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.