I have to say I feel a bit stupid but I guess I have to accept I can be duped with the best of them. As many of you may remember I have had issues with my Electrolysis and am a strong supporter of Laser treatment in conjunction with Electrolysis as the best way to remove facial hair.

I have written many posts on this forum about Laser and how good it is. Disturbingly I have had 14 "laser" sessions and I am still seeing a fair amount of black facial hair which has frustrated me to the point over the last few weeks to instruct my Electrolysis provider to take all hair grey or black.

About July last year after having 7 very successful laser treatments where my dark hair reduced significantly...session number 8 was cancelled and after attending a local support group the previous saturday where a particular Beauty Salon was spruiking its available services for Trans people and at a special reduced rate for Electrolysis. I had swapped after 10 hours with my other Electrologist to this new salon and  there they had told me I could have the exact same Laser Treatment as I was getting from the Medical Laser Place only at half the cost. It is closer and cheaper and she has the same equipment, so why wouldn't I?

My last session of electrolysis with this Beauty Parlour was when I realised that the continual tugging I was feeling meant she was pulling some of the hairs out before they were zapped properly...because she was rushing and had poor technique. She also delivered the laser treatments which I was becoming increasing disenchanted by as they did not seem to be very effective. After I decided to have no more Electrolysis with her, I began to research in earnest the proper technique for delivery of facial laser...I even asked here in a post about the technique that was being used and no one was having the same technique as me.

This morning I went back to the original Laser removal Salon with the medical grade laser and Nurse technicians. I explained what I had done but would not give the name of the other business first up.The laser tech was lovely treating me exactly as she always had. She had a look at my address whilst talking to me and said, the other salon you went to, it was B.... Salon on B....... Rd wasn't it. I said yes, how did you know and she says to me:

"You are not the first, this is a familiar story and her machine is an IPL machine not a medical grade laser so is nothing like the laser machine I have here", she then went on to tell me exactly the technique she would have used and she was exactly right...I had just completed 7 IPL sessions.

I had been conned by this Salon who took advantage of my naivety. I was really annoyed by her lack of honesty and the idea that she can "make a quick buck" out of me.  In reality I have had only 7 laser treatments and I may as well have been using a home IPL kit for all the good it did me with the treatments she gave me. IPL will reduce hair but never do a great job at killing it.

After my proper laser treatment today which felt way different and hurt a lot less than the 7 IPL treatments, I can see where the laser has been.  I know from previous laser results how good they will be. IPL will take the hairs out but it hurt more and they grow back. Once a hair is killed by laser there is no coming back. The cost was a mere $16 more than the IPL cost because it takes less time to laser me than it first did. In the area's that are completely free of hair, there was no sensation at all as there was no hair to zap.

We live and we learn, I guess the lesson is check that you are getting what you think you are. However if you are told that you are having Medical grade laser Treatment then for a novice like me I am easily suckered as I wouldn't know what to look for. It is frustrating because I have been working on my top lip so I can have some fillers done once it is clear...and it is very close but had I been having laser it would be all but finished by now...with the occasional errant hair.

Liz

Oh, heck, Liz, I'm so sorry to read that you got The Treatment instead of proper treatment.  This sort of thing is incredibly common, it seems.  Most of the "laser hair removal" places around me are actually doing IPL.  It really is a 'buyer beware' marketplace.

My HMO actually brought laser hair removal in-house so that there would be some quality control and consistency. They've also contracted with just a handful of electrolysis providers, all of whom appear to be very well thought of.  I feel fortunate to have some outside quality control for my treatment in such a crazy marketplace.

Hi Michelle

What fooled me was she was invited to speak at a support group meeting and she seemed like a really genuine woman. But the further I got with her treatments the more I realised that there was something wrong. It was a fairly cheap lesson at about $180US but when I look again this morning the difference between the laser treatment yesterday and the IPL  is like chalk and cheese...I was blaming the technique I didn't for one moment think she had straight out lied to me...anyway such is life, we live we learn...I think for me it was just another example of being taken advantage of...thanks for your kind words

Liz

I've noticed this as well.  There is nothing laser about IPL.  It's a glorified camera flash. 
How places like this aren't getting slapped for false advertising is beyond me.

Quote from: Estelle_maybe? on February 22, 2017, 06:31:19 PM
I've noticed this as well.  There is nothing laser about IPL.  It's a glorified camera flash. 
How places like this aren't getting slapped for false advertising is beyond me.

