Ok so I've decided to track my progress on my laser in case anyone is curious. And I'm putting my gross, red, freshly lasered, non-makeup wearing face out there for all to see. I know before I started getting it done that I was intensely curious about how it worked. Well I have a description and pictures for you!

Well first a laser shoots your face, then it hurts like hell, then after a couple of weeks the dead hairs fall out. The hair that's poking out of the skin gets roasted off and your skin is insanely smooth for a few hours.

Ok enough talking, here are the pictures!!!!

http://s1087.photobucket.com/albums/j475/samhdlr/Laser%20Album/ (Parent Album)

---

Treatment 1 Parent Album

---

Treatment 2 Parent Album
Treatment 2 - Just After the Treatment
Treatment 2 - One Day After
Treatment 2 - One Week After

---

Treatment 3 Parent Album
Treatment 3 - Five Minutes After Treatment
Treatment 3 - One Hour After Treatment
Treatment 3 - 16 Hours After Treatment
Treatment 3 - 2 Days After Treatment (First shave since treatment)

---

I have it broken up into treatments. So I hope this can help some people who are curious see how it works.

The first treatment was amazing with how much it cleared out my face. The 2nd treatment did a lot. But the hairs that remained after the 2nd treatment are the very stubborn, resilient ones. So those will probably take a couple more treatments.

My neck is almost completely clear after just 2 treatments, my chin area doesn't show any shadow after a fresh shave and foundation does just fine to cover it up. The only part that REALLY concerns me anymore is my upper lip which I was told takes the longest to kill, and so far my results confirm this.

That's weird, because my upper lip is basically entirely clear, while my chin and neck area seem a bit more stubborn.

Hair grows in phases, generally every 6 weeks I believe. There's 3 phases of growth so that's ortially why you get what yu assume is regrowtb. It is the follialsm that were dormant coming out. This is also why it takes so long to clear a face. It took me 12 treatments.

Quote
The Hair Growth Cycle
Hair follicles grow in repeated cycles. One cycle can be broken down into three phases.

Anagen - Growth Phase
Catagen - Transitional phase
Telogen - Resting Phase
Each hair passes through the phases independent of the neighboring hairs.

Anagen Phase - Growth Phase

Approximately 85% of all hairs are in the growing phase at any one time. The Anagen phase or growth phase can vary from two to six years. Hair grows approximately 10cm per year and any individual hair is unlikely to grow more than one meter long.

Catagen Phase - transitional phase

At the end of the Anagen phase the hairs enters into a Catagen phase which lasts about one or two weeks, during the Catagen phase the hair follicle shrinks to about 1/6 of the normal length. The lower part is destroyed and the dermal papilla breaks away to rest below.

Telogen Phase - resting phase

The resting phase follows the catagen phase and normally lasts about 5-6 weeks. During this time the hair does not grow but stays attached to the follicle while the dermal papilla stays in a resting phase below. Approximately 10-15 percent of all hairs are in this phase at an one time.

At the end of the Telogen phase the hair follicle re-enters the Anagen phase. The dermal papilla and the base of the follicle join together again and a new hair begins to form. If the old hair has not already been shed the new hair pushes the old one out and the growth cycle starts all over again.

Congratulations on your great results, Samantha.

Thank you VERY MUCH for sharing your pictures.  Sometimes they tell the story so much better than words can. 

Thank you Thank you and THANK YOU! I love the shirt you are wearing on the third treatment! <3

Thanks Samantha!

Appreciate the links and the information, my first treatment is May 16th and I'm very happy that it's drawing nearer.

Cannot wait!

I'm glad I was able to help ^.^ So my embarrassing exposure isn't completely wasted 

Who are you seeing in Orlando? And how much is it running you a session?

How much shaving took place between the photos in the second set?

Dresden - I go to see the "Orlando Institute" - I can give you information this Tuesday at the group about them.

Tammy - I believe I only shaved once between "One Day After" and "One Week After". I like to give my face time to heal and recover before I shave. So I like to wait about 3 or 4 days at least before I shave, I would like to wait longer if I could, but life doesn't pause because I want my face to heal, so I sometimes have to shave early.

I just had my 3rd treatment this past Wednesday, and I had to shave today (the following Friday) because I have business that needs to get taken care of.

Quote from: EmilyElizabeth on April 28, 2011, 07:51:07 PM
That's weird, because my upper lip is basically entirely clear, while my chin and neck area seem a bit more stubborn.

Me too! Matter of fact, my whole body is stubborn My avatar is a couple weeks after my 2nd session, but I'm using concealer on the otherwise obvious beard shadow that remains.

I added the "Treatment 3 - 2 Days After Treatment (First shave since treatment)" to the list.

The hairs are all so dark =( I can't wait for them to fall out.

Great results! I hear nothing good about laser, everyone preaches electrolysis. Is laser typically better to start before HRT as is usually recommended for electrolysis...?

Nice results.

I cleared the majority of my face by the 6th treatment of an original 9. The upper lip and one stuborn spot on the right side of my neck have been rather stuborn. I have had to continue treatments just on those areas.
It clears out a little more each time but those hairs are die hards.
I do have alot of greys left that I need to get finished off with electrolosis. I waited too long, got too old for only going with laser.

My next laser mission will be my breasts, chest and belly starting next month.

Yay my face is getting smooth again. It gets so bumpy after the treatment. I so can't wait for the hairs to fall out again, I look forward to it like a 5 year old at Christmas.

I'd say it hurts a good bit more. Think more of a big rubber band that's snapping you in the face over and over. I don't mean a normal rubber band, I'm talking a bigger sized one.

Nice clear photo's Samantha and good results
There is quite a bit of redness but there has been quite in advancement in laser treatment over the years. I can also relate to that pain of the big rubber band, the burning rubber band, I had 3 full treatments in 1997 at a cost of A$800 a treatment and still only cleared up half the hair, going to get SPL next after spending the last 8 years waxing. I made the mistake of going on Public transport after the treatment as my face smelt like burning hair. I also had a really red neck and face for up to 5 days after and when I went back to work my boss was asking if I had tried to hang myself??
Unfortunately I do not have any photo's, Long time ago.

I'd say it looks like you have some good results. I'm hoping I'll be able to start laser sometime this summer (if I can get a good job to pay for it). Your results give me hope that it'll be worth it.

Looks like your having good results, although I don't know how you can go more then 3 days with out shaving especially since your FT. I can go a day but by day 2 there's some growth on the chin that I can see. I'm not even out yet and I hate any whiskers showing.

I also notice for a good 2-4 days after, the upper lip area is smooth but the shadow is darker then normal and I can see whiskers but theres none sticking out. hmmmmm

I have a fairly good pain threshold. but that upper lip.

OWWWWWWWW


and to top it off she does it twice. I have seen some results on the upper lip but nothing like the cheeks and neck. 100% gone on cheeks 60-70% gone on neck, 30% gone on chin and maybe 10-20% on upper lip. This is with three sessions, I hoping I can afford the 4th and 5th.

Shelly

OMG. That upper lip makes me cry every single time. The rest of my face on the 3rd treatment went by pretty quick, it did hurt but not very much. But that upper lip had my balling like a child. Ok not literally, but my eyes were definitely watering.

I go without shaving for as long as I can after the treatments. To do this I simply go hermit mode. I don't go out, or go anywhere. Realistically I can only do this for 2 or 3 days, maybe 4 if I'm super lucky. But until my face gets smooth I can't get a good shave, and it becomes sort of pointless.