How long does it take to clear the face the first time using the advanced laser machines?  How many hours?

Is it something that can reasonably be accomplished in one (perhaps long) session, or is there too much damage for the body to deal with?

If multiple sessions are required, how many?

And how much will this initial clearing cost?

Finally, does the regrowth come back in as fine, 'baby' hairs, or as mature 'old growth' that takes painful settings (and a lot of time) to treat?

My reason for asking -- I want to explore my idea from a previous post -- get the initial clearing done quickly with laser, knowing it can't (yet) be claimed permanent -- then complete the job with electro, getting the hairs as they reappear. 

My last session, we uprooted a dense grove of white hairs.  I diverted my mind from the discomfort by counting the number of seconds it took each stinkin' hair (around 30 seconds at a rather high setting.)  And Betacaine can only do so much... 

Karen

They'll clear your face with each session, but keep in mind it only gets the visible hairs - there are always dormant hairs waiting to pop up later.

Most places will claim 6-8 sessions to clear as much as they're gonna get, but many people who have done this claim 8-20 sessions is more realistic.

Prices vary *widely*. I was quoted $375, $450, and $500 per session. I've heard many people paying $150 - $250 per session. Don't be afraid to haggle

Quote from: Kate on March 19, 2006, 07:42:42 PM
They'll clear your face with each session, but keep in mind it only gets the visible hairs - there are always dormant hairs waiting to pop up later.

So, one session and my face is clear, and then what grows in are the dormant hairs and the ones from the first clearing that didn't stay dead?

That's what I'm looking for, because I'll let my electro get the regrowth while it's still fresh and easy to kill! (BWAHaHaha...) >

Karen

How long would my face be free of hair after 1 or 2 treatments?  A week or two?

(Kate, your picture translates into "In dreams, there is truth," doesn't it?"

Chaunte

Quote from: Chaunte on March 19, 2006, 07:57:46 PM
How long would my face be free of hair after 1 or 2 treatments?  A week or two?

I'm not really sure, as I haven't had laser myself (yet). From what I'm told (and read), most visible hairs get vaporized outright in each session, but some of the dead hairs remain in the follicles until they work themselves out over the next week or two. It sounds like once they fall out, you'll have some relatively clear time until the dormant hairs really start coming in.

But I'm guessing. And hoping

Quote from: Chaunte on March 19, 2006, 07:57:46 PM
(Kate, your picture translates into "In dreams, there is truth," doesn't it?"

You got it! It's become something of a mantra of mine, lol...

Quote from: Kate on March 19, 2006, 08:50:02 PM
You got it! It's become something of a mantra of mine, lol...

Ahhhh!  Suffering through 3 years of Latin wasn't for naught afterall!   

Chaunte

I just started laser so...

From what I was told, I had to do at least 3 sessions before I would see any real results. I only made it as far as the neck. (Side note, while it has been reported some people can go whole treatments without numbing cream, opt for it and use it like shaving cream.) But after the redness healed, my neck is still relitivly clear even 3 weeks later. I'm lucky because I have fair skin and dark hair, the dream combo. The darker your skin the longer and harder it gets. The model my nurse uses targets by the hairs by using the contrast from the skin. So it has a harder time with darker skined people.

This makes me happy because I fear needls and either way hurts, alot.

Quote from: Luana on March 22, 2006, 05:51:01 PMBut after the redness healed...

May I ask how long the redness was noticeable?

Do you happen to know which type of laser was used?

Hmm, i'd say a week and a half?

If you are wooried about people noticing, they will. It looked like i'd put a waffle iron to my neck.

Quote from: Luana on March 22, 2006, 08:02:59 PM
Hmm, i'd say a week and a half?

If you are wooried about people noticing, they will. It looked like i'd put a waffle iron to my neck.

Eeek! I don't think that's typical... most reports I read say there's minor redness lasting a few hours to maybe a day. I don't think the laser is supposed to be affecting the skin that much. I'm wondering if they're using a too-high setting? Is it healing OK?

Oh yes it healed in fine. But really only a few hours or a day? I think I'd better bring this up next time.

I had my first session 3 weeks ago this coming Saturday. Not particulary pleasant, but certainly not horrible. The laser being used sends out a jet of cold gas immediately after the laser pulse, cooling the skin; this really seems to make a difference.

Any redness there might have been was gone by the time I got home, and I felt like I had a mild sunburn for a couple of days. The hairs started shedding after about 4 days, and were pretty much gone by 2 weeks. There are just a few hairs that seem to be still growing, though I expect more will come out of dormancy by the time I have my next session (weekend after next).

I will be having sessions every 4 or 5 weeks, alternating between the entire face & neck, and just the goatee area (this area is supposedly the most stubborn, and thus is getting the most attention... at least for now). I have dark hair and average to slightly dark skin. With a modern laser in the hands of a good operator, darker skin isn't the problem it used to be.

Cost is $250 for the entire face & neck, and $100 for the goatee area. Those prices include a "family discount"; the place is TG owned & operated!

