laser hair removal -- does it work?

[kath68]

I've been hearing radio ads lately about laser hair removal, and I was curious as to whether it works (not for me, of course, but for DH! LOL).

Does anyone have any experiences with it?

[Hippoharbor]

I had bikini area done approx. 4 yrs ago. I am fair-skinned. It took 6 sessions and I was hair-free for 18 months. I was really happy until the hair started growing back; they failed to mention to me that you need to have a 'return' visit for maintenance once a year. I want to get it done again along with axilla but have to find time now that DS is here. Thankfully, pricing today is MUCH better than it was 4 years ago.

Michelle

[aliceinwonderland]

My sister had it done and says it works. The success rate would depend greatly on your skin type, etc. And it's expensive, i hear.

[Mommy_Again]

It works best if you have dark hair and fair skin. It does get pricey. Do a search because I remember a long thread on this a few months ago. I did it many years ago and had very good results- I know it has gotten even better these days.

[MarisaSF]

I went to a consulation for electrolysis a few months ago. I decided not to do it at the time. The person there who would have done it, and, granted, she was trying to sell me on her method, showed me a photo. She claimed it was of a client that came to her for electrolysis after failed laser hair removal. The woman's legs were VERY blotchy. (Picture brown and white speckled cow-like.) She claimed it was from laser hair removal.

It was enough to make me not want to do either method. The scare tactics from one side and the alledged photo-proof on the other.

I really would like to be rid of this mustache though. LOL! (Of course, one should probably realize she is paranoid about her mustache when even the pushy electrolysis seller tells her she doesn't have any upper lip hair! :) )

[ddmarsh]

I was in a clinical trial when this first came out and I was very disappointed. We only had one side done and then were able to get the second side for half off after it was over but I didn't bother. Maybe it is very different from person to person as someone suggested.

[muskiesusan]

DH used to sell the lasers. I will ask him who it works best on, etc when he returns from his trip. Unfortunately, I never got to have any done as I was pregnant or bfing while he worked for the company!

Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04

[muskiesusan]

Okay, here's what my DH says:

Laser hair removal works very well for people who have dark hair and light skin. The laser literally targets the melanin within the hair follicle. If you're fair-skinned, you won't have much melanin in the epidermis to compete with the melanin within the follicle and therefore the energy will get to where it needs to go. If you're dark-skinned (or tanned-just as bad), you run a much greater risk of being burned, hypopigmented, hyperpigmented, or even scarred, because the laser is absorbed superficially. There are lasers out there that claim to remove hair for the dark-skinned, that use different parameters, but they are far less effective. Again, the light (laser) is attracted to certain chromophores and if it cannot damage the melanin in the epidermis, it probably will not do enough damage in the follicle to cause permanent hair removal.

Also, permanent hair removal (or "reduction" as they call it) will take somewhere between 3-6 treatments to be effective, depending on the area of the body being treated. Without going into excruciating detail, this is because the hair needs to be treated when it's actually in its growth cycle and, at any given time, only about 25% of your hair is in this cycle.

There are many different lasers out there that claim to be able to do hair removal. I would stick to an Alexandrite (755 nm) or a Diode (800-810 nm), but again, only if you're light skinned. If you're dark-skinned, go for the Nd:Yag lasers 1064 nm (commonly referred to as a "YAG") but don't expect great results. These are the "wavelengths" of the lasers, and anybody doing laser hair removal should be able to tell you what wavelength or type of laser they're using. If they can't tell you that...they probably don't know enough about lasers to be effective and/or safe.

So, in closing, if you have dark hair and light skin, go for it. Otherwise it's a crap shoot at best.



Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04