Lazer vs Electrolysis: Why do both if unnecessary?

   Ok, I've done what homework I can about both processes, including costs, effectiveness, good and bad lazer candidates, pain, time consumption, etc. I've even had a consultation with a Lazer tech. But I want an unbiased, (aka not someone answering based on profit margins,) answer. Is the reason to do both to save only to save on pain? If you know you're gonna need Electrolysis for at least half of your beard area hair, and lazer results are never guaranteed, wouldn't it be more cost effective to just go straight for the electro in the first place? Or is Lazer so much faster to cover a given area that even if it only gets 65% of your dark hairs, it still saves time and money?

    Personally I have developed coarse blonde/greyish hairs that are just as thick and noticeable as the nearly black dark brown ones. The ratio is nearly 1 to 1 at this point. As a combat vet (long story) I have an incredibly high pain threshold, and am going to have to adapt to electro pain anyway. Am I better off doing both or just the Electrolysis. AKA, which saves more time, money or both?

Hi JennyBear

Laser for me took care of about 60+ % of all my facial hair permanently, leaving grey and a few black hairs that laser for what ever reason is unable to get. I was quoted 150 hrs of Electrolysis for a full clearance black and grey hair. If I only have to spend 40x% of my time on electrolysis then it is a saving in time and heaps of money(and pain). It meant that I am now approaching maintenance mode with only a few area's not completely hair free and will have spent somewhere between 50 and 60 hours on electrolysis.

The laser cost me about $900 so far and I am unlikely to have another one as electrolysis is picking up any stragglers. to save 60+ hours @ $180 per hour that's about $11000 worth of Electrolysis saved and many hours in the chair

It really comes down to how well you respond...as the saying goes your mileage may vary (YMMV)

I am currently doing both. By the sounds of it my hair is not that different from yours. Some of my hair is dark brown, some light brown, some has a slight tinge of red, and some is grey white.

What I've found so far (and most is pretty obvious if you've done your homework) is that the light hair and the grey . white hair will not be affected at all by laser. Even my lighter brown hair is not being diminished at all no matter how much the laser (Yag laser) therapist tells me.... just one or two more tries.

So, at some point you will HAVE to have electrolysis. Electrolysis is still the ONLY proven way to remove hair permanently. Most honest laser therapists will label their services as hair reduction. Don't believe those lighter hairs will go with laser with current technologies.

However, electrolysis is VERY long winded. In 1 hour with laser I can have my whole upper front body covered. With electrolysis an hour gets me maybe 6 inched squared. But those electrolysis hairs will not come back, ever.

My advice would be.... use laser for darker hairs (and avoid a suntan during this whole process so that the laser energy does not get absorbed by the skin melanin). Use electrolysis for everything else. It is a lengthy process for wookies like me, and probably the single most expensive treatment (including all the surgeries).

I am doing both. I have about 30% grey facial hairs and laser won't be effective on those. Laser is more painful, but it also requires fewer treatments. Each facial laser treatment only takes 15 - 20 minutes and although moderately painful, for me the discomfort only lasts 30 minutes to an hour. The folks I am going to claim it takes 4 - 6 treatments before the results really start to show. I have had five laser sessions and the dark hairs are very sparse now. Make sure they use a laser. Some places claim they use laser but actually use IPL (Intense Pulsed Light). IPL is useless and only provides temporary results by basically burning off the exposed hairs, it does not damage the roots.

Electrolysis requires much more time. I have had two one-hour sessions per week since mid-January and I am definitely seeing results. The grey hairs are becoming finer and much less dense. I think I will be able to drop down to one session per week within the next two - three months. Although the first few sessions were very painful, I quickly got used to it. Now I regularly fall asleep during my electrolysis sessions.

I decided to do both to speed things up. There are a lot of hairs in a beard and I am hoping that the laser will take care of the dark ones so I will only need electrolysis on the grey. Since the laser reduces the number of hairs needing electrolysis by hopefully at least 50%, then that should reduce the number of electrolysis sessions I will need.

If time is not important, then electrolysis only would be fine. If you want to be smooth sooner and you have the funds, then I recommend doing both.

Okay, what I'm getting from a few of you, that I haven't found elsewhere on the net, is that Electrolysis takes roughly 6-10 times the time investment to cover the same area. If both are the same rate/hr this equates to an equivalent savings, which more than covers the costs of doing both as opposed to just Electro. Thanks for the info.

HUGS!

Yes. If you have suitable makeup (darker hairs on whitish skin) then DEFINITELY do laser first or at the same time as electrolysis on lighter hairs. It will save you both time and money. Do remember what I said about suntans. I live in a sunny climate and the laser effectiveness is surely reduced if I have any kind of tan. Electrolysis it makes no difference.

For me it was actually cheaper to buy a top of the range electrolysis machine and pay for my other half to get decent training than to actually pay an electrolygist. At the end of the treatment I will have saved time and still have a $1200 machine to sell.

Quote from: JoanneW on October 04, 2017, 06:34:22 AM
Yes. If you have suitable makeup (darker hairs on whitish skin) then DEFINITELY do laser first or at the same time as electrolysis on lighter hairs. It will save you both time and money. Do remember what I said about suntans. I live in a sunny climate and the laser effectiveness is surely reduced if I have any kind of tan. Electrolysis it makes no difference.

For me it was actually cheaper to buy a top of the range electrolysis machine and pay for my other half to get decent training than to actually pay an electrolygist. At the end of the treatment I will have saved time and still have a $1200 machine to sell.

And where did you purchase this wonderful machine? (link pls.)  Or better yet, is yours still for sale? I am starting a nursing program next spring and wife has medical training as well. Wouldn't be too much of a stretch for us to DIY it ourselves.

I've sent you a PM with the info of the machine I bought. Posting it in public would make it too easy for people to discover my real identity. Paranoid much ))

Also if you are interested in "DIY" electrolysis be mindful that it is VERY difficult to do on yourself. Google "Michael Bono blend electrolysis" (he has a book for sale but gives most of the basics for free). That was my starting point. There is a lot of chemistry, biology, anatomy and technique in electrolysis to do it right.

Great info. If anyone else wants the link, send me a pm.

http://bonoelectrolysis.com/English%20GUIDE.pdf

This was the info that first opened my eyes to there being a bit more to electrolysis that jab click jab click.

Quote from: JoanneW on October 04, 2017, 08:23:24 AM
http://bonoelectrolysis.com/English%20GUIDE.pdf

This was the info that first opened my eyes to there being a bit more to electrolysis that jab click jab click.

I had a quick look through this book and it is clear why a good electrolysis technique is so critical to the over all result you will get. I don't know how brave I would be doing it on myself, the chances of getting it wrong are enough to put me off.                                                                                             

Quote from: ElizabethK on October 04, 2017, 03:04:01 PM
I had a quick look through this book and it is clear why a good electrolysis technique is so critical to the over all result you will get. I don't know how brave I would be doing it on myself, the chances of getting it wrong are enough to put me off.                                                                                             

Why my wife is gonna take the course, so that I'm not doing it on myself. Both of us have some medical training already.