Hey, I was walking downtown Kirkland and I noticed a Laser Hair Removal clinic. I looked some information up on the internet and the results aren't always garaunteed and it doesn't work on everyone. It didn't say the price either. Anyways, I'm someone that is constantly waxing my sideburns, lip, chin, arm, stomach, anything imaginable and if this thing really works I'm more than willing to give it a try. I was just wondering what you guys thought or if maybe you HEARD anything about it?! Thanks for your help.

Yes...I too am interested in hearing people's experience with this.

From what I have read, it works best on light skin with dark hair, but the technology is getting better for all skin/hair types.

It can get pretty pricey considering it takes several sessions and like you said it is not guaranteed to work 100%. My sister had gone for two sessions and the hair grew in less and less but did not stick with it because of its costliness and now her hair is back to the way it was before she started. If your facial hair truly bothers you that much and you have tried all other options, than just be willing to spend the money on an unpredictable outcome.

it worked great for me...i had my upper lip done..i think it took 4 sessions..$800..then over the next few years i had one maintenance session...that was a couple of years ago and i dont see any need to go back...i have heard that it works best on fair skinned people...

I have had two treatments so far on my bikini line. Initially, it looked great but the hair is starting to grow back in. It's still much less hair than before but I still need to shave every few days. I'm going to go back again when I get more money. It does work best on fair skin with dark hair but it takes several appointments. I probably have at least another two before it's all gone and I've been told that I'm the perfect candidate with fair skin and dark hair. Also, it's quite expensive but I think it will be worth it eventually. Some places give free consults. You might look into that first with making a cash commitment. Maggie http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/bouncing.gif

I tried electrolosys (spelling ?) for my upper lip and it worked very well. I pay around $50 a session and go every three weeks. I notice a decrease in hair growth. After two more sessions, I'll probably do one every six months. It's definately worth the price!

I had the laser done on my face and neck and it really didn't work. Here it cost $300 per session and after 3 I ran out of money and that was the end of that. If you don't have the money for at least 4 sessions don't bother cause you'll waste your money. The treatment works best on people with fair skin and dark hair. It's not really painful, although you do look a bit "burnt" afterwards and you smell like burnt hair.

KIKI, I can completley relate! I don't think there is one place on my body that isn't covered in hair! My best friend is my trusty NAIR! It the best stuff really. You can cover large areas and it's fast and easy. Sure the hair isn't permanently removed but, so what? Everyone has body hair, some more than others, it's normal. I think you should save you money. Maybe you should get your hormone levels tested. You might have hirutism (sp)??? I am going to ask my gyno about it whan I go in september.

Hi there! Your post made me feel like there is actually one other human being out there w/ hirsutism (excess hair on women).
1) I am about to drop $7000 for full body laser. I am trying the Epitouch Alex laser
2) You have to be committed. I have to shave the area every day (it's like brushing your teeth)
3) I'm really nervous b/c I have like peach fuzz on my tomach/back but my chest has hair so I'm choosing to do it.
4) Electrolysis is permanent; maintanance and pain is a problem (for me at least)
5) Do research on the net for laser and ask to sign a contract that it's permanent, not long lasting
6) I'll post again in Oct to relay some of the results.
Hope this helps. Best regards.

Hair- no matter what you do it will always grow back http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif unless they come out with like altering genetic makeups to not grow hair witch would be cool but to bad you have already been concieved into this world ')

Hello dee10...

You said "Electrolysis is permanent; maintanance and pain is a problem (for me at least)." What sort of maintenance is involved?

Thank so much,
Dawn

it worked great for me...i had my upper lip done..i think it took 4 sessions..$800..then over the next few years i had one maintenance session...that was a couple of years ago and i dont see any need to go back...i have heard that it works best on fair skinned people...

