Hi!

I'm new here, just starting out and figured I'd do hair removal first (that stuff bugs me a lot).  I've been reading up a bit on the electro/laser debate and I'm looking for recommendations in my area for either (or both).  I'm in southern Orange County and can go most anywhere--though LA is outside my travel radius for a lunch break. 

Also, any advice or testimonials for hair removal would be welcome.  What did you do, how long did it take, how much did it cost (if you don't mind sharing)?

I have pretty fair skin (I work in a lab all day and rarely get to see the sun) and dark hair, so I think I might try some laser at first and do electro to finish up.  Any opinions on that course?  Anyone else try it?  How'd it work for you?

Thanks in advance for the help!
Jess

Posted on: March 03, 2008, 04:13:01 PM

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I'm going to post some of the results of my own searching at this point, and I'll keep updating this thread so that any interested individuals in my area can potentially benefit.
I'm mostly looking at places in central and southern OC right now, and since I'm looking at laser first, I've found a few promising places:
First is the office of Dan Mills, MD.  They use a LightSheer diode laser, sounds like maybe they have a PA working it.  Not sure.  I'll probably call for a consult and see what's what.  Located in Newport Beach.

Second on my list is Dr. McBeth.  Sounds like her office has several different kind of lasers, including a diode laser.  Evening and weekend hours available.  Probably do a consult here, too.  Also located in Newport Beach.

Third is West Dermatology.  They have an office in Mission Viejo, hours are only MWF 7 to 4, and no info on the type of laser they use.  I used to see Dr. West years ago as a kid, so I'll probably at least check them out a little further. 

Fourth (or not) is American Laser Center.  Looks like they use pulsed light.  I've got a PM out to another member who claims a bad experience with ALC, so these guys might be off the list pretty fast.  That and I've been reading that pulsed light isn't supposed to be as good as a real laser. 

I have no idea on prices yet, but I'll post that info in the coming weeks as I start making appointments for consults. 

There are tons of other places, but it doesn't sound like most of them are any good.  Of course, I have no way to differentiate between most of these operators, so I've been basing it on kind of a "vibe".  Some places seem to be more like a "laser clinic" where you aren't guaranteed medical supervision.  That seems a bit scary to me, so those are getting tossed out.  A very useful website I found for people considering laser treatment can be found here


And, by accident, I did find a place that does electrolysis, though I'm not sure how good they might be at it.  My wife has been to the spa several times for a massage, so I thought I'd include them here.
Spa Gregorie's.  Locations in Newport Beach and Rancho Santa Margarita.  Electro is only available at Newport Beach, cost in 15 minute blocks is $33, $48, $60 and $70 for the whole hour.  Initial consult is free. 

I have no idea whether any of these places are T-friendly, so I'll be posting that info as well as I find out more. 

---Edit---
So I've been to see all the doctors on my list (almost).  And here's the deal.
The office of Dr. Mills-- they use a lightsheer diode laser, and the procedure is done by a PA.  She's real nice, and the prices are around $400 per session (face and neck only), with discounts for buying 5 at a time ($1600) and you get the 6th free.  Prices changed as you start looking at different body areas, mostly on a basis of surface area.  They seem friendly enough, and didn't ask any questions about why a person might want to remove all of their body hair.  Consult and test patch was free.

Beckman Laser Center at UCI.  I met with Dr. Kelly, who was also nice, and again didn't ask why I might want to remove all my body hair.  They use an alexandrite laser, and pricing is based on time.  The Dr. quoted me at something like $400 to $450 for my face and neck per session.  It didn't sound like there are any discounts available.  Consult was $30, waived since I got a test patch done, for which I paid $100.  I was told that hair removal is not the most common thing they do there. 

Dr. McBeth in Newport also uses a diode laser, though it's an older model.  She was nice enough, though not terribly friendly.  She didn't flinch when I said that I had gender identity disorder.  I didn't actually come right out and say that I'm transitioning, but it didn't really come up.  Pricing here is also based on time, but the Dr. thinks she could do my face and neck in less time than UCI, so this might only cost me about $350 per session.  Multiple session discount is only 10%, so the first place I went would actually be cheaper in the long run.  One other thing-- the diode laser that Dr. McBeth is using hurt like h#$%.  The other lasers I had tests done with weren't that bad.  This thing was excruciating.  I was on the verge of begging her to stop. 

I never did call up Dr. West's office. 

There's a medical spa in south OC called Euro Day Spa that offers laser through an associated doctor's office.  Pricing is typical, around $400 per session.  Doesn't look like there's any discount.  I didn't bother to have a test patch done here. 

All three lasers that I had tests done with seem to have worked relatively well.  I would estimate that I got the best clearance by the lightsheer and the alexandrite lasers.  The older model diode seems to have worked well, but the pain isn't worth it. 

Anyway, hope this helps for anyone that might be looking around south OC.


Posted on: March 28, 2008, 06:31:16 PM

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So, I finally did my first full face session last week.  I had forgotten about getting the topical anesthetic in advance, so I had to go without it.  It wasn't too bad, but my operator had to dial down a bit so as to keep the pain from being too severe. 

My face looks a total mess right now; I've got the red bumps and actually some inflamed follicles that look like whiteheads.  This is apparently within the range of "normal" reactions and is expected to subside within the next few days.  I've started being more diligent about applying cold compresses and aloe vera gel.  It seems to be helping some.  For anyone considering laser, go buy a bottle of 100% aloe vera gel, put in the fridge, and just stick your face in it afterwards. 