I've now had two sessions of laser hair removal.  Yes it is rather unpleasant (even the topical cream they gave me for the second session didn't seem to do jack), but it's relatively quick - if I didn't have to keep stopping the person every couple of blasts due to the rising pain each time, it would be done in about five minutes.  I have an average of about 20 minutes per session.  Overall not bad, and the pain is only momentary.  The most painful areas for me are the chin and upper lip (upper lip right under the nose was the only time it actually brought tears to my eyes - it felt like the blast went through my lip and eradicated three of my teeth - thank god only two blasts are needed right there).

The hair is noticeably reduced during treatment, but not gone completely for me (I have very dark hair and thus the pores are still visible).  The redness is usually gone by the time I get home, although the tenderness stays for a few days.  Yes, it feels like a sunburn.  The dead hair gets pushed out over the course of a few days and really can't be shaved off to any acceptable degree - just have to live with it for a while.

After my first treatment, I did notice a drastic reduction in coverage and growth.  What used to take me three days to look like the wolfman, now I can go a week and a half and still only have stubble.  I'm still in the fallout stage of my last treatment, so I still don't know what the further reduction looks like from that.  But I have noticed a few "bald spots" on my chin, a little smaller than dimes, in a few places.

The place I am going to offered a package price of $1,022 for six sessions - that's about $171 per session (actually a 20% savings over paying for each session individually).

Quote from: stephanie on March 25, 2006, 01:29:10 PM
The redness is usually gone by the time I get home, although the tenderness stays for a few days.  Yes, it feels like a sunburn.

I just want to echo Stephanie and Annie here. I just got back from my first session. The initial redness went away during my 10 minute drive home. You'd never know I had a session by looking at me already.

My face felt like it was on fire when I left... three hours later and it's just a mild sunburn feeling now. No biggie.

It didn't hurt anywhere near what I expected (EDIT: I did apply EMLA cream an hour beforehand). It certainly stung, but no more than a small rubber band being snapped against the skin. Then again, the doctor kept saying, "I can't believe how well you're tolerating this..." so maybe I have a high pain threshold, lol. Yea, the upper lip was the worst, but mostly because it made me want to sneeze, lol. It also only took a couple zaps, so it was over quick.

I think in some sadistic way I was also taking pleasure in knowing that each zap was killing off a bunch of hated whiskers Take THAT! zap.

A quick update here... I've got my second session coming up this weekend, and it seems that the timing is perfect. It's only within the past week that I've noticed any growth in the treated area as the follicles that were dormant 5 weeks ago are coming to life. They're pretty sparse, and seem to grow more slowly than normal, and are emerging just in time to be blasted away!

I'm having the whole face and neck done this time, rather than just the goatee area, so I'll report back on just how high my pain threshold is!

Quote from: Annie Social on April 04, 2006, 06:09:33 PM
A quick update here... I've got my second session coming up this weekend, and it seems that the timing is perfect. It's only within the past week that I've noticed any growth in the treated area as the follicles that were dormant 5 weeks ago are coming to life.

Hmmm, that's interesting, as my next appointment is only 4 weeks away - which seemed kinda short to me. Now you really have me wondering. I guess I can always call and postpone it for a few weeks if I have no significant growth by then...

So you're saying I can look forward to a few weeks of no growth - once the remaining zapped hairs fall out? That would be SO nice! I just cannot imagine not having a beard shadow... I would be SO incredibly happy!

Oh.. and one thing I DIDN'T anticipate - damn it stinks! I STILL smell singed hair a bit. Ewww. I think that was worse than the pain, lol.

4 weeks is right about the time I started to notice the new growth, so your timing is probably fine. I'm sure it varies all over the place, too. And yes, the smell was a bit much; I was glad I had a stuffy nose the day I went in!

Once the hair had mostly fallen out, there was about two weeks of not really having to shave there at all. Prior to that, I was shaving regularly to help the dead hairs fall out faster. By the way, a little trick: a somewhat dull razor is a good thing here; when it passes over the hairs that are ready to come out, they pull loose before the razor can cut them!

Quote from: Kate on April 04, 2006, 06:01:27 PMYou'd never know I had a session by looking at me already.

I take that back. Today (morning after session), I have numerous red spots (probably actually minor burns/discolorations - don't hurt though), some scabbing, some "whiteheads". It kinda looks like I had a *really* bad day trying to shave with a dull razor. People won't know WHAT happened, but they're gonna know something did. I look pretty awful.

It's extremely depressing... it's tough to do something to make yourself look better, and end up looking so nasty. I know it's going to heal and clear up, but... yuck.

I would like to comment on the laser treatment. I found that it thinned my beard out a lot, but I have a reddish brown  hair on my face. I went through 6 sessions at 1200 dollars and she used this cold air technique, which didn't hurt one bit. My face was red for about a day and that was all. It has been over 6 months now since my last treatment and the hairs on my face are not getting any thicker , but I still have hair there. Most of it is very light and some hairs are thick, but for the most part you can't see any hair, only feel it. I'm, at this moment, not going to waste my money on any hair removal  only razor blades. I think that if you went and had laser done and then go back to electrolysis for the lighter hairs. You will be far more ahead than just going to one. Just my opinion.
Sheila

Quote from: Sheila on April 05, 2006, 02:00:30 PM
I think that if you went and had laser done and then go back to electrolysis for the lighter hairs. You will be far more ahead than just going to one. Just my opinion.

That was my plan.  I'm still saving money for the treatment though.

Melissa