Are you fairskinned? I made an appt. for this coming Wednesday. The only think I am leary about is the price. I am SO shocked at how cheap this place is charging compared to what I heard. The weird part is I live in NY - and usually it's the most expensive state for everything. I felt confident in this place because the location is really upscale but then when the lady told me it's $100 dollars a session I thought that was way too cheap. But I figure this - if it's not going to work really well then at least I wouldn't waste more money. If it is going to work then at least I got it for cheaper. I know most people would be happier when things are cheaper but I get skeptical.

She promised it would work. She did admit that it may take more sessions and not work as great but she said there will be at least SOME improvement. This was on the phone - I have to go in person on Wednesday to see. What type skin/hair are you? I am so glad to hear it worked - I was getting discouraged.

Thanks for your post it's so encouraging :-)

Can you say on this board which Laser place it is in NY that you're trying? I live here too and wouldn't mind looking into it.

Thanks

Laser is not guaranteed to be permanant, no matter what one of the previous posters has said. If the person doing the laser makes any kind of guarantee that it is then go somewhere else cause they are not being honest.

Can you say on this board which Laser place it is in NY that you're trying? I live here too and wouldn't mind looking into it.

Thanks

Hi Vboredatwork...I am trying this place in Great Neck called Skin So Smooth (I think that's the exact name). Please don't count on me for anything. I have no clue how good or bad they are. I got it off the internet. The reason I trusted that at least it wasn't some back ally thing is because Great Neck is an upscale area. I am not saying expensive places are good but I have to give something a try and that's near where I live and it's a good area. So I decided to give it a try. I go next week to see what they have to say and possibly get my first treatment. I will let you know if you post and tell me you want to know. I am not on the boards often. I will try my best to let you know :-)

Laser is not guaranteed to be permanant, no matter what one of the previous posters has said. If the person doing the laser makes any kind of guarantee that it is then go somewhere else cause they are not being honest.

I agree - no one guaranteed me anything and I would never guarantee anyone anything either. First of all laser works differently on different people. I have no clue how it will work for me. But even if it worked great for me, I would never guarantee anyone. One clue is given though - anyone with very light skin and very dark hair is the best candidate.

Thanks NikkisNYmom!

Keep us posted with how it goes. I hope it works well for you.

Thanks NikkisNYmom!

Keep us posted with how it goes. I hope it works well for you.

Hi V - well today is the day. I am getting so nervous. I don't want to be disappointed but I think my hopes are so high that this is going to work 100%. I am so excited that I am hoping I don't get crushed if it doesn't work. I go tonight - let's see what happens. I will let you know. My fear is what if it grows a week later - that is too costly to keep up with. I would do a session of 4 or 5 times - two times a year and that's still worth it. But I honestly don't want to go every week - that's insane.

Thanks NikkisNYmom!

Keep us posted with how it goes. I hope it works well for you.

Hey Vbored....

Well I went last night for my first laser hair removal session. It took about 10-15 minutes. I had a few pieces of hair on my chin I was so upset. I think it happened after I gave birth - my hormones went nuts I guess.

Anyway from what I remember - I didn't look closely - she brought this vacuum hose looking like thing. Thought I didn't look - it just seemed that way. The machine blows seriously cold air on you and you feel like your hairs are being pulled. I don't know how to describe it other than a stinging, pulling (sort of like tweezing but more intense like from the roots) feeling. She gave me these UV glasses to wear and she wore them too. She went around the chin area and it kept sucking the hair out and pulling it. You smell burnt hair. Afterwards you get a little sore - not much - but then again I have high pain tolerance. It's not bad really. You get red and you will see little spots like when you spread pepper on something. She told me that will happen. She said the little black dots left on you are the dead hair. They eventually go away when you keep washing your face, etc. She said I shouldn't get any sores or blisters but to make sure I wasn't under direct sun as in suntanning. She said even if you get blisters - they do go away but try not to go under the sun within two weeks of doing laser. She put Aquafor on me and gave me a little tube of it to take home. The redness went away on me fairly soon - maybe an hour or two at most.