On the plus side, I didn't get any burns, or have any other kind of adverse reaction.

As for the hair removal end of things, I haven't noticed too much.  My sideburns are mostly gone, and there are some areas on my cheeks where I can tell the hair stubble that's there is good and dead.  My jawline is harder to tell, and with as bad as my neck is, it's impossible to tell how that's going to look.  Hopefully I'll have a better idea of how things went by the end of the week. 

I've got my next appointment in three weeks, on August 8th.  This is a little on the early side, but with my schedule in August, I'd wind up waiting a week or two longer than I should for a second visit.  I've also got the anesthetic cream for next time so I should be all set.

Hi Jessica,

It looks like you've done some amazing amount of research.

I went to American Laser Center, which is in Irvine. My experience was excellent and after 8 or 9 sessions my hair is almost completely gone. I have two tiny little patches that are stubborn, but other than that I have no hair anymore.

Below is their address if you want it. Their website is http://www.americanlaser.com. As far as price, I believe I paid around $2,300 for it at the time. They are extremely friendly there and even though I started going there as a male, I went full time in the middle and they never questioned anything. They didn't even have a problem that I was taking hormones, which I thought may be a problem since they have in their terms that the 2 year warranty is void if you take any hormonal drugs.

The good thing about them is you're not really paying for the typical 6 sessions. They also give you a 2 year warranty where if any hair grows back they will continue to give you sessions for free. The interesting thing is, they do actually hold true to this promise. After my initial 6 sessions they had no problem continuing my treatments since they said most people will need 8 to 10 treatments. And you can continue for the next 2 years if need be. It worked out really well for me and I can't say enough about it. They are extremely professional and courteous, and along with their 2 year guarantee I haven't found a better deal.

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free to ask me.

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American Laser Center
Irvine
2 Hughes St.
Suite 275
Irvine, California 92618


----- Edit ------

Sorry, forgot to post my electro experience. I went to Suzanne Rogers, located in Orange. I found her from the octcca.org website. She was friendly enough and has been in the business a long time. The only downside is that after I stopped for a while it seemed that the hair grew right back. I don't know if that was because she did a bad job, or if there is some other factor, but that was the case. Because of that experience I don't really recommend her to anyone, but others do say that they have had a good experience with her.

Good luck in finding the right one for you!

Sarah

Quote from: Jessica L. on July 22, 2008, 03:46:23 PM
That and I've been reading that pulsed light isn't supposed to be as good as a real laser. 

I can't offer any suggestions as to where to go (I'm in Australia) but I just wanted to speak up for IPL - I've had two sessions now and it's worked very well, it's clearing all the dark hairs very convincingly with each new growth cycle so far being noticeably thinner. Absolutely no adverse reactions either.

Quick update on my laser progress--

Two sessions down, four to go; I've been going to Dr. Mills' office.  The girl that I'm seeing, Ana, is a PA, and has been awesome! 
We're clearing quite a bit of facial hair each time I go.  I'd estimate that about half of it was gone after the first session. 
I had neglected to get the topical anesthetic before the first session, so I did that one with no painkiller.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, especially on my upper lip.  The jawline actually hurt worse since the hair is more dense in that area. 
The one thing I sort of wasn't prepared for was how long it took for the hair to completely fall out.  About 1 1/2 or 2 weeks for the most stubborn, but hair didn't even start "falling out" until about a week in. 
Also, not sure if it's because my skin is sensitive or what, but I tried shaving after three days or so, and I had this horrible acne break out on my neck.  That persisted for about a week, and started to taper off as I increased usage of cold compresses and rinsing with saline solution.  Cold aloe gel also helped a lot. 
I made sure to get the topical for my second session, and that was a breeze.  Uncomfortable, but not nearly as bad as the first session, and even that wasn't unbearable.  I didn't shave much after this time, I think I waited 5 or 6 days before doing much, and then it was with the direction of hair growth, so the acne was almost non-existent this time around.  I didn't have as much hair visibly falling out as on the first session, but there also wasn't as much to work on this time around. 
Three weeks after, I'm probably somewhere around 30% of what I started with, maybe a little less.  The PA that's doing this says that I have very fair skin and my body hair is pretty much black, so that accounts for the type of results I'm seeing. 
I think I mentioned this earlier, but they are using a Lightsheer laser, and it seems to be working really well. 

Your results sound about right. It usually took a week to a week and a half for the previous session's results to start to show. I tried shaving after a few days when I first started, but soon found out that it was a bad idea. After that I just let it grow out until it was ok to shave it again...which was usually 2-3 weeks after. I also had dark hair and light skin so my results may have been faster than others, like you said.

You will probably want to continue to go for at least 9 or 10 sessions or more, even though the results are coming quick. I went to American Laser Centers in Irvine and they had a 2 year guarantee so I was able to continue after the initial 6 sessions for as many times as I wanted (within the 2 years), so if the place you're going to offers it then take them up on it. You will probably, like me, still need some minor touch up with electrolysis after to get the stubborn hairs and lighter hairs that result from the laser. I was left with only two small patches on my chin and some on the upper lip that I am taking care of now with electrolysis.

Good luck with the rest of your treatments Jessica

- Sarah

Good advice, Sarah.  Thanks!