Hey fellow guppans,
i was wondering if any of u have ever gotten any part of ur body hair removed by laser. I was going to get everything laser removed (meaning bikini area) before my wedding but my mom instist that i dont cause of certain side effects it might have.
It just seems so much more easier to just get your hair laser romoved and not have to shave, wax or use nair all the time and then theres also the fact that many girls get ingrown hairs and by getting all ur hair laser removed you would probably never get in grown hairs.
any idea if it does have side effects. the skin has several layers and im sure it only affects the first and second area. but any advice is greatly appriciated.
i know several people who've had it done and they're all really happy with the results. one of them got hers done 8 years ago and she's had zero side effects. i would so get it done in a flash if it wasn't so darn expensive!
I had it done on my face year and a half ago and after only 5 sessions, i am clean as a peach. I did it in the mall, where there was a registered laser practitioner. Its not that expensive either and no side effects. It hurts when you do it, but i was used to the pain from waxing for many years anyway.
bikini area is a great ‘candidate’ for laser hair removal.
myth - it’s not permanent hair removal, it’s a reduction. even if you have fantastic results, ALL the hair will not be gone but usually enough that what’s left is barely noticeable. a lot of people stop after about 80-90% reduction as the last % is unlikely to be effected, they then finish off with electrolysis if they really want it all gone.
yes, there can be side-effects. you are usually told about these in the consultation.
you need to make sure you have treatment in a place which has the right laser types for asian skins (even if you are really fair, you will be fitzpatrick type IV which means we need different wavelength lasers) and also that has a lot of experience dealing with asian skin.
the lasers that are used for Asian skins are best for coarse hair, so underarm and bikini hair are the perfect types. however, finer hair is not treated so well, so other areas won’t be as effectively treated and also finer hair in those areas (underarm, bikini) will not be targeted.
i’m having treatment on my underarms, it’s going really well. once it’s done i will be moving on to the bikini area.
ugh.. there is no such thing as pain free laser. it's probably an IPL machine - they are not laser and no clinic that is serious about the treatments they offer use IPL machines.
I haven't had it done but few of my friends have..they all said that it isn't worth it as it doesn't last for long enough and you have to get multiple treatments..
and you are right, it wasn't pain-free, but it was not so bad. but the second one i used more painful, but still ok without the numbing cream.
find out what machine they are using.
if i were you i would quit wasting my time and money and go to a clinic with that uses real laser machines. you should be looking for somewhere with an Nd:yag laser if you are type IV or higher.
me too, i thought i would be type III for sure but if you’re asian almost no matter how ‘pale’ you are you will fall into the type III-IV category. so usually they will start off using the Nd:yag laser and then move onto an alexandrite one for the finer hairs (maybe, coz there is a risk of burning). if you are treating your face i would go to a clinic with a long, successful history of treating asian people and pref treated by either a very experienced aesthetician or a derma!
where on your body are you having it done and where do you live?
From this faq:
Be cautious of hair removal systems that use traditional light for treatment (Intense Pulse Light machines or IPLs). Most light-based applications are not true lasers. These machines use a highly concentrated beam of traditional incoherent light, often in conjunction with a cream or gel, to burn the hair shaft. A serious flaw with these systems is that they lack the laser’s ability to produce a selective bandwidth of light that will only affect the hair shaft (selective photothermolysis). These devices produce a wide bandwidth of light that can heat up all of the surrounding tissue, making it less effective in killing hair and putting the patient at a higher risk for burns, especially on darker skin. IPLs are generally cheaper than true laser devices and are used for various skin procedures first and foremost, with hair removal as an add-on feature. As a rule, true hair removal lasers (i.e. alexandrite, diode, and ND:Yag types) usually achieve better and faster hair removal results.
I have gotten laser done for my underarms. It's been 6 years and nothing has grown back as of yet. However, the doctor that did my treatment told me that hormones can cause hair regrowth (ie pregnancy, menopause, hormone pills). She said that most likely it will just be a few fine hairs here and there...nothing major. The regrowth can be taken care of by a couple laser touch ups for a couple hundred bucks.
IMO....it was money well spent.
I would be a little reluctant to do laser hair removal in the bikini area however. I wouldnt want to chance it. You never know what they might say about the effects of laser hair removal (bikini area) on your reproductive health 10 years from now.
OK. I'm in the process of getting laser hair reduction (LHR), where R stands for reduction (note please). I've done 2 sessions, which were a month apart, and the results so far have been very impressive. I am desi, pale skin, dark hair, so it works fine. I still have about 5 more sessions to go before everything friggin hair cell is zapped! I am really impressed and also considering getting my upperlip zapped as well.
^ However, bikini area is a concern coz as the treatment progresses the frequency of the laser increases and it actually hurts. It bloody hurts and you have to apply a numbing gel an hour before. So you may re-consider that option.
^what part of your body are you having treated?
i would wait a little longer before your third treatment. let's say you completed shedding at week 2, and start seeing new hairs coming through at week 3-4, even though they tell you to come again as soon as you start seeing new hairs, you will get better treatment if you wait til you see what looks like a full growth again (or as much as possible for treatments 3+ as a lot of the follicles will already be destroyed). hair is in the anagen phase for quite some time, so those first hairs will still be in the anagen phase while you wait for some more to come through.
they say 6-8 weeks for 2nd treatment for underarm hair (i went at week 8 and now it's almost week 7 after the 2nd treatment and i'm pretty sure all the coarse hair follicles have been destroyed in only 2 treatments as the hairs coming through now are the much finer ones that need different settings). 3rd treatment will probably be at week 10.
I dont know why on heavens earth anyone would wanna zip the hairs on their private parts using laser. Its not worth the pain - its not like its paraded on the street for people to look at, like facial hair is. I Use use a hair removal cream.
^what part of your body are you having treated?
i would wait a little longer before your third treatment. let's say you completed shedding at week 2, and start seeing new hairs coming through at week 3-4, even though they tell you to come again as soon as you start seeing new hairs, you will get better treatment if you wait til you see what looks like a full growth again (or as much as possible for treatments 3+ as a lot of the follicles will already be destroyed). hair is in the anagen phase for quite some time, so those first hairs will still be in the anagen phase while you wait for some more to come through.
they say 6-8 weeks for 2nd treatment for underarm hair (i went at week 8 and now it's almost week 7 after the 2nd treatment and i'm pretty sure all the coarse hair follicles have been destroyed in only 2 treatments as the hairs coming through now are the much finer ones that need different settings). 3rd treatment will probably be at week 10.
I'm getting my chin lasered. The session is done once every month and before that the hair should show on the chin. I've had 2 session already and after the second time, the hair showed up but then shed automatically. When it comes again, that's when I will go for my third session. Total of 7 sessions, plus 2 after care sessions. It's damn worth the money.