This morning though I had little whiteheads on the places that she did it. I know they tell you not to touch them but I couldn't just leave it so I squeezed them and that was that. Now I feel fine but the area isn't smooth skin like the rest of my face of course. It's little bumps but that will go away I am sure. Plus my skin was becoming rashy on that area from tweezing. I just hope the hair doesn't grow back and that my not tweezing anymore will get my skin back to normal. It is not something noticeable - it never has been - my case isn't that bad but I would never go out without cover up that's for sure - haha. I go back in 6 weeks. She swore it's permanent and after 6 sessions I may need to come back at most for touch ups once every few months - maybe not even.

So that's my news...

Thanks so much for updating us. That's the most honest and thorough description of the process I've seen!! Hopefully it will be permanent for you. I know laser is advertised as 'permanent reduction' of hair but alledgedly some find the regrowth decreases so much and is fine enough to ignore. Maybe the hair just gives up being zapped eventually!
I'll post when I eventually get around to doing it myself. I have pale skin and lightish hair where I want to get it removed (on the side of my face) So I have to look into one that works on light hair. I've read about one that uses a kind of dye so the laser recognises the pigment in your hair against your skin.
I hope you'll be posting in a few months about your continued success.

Thanks so much for updating us. That's the most honest and thorough description of the process I've seen!! Hopefully it will be permanent for you. I know laser is advertised as 'permanent reduction' of hair but alledgedly some find the regrowth decreases so much and is fine enough to ignore. Maybe the hair just gives up being zapped eventually!
I'll post when I eventually get around to doing it myself. I have pale skin and lightish hair where I want to get it removed (on the side of my face) So I have to look into one that works on light hair. I've read about one that uses a kind of dye so the laser recognises the pigment in your hair against your skin.
I hope you'll be posting in a few months about your continued success.

Hi Vbored - glad to update - today my skin looks better - no whiteheads or anything like that. But my skin isn't smooth - it's bumpy in that area and red - but not red from the procedure I think. It's been red from tweezing in the past too. Except now it's bumpy and red. But then I don't want to say red - the skin from irritation is darker than the rest of my skin. That's the part I hope goes away most. The bumps wouldn't bother me if you didn't see pores and redness. I am hoping that these procedures work so well that I don't ever have to tweeze or anything and my skin can go back to normal. Not a single hair on me since I did it in that area. I am so happy about that. I will definitely update you :-) I also wanted to do the side of my face but it's too light like you said and I know it won't work. I am not going to pay for it to not work. I might want to do sideburns but that's not as important right now. I want to do these 6 sessions and see if it works fairly well. This is the part that bothered me most. I am not a hairy person at all. I don't have to shave my legs more than once every two weeks. But my face is important to me.

Please keep in touch as well :-)

I mentioned that I saw one place that use this dye to pigment the light hair. Sona laser I think it was called. I also read about another new laser that uses different wavelengths to detect the hair rather than just pigment so that people with light hair or dark skin can now use laser successfully.
That's the one I'll probably look into.
Hopefully I'll be a happy hairless camper soon.

p.s. I'm v jealous that you only have to shave your legs every 2 weeks. I could braid the hair on my legs if I left them for 2 weeks!! (Nice!)

I mentioned that I saw one place that use this dye to pigment the light hair. Sona laser I think it was called. I also read about another new laser that uses different wavelengths to detect the hair rather than just pigment so that people with light hair or dark skin can now use laser successfully.
That's the one I'll probably look into.
Hopefully I'll be a happy hairless camper soon.

p.s. I'm v jealous that you only have to shave your legs every 2 weeks. I could braid the hair on my legs if I left them for 2 weeks!! (Nice!)

LOL you are so funny -braiding. Oh yeah that's the one thing I never worry about. The thing with the chin is from tweezing it starts permanently destroying my skin - it irritates and you see little black spots anyway. I just so badly want that to stop.

