What to expect: treatment by treatment?

[Alainaluvsu]

Okay so I've had 2 sessions. I have black hair and fair complexion skin (see my avatar).

After the first session a bunch of the hair on my neck and chin didn't grow back (although some had) and there was a light amount of loss on my upper lip. The best my face looked was about 2 weeks after treatment. I still had a 5 oclock shadow after a couple days but then more hairs grew in.

After my second session, my sides are nearly hair free, my chin has lessened even more, my neck is nearly hairless, but my upper lip is still kinda dense. The best results, again, were 2 weeks after treatment. They were so good, I almost had no hair on my face for a few days. However, now black hair which is MUCH finer is growing back, especially on the upper lip.

I know hair grows in 3 phases, and I even understand these phases. The fact that the hair went away for a few days (as in couldn't see it in a 4x magnifying mirror with ample white light under my skin), I tend to believe that means the follicles which hair is now growing weren't active (in anagen) a few days ago. The only thing that is upsetting me is the number of hairs that are regrowing days after I look better than ever.

Is there a reason the new hair is finer than before? How many more sessions did it take yall to get to that point (especially on the upper lip) where you could pretty much just tweeze the remaining hairs weeks after LHR treatment?

It's frustrating to be at a point where you're like "OMG I CAN LIVE WITH THIS!! IT DOESN'T GROW TO MAKE A SHADOW ANYMORE"  to... "Well, at least it doesn't irritate my skin as much when I shave because there aren't as many follicles, but I still have a 5 oclock shadow without makeup".

[Jamie D]

Laser or electrolysis?

[Alainaluvsu]

Wow... I didn't mention ... laser

[lilacwoman]

I've had loads of lasers and IPL and electroysis and right now I can feel a serious amount of hairs on my face and my chin and lips are a scarred red mess from yesterday's electroysis so I go along with the theory that follicles go into long deep sleeps and aren't killed by any of the laaser and IPL.
Last Thursday at laser I specifically told the therapist to do the cleft on my upper lip which had a few and one very black hair.  Yesterday the electrologist zapped it and pulled it out so obviously the laser doesn't get some follicles for some reason.

Laser is latest Polaris with the separate cold air tube - (stupid idea and why cant the air tube be incorporated into the handpiece?) - that has the two long porngs that the therapist glides over the skin and the laser is a streak of spark that shoots down between the prongs.   I think that unless that streak hits each follicle directly it can't kill them.   Thats why a day later I have to go over my face pulling out th edark hairs.  Some obviously zapped ones slide straight out but others just as big and dark need to be heaved out and are obvioulsy unaffected.

I wrote to Polaris and said I wasn't happy with their machines and they must hace contacted the salon and had words with them as next time I went I noticed she did take longer to do me but the constant regrowth seems to indicate that lases can only kill follicles if it hits them directly.

Maybe the problem is that many of my hairs are either too light grey or light brown for the IPL or laser to get.

I still have a bare patch at side of chin where I had first IPL three years ago but unfortunately that salon shut down so I have to make do with second best laser and the slow and awful electrolysis.

[Alainaluvsu]

Well I mean it's much easier to cover... the hair is growing back slower right now, and it's not as coarse. Also it seems like a bunch of it doesn't break the skin or just barely does.

[Cindy]

I had about 8 sessions before being hair free. I do get a top up session for the upper lip every 2-3 months.  Sessions need to be about 4-6 weeks apart to cover the growth cycle. And  you need to be treated by people who have powerful lasers for treating clients with serious hair growth, not the run of the mill beautician. I was getting hit with 27-30 J per 0.5 cm area. It hurt.

[Alainaluvsu]

I had about 8 sessions before being hair free. I do get a top up session for the upper lip every 2-3 months.  Sessions need to be about 4-6 weeks apart to cover the growth cycle. And  you need to be treated by people who have powerful lasers for treating clients with serious hair growth, not the run of the mill beautician. I was getting hit with 27-30 J per 0.5 cm area. It hurt.

I know mine hurts... she has to take several breaks during treatments. Most of my neck and sides are hair free, and my chin is thinned out drastically but still has shadow about 24 hours after shaving. It's my upper lip that seems a bit resistant. It has lessened quite a bit ... to the point where I can cover it up fully with foundation + concealer, but there's still a ton of hair there (follicle count). The hair that is there is much more fine however.

Then again maybe the first hairs to go were the coarser hair. Now that there isn't really any coarse hair, maybe the laser will start to hit the finer hairs.