Agreed it was partly that I got lied too and worse I am desperately trying to get the clearance on my top lip as close to hair free as possible so I can have another procedure and this is now delayed probably by about 6 months. Most of the area treated with IPL are back to where they were when I left the original laser place, I have begun to get my electrologist to pull every hair including the black ones...for the next 12 weeks I will get her to leave them alone and let the laser do its work.

Thanks for your input

Liz

I have no doubt that all laser services tailor your treatment plan for maximum profit. They really don't care about your personal goals. It is all about money. They will "miss" areas on purpose and will adjust coverage/number of pulses to make you come back more than necessary.

I've had my face done upwards of 20 times with a Gentlelase. Also had a few treatments with a YAG with zero hair reduction.

They prey on you because once you get results you are locked in to their laser and settings. If you go to a new place they want to start over at the lowest settings even if it's the same laser.

A few times I went back and said you missed a spot. She would deny it and act as if it's impossible for her to miss. After a few treatments you know when they missed right away. If you have immediate growth then they missed and it should be gone over again.

At the end of the day I felt abused by my laser doctor. Taken advantage of.

I have now switched over to electrolysis to get the light hairs. I'm glad that I'm done with laser because of the games they play.

IPL is just not permanent atall.
YAG or Alexandrite, and you are sorted :3

QuoteA few times I went back and said you missed a spot.

That was not my experience.  At the start of each session, I was asked about any problem areas and we discussed the areas to be worked on.  I never had the impression any areas were missed.  I guess it all depends on where you go.  As in any other business, some are good and some are not.

Elizabeth, I had the same thing with regard to the electrolysis as you did.  She was not treating them each, and for long enough or with enough juice, and I would feel the tug for most of the hairs.  She was basically just pulling out my facial hair and not treating them.  I wasted a lot of money before I finally quit her and found someone that does it right every time for every hair.  I mean, one time the electric sticker she has on my hand lost connection with the wire and she pulled twice on the first hair of the session and she started fidgeting and looking around and noticed it wasn't connected.  She said "I treated that hair twice and it was not sliding out...I knew something was wrong".  I was like HECK YEAH!  Finally, someone that knows what they are doing!  I am hooked on her work now.  I drive 4 hours one way to go to her. 

You MUST self advocate.  It is more than caveat emptor, we have to teach many of these people how to effectively treat US in so many areas of OUR transitional lives.  At least that is how it is for me here in the middle of Missouri. lol

Sad....but there's simply too many people out there that take advantage of us or are simply ham fisted and have no idea of what they're doing. I have 88 hours of electrolysis in and you wouldn't know it. I've quit my present person. I love her, love her to death, but I don't think she knows what she's doing at all. This is one of the few things I've dealt with that I can't gauge whether or not I got my money's worth till it's too late. I'm out 5000 dollars and a year of my life and have little to nothing to show for it. Very frustrating indeed. Next month I'm off to Chicago for a very expensive mass clearing. At this point, I just pray I start to see some real results. My facial hair is triggering and now more so since I have come to the realization that it's not going to leave without a fight. Add to that, that there's few people out there capable of getting the job done and it creates an emty wallet and dysphoric brain for many of us. This industry definitely needs more oversight. It looks very much like a license to steal in many instances.

 Hi Liz,

   Thank you for sharing your tribulations with us. The experience you sadly had is good information for those of us yet to start the removal process. As they say to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Hugs
   Jeanette

For me what is astounding it that the audacity of the lies. I know that not everyone has a good response to laser. I how ever do respond to Laser. There is secondary dark hair growth which is fairly fine small hairs but I was always expecting that. After my last session the results were astounding for me. After about 6 sessions last time I had a huge reduction that has remained permanent

Over the last 2 months I have not had a electrolysis session that was not done without injections to the face. Because there is no pain it enables my tech to work quickly and with higher current ensuring that each hair slides out. My treatments have been 200% more efficient than they were and we are really making progress now.  My new Electrolysis girl is a marvel and I feel no tugging sensation at all with her. I asked her about a spot under my chin she cleared a month or more ago and asked her if she could find any new growth in that area...she couldn't...I asked her if that was unusual and she told me that every now and then she has come across someone who has a very painful experience but they only require one full clearance to deal with their beard. The area she cleared on the opposite side remains totally clear apart from the black hairs (left for laser) for the last 3 weeks.

So whilst it may be over the top painful for me when having Electrolysis if things work out as they appear then sometime in the next 5 hours of work I should complete my first full clearance...I have to start growing out today for our session on Tuesday....The results from the last laser finally cleared my top lip of Dark hair...the last few fell out yesterday YAY!!

Liz