I had my first laser appointment today :-D It actually went very smoothly. The ladies at the clinic have been fantastic so far. I've been there a couple of times already for a skin analysis and test patch, and each time we talk a little more about transition stuff. I'm the first MTF they've ever dealt with, and now that they know I'm comfortable answering questions they've had a bunch. It's a little difficult to chat when they're spreading the gel or actually using the laser though!

I told them that the next time I came back I would be Autumn since it will be six weeks from now and the name change should be final.

The funny part was when I went to pay, the woman behind the desk saw the name on the card and asked me if I was related to C— K— and I said she's my mother. She laughed and said that she used to work for her and to tell her hello.

I'd post pictures but there's nothing really to post. My face isn't all that red. No bumps or anything.

Oh... they used the laser where they spread the ultrasound gel first??  I had that done twice and never had the bumps afterward.   Then again, they used that laser to try getting my light hairs but it didn't touch them.  Total waste of money for me.  It didn't even get my dark hairs.  And it hurt a million times more than the dark-hair laser on a really high setting!

According to her, they're using that one for session 2, and they alternate. I know what you're talking about since they used it for my test patch. Not sure what the alternating is supposed to achieve, but we'll see?

I don't know your circumstances and I'm not a professional, so my guess is merely conjecture... but I'm guessing maybe it's because you have different colors of hair?   Like you have some hairs that are darker and will respond well to one laser, and some that are lighter and need the other?

That was the case with me: I started going white at 16 and didn't start laser until 32, so half of my chin and neck were white.  Not gray, not silvery, WHITE white.  To complicate things, I also have every possible color of hair.  On top of my head, it's roughly 40% brown, 40% red, 10% black (these are VERY thick and really curly), 5% blonde and 5% white.  I could never grow a full beard, but what hair I had was roughly the same proportion as what was on the top of my head.  The dark-hair laser could only get about half of what was on my face.

But after two sessions with the light-hair laser and seeing no results, we quit and went with electrolysis.

Yeah, mine goes from dark brown to red to white. Same thing happens on my head but there's enough of it that it just looks somewhere between dirty blonde and light brown depending upon the light.

I know some patches are going to need electrolysis, but I wanted to get whatever I could with laser first.

I am glad that you had a nice time Autumn.   

Is there a laser that works best on this kind of multicolour facial hair you both are talking about? I live 4 hours from even a small city so I need to do a lot of homework before I ever go because I don't want to waste my time. Close to what you both are describing, I get some dark brown, some light brown, some red, some blonde. It's the dog's breakfast of facial hair and I have a light olive skin. It seems overwhelming sometimes...

im going for my first treatment this week, i hope it works out =P

Four days later, my beard shadow is the darkest it's ever been after shaving. Those hairs seem to be holding on pretty tight!

Quote from: LifeInNeon on September 05, 2011, 12:47:44 AM
Four days later, my beard shadow is the darkest it's ever been after shaving. Those hairs seem to be holding on pretty tight!

Those might be the shriveled-up balls of hair I talked about before.   What's happening now is that you're shaving the skin off of them but they haven't grown through the surface yet.  Wait a few days and the darkest stuff will grow out, and then shortly thereafter, the hair starts to fall out completely.  That's the fun part.

I have had too many first impressions to make in the past week and coming week to go more than 36 hours without shaving. Ugh. I want to if for no other reason than it hurts to do it so often.

How does the laser differentiate between eyelashes, eyebrows, the hair on your head and your facial hair?

I don't think it would. But the laser is shaped like a gun, and so the aesthetician only points it at tiny patches at a time. I'm sure if they pointed it at your eyebrows it'd fry them too.

Quote from: LifeInNeon on September 06, 2011, 11:46:28 PM
I'm sure if they pointed it at your eyebrows it'd fry them too.

And possibly your vision...   Which is why reputable technicians refuse to do laser on eyebrows.  Closest they'll come is the patch between your eyebrows (say, if you have a unibrow).