin and moustache area still have hair. Those two areas are the most resilient. But I can definitely notice reduction in the overall number of hairs, and the smoothness of my skin in the treated areas is so different and nice to me. I can't wait to be free of all of those pesky hairs, be it through laser or later electrolysis.

Thank you so much! I thought it would hurt so much I was going to cry. just a small itch and hot sensation but nothing too painful. I was really terrified people would point and laugh at me. Lol. But it didn't happen.

Yeah, it would be amazing if I just need one or two but that usually doesn't happen. I just have hair on my upper lip and chin, so hopefully it will be faster. But IDK.

Congrats on starting laser!   I'm usually told to use a cream with aloe in it.  They put almost pure aloe on my face after the treatment.  I always use a daycream with SPF in it and they do say to keep it protected from the sun while you're in treatment (especially in summer).  For me it takes 1.5 weeks to shed, then there's still a little bit of shadow for another week or so, then clear / no growth for 4 more weeks.

Congrats on the laser!

I have two sessions under my belt. Shedding started at the 1 week mark for me almost exactly. However it actually makes my hairs appear darker while shedding which is gross and gets me sir'ed but I put up with it and the after result is quite good. Once it's gone it's gone until it regrows which takes a while. They use the Nd:YAG on me which is IR (1064nm) and goes deep and hot so it's painful. But I really don't have a choice as I have darker skin.

I just use my regular moisturizer 2x/day (FAB repair creme).

The laser tech I go to is a trans woman but very passable so she is sympathetic. I presented male the first time that didn't work out so well - some of the girls there (it's an electrology school) said I should "take it like a man" and I said "but I'm not a man!" Then had to explain the trans thing... They better learn now since some of their customers are likely to be trans! Now I just present female and no problems whatsoever.

Quote from: Auroramarianna on March 20, 2015, 01:59:29 PM
Yeah, it would be amazing if I just need one or two but that usually doesn't happen. I just have hair on my upper lip and chin, so hopefully it will be faster. But IDK.

You might get lucky, but I have to assume you'll need at least four and likely up to eight sessions, which seems like the standard. But just see how it pans out! Also, my laser technician has mentioned me being able to get free touch-ups in-between sessions if she missed a small area; I've never had to do that and don't know if that's standard procedure, but it might be something worth asking about if you find a few patches still there.

One other thing you might notice: shaving can be a bit weird for the first two to three days after a laser session. For some reason, when I try to shave, the hair just wouldn't really 'get' shaved down much, and the shadow was very noticeable. However, after a few days, things were back to normal, and a few days later, the shedding began. This shaving quirk has happened to me four or five times, and I've seen a few girls mention it online before. But I don't know how common this is. Just a heads-up in case you notice that, too.

I'm going to get my consultation for laser in 4 days and this thread is making me excited! ^_^ Although I'm scared about being a bearded lady.. I've not been out in public with more than a freshly shaved face and makeup for half a year! eeep! That's gonna be awkward..

Quote from: Damara on March 20, 2015, 08:58:17 PM
I'm going to get my consultation for laser in 4 days and this thread is making me excited! ^_^ Although I'm scared about being a bearded lady.. I've not been out in public with more than a freshly shaved face and makeup for half a year! eeep! That's gonna be awkward..

You don't really ever have to be a bearded lady. My laser technician just wants me to have one day of growth before a session, so if that's the case for yours, you can shave the morning before, wear makeup the whole day, and shoot for an early-morning session the next--that's what I do. And if you use the colour-wheel trick to cover any residual beard shadow--cancelling out the blue undertones with an orange concealer/lipstick/powder before putting on foundation--you'll look the same as ever before the shedding starts.

Hope you get to do your first session soon!

My technician (I have had about three or four sessions now), suggests that I use their lotion a couple of times a day, whenever my face starts to feel dry (so sometimes more), and if I am going outside, to wear an SPF 50 plus sun block, as the combination of laser and UV rays may cause scarring in some people, which they cannot reverse.

Quote from: Gabrielle_22 on March 20, 2015, 09:08:58 PM
You don't really ever have to be a bearded lady. My laser technician just wants me to have one day of growth before a session, so if that's the case for yours, you can shave the morning before, wear makeup the whole day, and shoot for an early-morning session the next--that's what I do.

I was always told to close shave before a laser session and I have to say it's worked well for me. The rational being that when the laser pulse fires you want as much of the energy as possible absorbed in the folicle and not wasted in protruding hair. So I l ways shave either night before if a morning session or morning if afternoon session.








 

Quote from: Damara on March 20, 2015, 08:58:17 PM
I'm going to get my consultation for laser in 4 days and this thread is making me excited! ^_^ Although I'm scared about being a bearded lady.. I've not been out in public with more than a freshly shaved face and makeup for half a year! eeep! That's gonna be awkward..

A close shaven shadow isn't really going to clock you. Stubble is though.

Quote from: Gabrielle_22 on March 20, 2015, 09:08:58 PM
You don't really ever have to be a bearded lady. My laser technician just wants me to have one day of growth before a session, so if that's the case for yours, you can shave the morning before, wear makeup the whole day, and shoot for an early-morning session the next--that's what I do. And if you use the colour-wheel trick to cover any residual beard shadow--cancelling out the blue undertones with an orange concealer/lipstick/powder before putting on foundation--you'll look the same as ever before the shedding starts.

Hope you get to do your first session soon!

Like others said, I need to have it close shaved before the session, either the day of or the day before.
The reason is that if there is stubble it will absorb the energy and heat the skin thus wasting it and causing more pain than is necessary.

One or two day stubble is needed for electrolysis because the tech needs to grab the hairs to pull them out.

Damara, you don't have to be a beardy lady at all! They prefer that you shave closely before the laser appointment, like one day or even the morning, I think, in fact she said to me "it's better for us if you come closely shaved like you do today" even though I had left it grow one week for the appointment, so yeah, lol. I don't really get a shadow or stubble because my facial hair is not dense, it obviously grows but it's not dense enough to create a shadow, I really am a lucky b*tch. I don't shave everyday, I usually pluck the hairs.


Thanks, everyone I am using my moisturizer and I'll beware of sun.

Kate, mine was super nice!! I told her I was embarassed. She said "oh don't worry you don't imagine how many boys come here to take hair from their faces" lolol, I haven't come out to her yet. Dunno if I will. She probably thinks I'm queer anyway as my high voice and mannerisms give me away.

Hi Aqua

i just use some lightweight moisturizing lotion. I have acne prone skin still so i can't use any heavy creams. I think at my next appointment I'm going to ask for a lotion with SPF to avoid any potential sun damage. Especially now that I'm starting HRT, as my skin becomes thinner, I want to be sure the sun won't cause me any issues.

congrats on your first treatment! be aware you might not be able to shave for about a week after the treatment. For some people like me, the hair becomes loosened or something, and the razor is unable to cut it for some reason. So I'm usually pretty depressed after every treatment for about a week, because i have all these ugly dark facial hairs that i can't shave LOL. once everything starts shedding I'm happy again

That is so awesome!

I was thinking it was the same for laser as it was for electrolysis! Thanks all for the reassurance! <3 Sorry I hijacked the thread, too!