Now if I can do that and lose 25 lbs. I'd be thrilled. I wish someone had some magic pill to lose weight. Working, baby, cooking, cleaning, I have no time for exercise or anything else....Ahhhhhhhh life - lol.

I love the laser you are talking about - I haven't heard about it at all. Please let me know when you do it and how successful it is.

Talk to you soon.

I had the laser for my belly, bikini line, sideburns, underarms and chin. I was charged $310 overall for each session up to 5 sessions. So I paid over 1500 overall. Anything after 5 sessions is supposed to be free. I've gone atleast 7 times overall. I have dark hair and olive skin and I haven't had a tan in a long time (you shouldn't tan while doing this so winter is the best time). It worked the best on my face and stomach, but it still comes back..just not as bad and thinner. My arms still grow back everynight and my bikini line probably does as well. Maybe certain areas are more resistant? I also had a problem with the laser burning me...I don't think it was me, but the lady doing it. I think she had it turned up on my face one to the level she uses for my arms. I now have discoloration on my sideburns and my stomach (where is was blistered). I should've taken pictures and demanded compensation b/c I talked to another girl that does it and she said that shouldn't have happened. Hopefully the discoloration will fade over time, but it's already been a year. It's not really bad...but I notice and try to cover it with makeup..on my face anyway. Do your research and make sure your doctor is licensed and ask 100 questions!

Hi Sweetpuff,

I agree 100% with your post. The only problem is people make you feel bad for questioning them. I asked this woman the questions and she was reassuring so I didn't want to keep asking. I realized that it's dumb for me to ask questions because no one trying to sell you their business is going to say negative things. So you never get an honest answer. She kept swearing to me that she was being honest and she promised it was going to work, etc.

She did say the 6th session is free. And maintenance is 15% cheaper whenever I go back. I only did 1 session so far. And I have to say this is the first time in years I haven't had a tweezer to my face - there is no hair for me to tweeze and it feels great. However, I am upset that my skin isn't smooth - it's kind of bumpy. But that's not what really bothers me most. My skin is already discolored around the area from tweezing all these years. The area has gotten irritated and you can tell it's like a darker shade = that really bothers me. With cover up you don't see much - though you do see it's a tiny bit darker than other areas. It appears like I covered pimples up. I just want my skin to match the rest of my face. I hope that happens.

When can this be permanent? Maybe after 15 sessions? Does the hair EVER stop growing?

Anyway thanks for the heads up on your situation. This forum is the best to share first hand information.

Thanks and keep in touch.

I just want my skin to match the rest of my face. I hope that happens.

When can this be permanent? Maybe after 15 sessions? Does the hair EVER stop growing?

You may want to try some skin bleaching cream like hydroquinone (sp). You should be able to find that at a dermatologist or facial person. It may help to lighten up the darkened areas. I keep meaning to try it, but I haven't yet.
I don't know if you can ever permanently stop the hair growth. It probably depends on how thick it is and I'm sure hormones play a role just as they do with acne coming back, etc.. It's just so inconvenient to go back for so many sessions, but a touch up here and there may keep the hair away atleast for a longer period than usual.

[QUOTE=SweetPuff]I just want my skin to match the rest of my face. I hope that happens.

YIKES - bleaching my face - that scares me - but I will look it up maybe it's not as bad as I think. Thanks for the heads up :-)

The one worry I have is getting hyperpigmentation like you describe. I'm susceptible to melasma, which darkens your skin in patches. So I have to use sunblock religiously.
About hydroquinone.... it does bleach hyperpigmented areas of skin but it takes a good few months and you should use SPF to keep up the lightening. It's banned in most of Europe because of potential side effects especially if you are darker skinned. It can eventually cause the skin to become blue-black in patches! Most dermatologists say to use it for 2 months max and then take a break. There are holistic lighteners out there that are much milder and safer though. Peter Thomas Roth and DDF make one.