A question for those who have had Laser in the past

[Guest Amber Lynn]

Hello everyone,

So I had my first laser hair removal session last week; the woman there was super friendly, and I was pretty happy to get things started. But a few things concern me. First, the woman told me that Laser is not permanent, only Electrolysis is. Second, she mentioned that Laser works by zapping the hair into dormancy, which now makes me wonder...even if it stopped growing, does that mean the shadow will never disappear? Third, while I obviously didn't expect a magically clean face after a single session, she did say that I should see some sort of difference, any difference at all - and I'm not sure I do. It might be growing slower, but even that's questionable.

Having to continue shaving concerns me not just out of annoyance, but because my thick facial hair makes a close shave very irritating to my skin, and not something I can reasonably do too many times in a row (making it almost physically impossible to live completely as female too many days in a row either). And of course, having dark hair gives me a shadow that I have thus far been unable to completely conceal.

So for those that have had successful laser in the past, could I inquire as to your experiences? Has anyone had permanent-ish results? After the initial 6-12 (?) appointments are finished, did you have to go back again in the future?

Was regular shaving still necessary? And possibly even more importantly, did the shadow disappear?

I would love to hear anyone's experiences with this: if there's any hope for a significant change, and what I might be able to expect in the future.

Thank you all!

Love,

Gina

[Carolyn Marie]

Good questions, Gina. You might be disappointed in the answers, as they won't necessarily be applicable to you and your face. But that being said, here is my experience:

I had mostly dark grey hair, with a fair amount of white mixed in. It took 8 monthly treatments to clear my face to where I was satisfied. I did not notice significant benefits until after my second or third session. When I was finished, I had very smooth skin - but I still needed to shave every day to removed the white hairs. However, I had no beard shadow whatsoever after even 24 hours, and I could only tell anything was growing if I ran my hand over my face. My wife said she couldn't tell.

Two years later, I think my hair is slightly thicker than it was, but I am still very satisfied with my results. I probably should see an electrologist to take care of the white hairs, but I just don't want to hassle with the inconvenience and expense. My treatments cost about $1,600.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Carla_Davis]

Hi Gina,

You tech is correct "Only Electro is Permanent".

My experience is similar to Carolyn Marie.

Even though my face is smooth, II still need to shave daily to remove white hairs.

I also have no beard shadow.

I was thinking about Electro, but am saving my money for GRS.

After GRD, I will consider Electro for the rest of my face.

It is not a big deal for me today shaving daily.

Hugs,

Carla

[Guest Melissa~]

My first few laser sessions made a radical difference. efficacy after about the fourth session has faded fast. Going for laser treatment 12 this month. More to the point is I am unleashing general electrolysis on my face to knock out straggler hairs.

My mustache shadow is still quite bad IMO. My skin is moderately translucent, so when the dark hairs are gone there isn't much shadow(I have plucked 100% at times to observe the effect.) A plastic surgery center does my laser and they state there are effective prescriptions that may be used for evening pigmentation when hair is no longer an issue. I do intend to keep working on it, till there is no daily shave or shadow requiring cover makeup.

[Guest Amber Lynn]

Thank you Carolyn, Carla, and Melissa for your input. From your responses combined with other experiences I have heard, I do feel better about beard shadow possibly disappearing in the future. However, I'm noticing a theme that almost everyone has been able to tell at least some difference after starting, even if it's slight or in very small patches. Carolyn, you mentioned you did not notice significant benefits until a few sessions in, and correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like perhaps there was still evidence of change before then. As of now, I am convinced that absolutely nothing has changed in my case.

I did realize that white and lighter hairs would not be removed, but the majority of my hair is pretty dark, and my skin is somewhat light, if not (likely) translucent. But this isn't to say that it's jet black (though it certainly appears that way!), it is more of a dark brown. Because of this, I'm wondering if I should visit a different laser place, somewhat unshaven, to ask their opinion on whether laser would be effective on my hair color. I can't imagine it wouldn't be, but I guess I cannot know for sure. After that, perhaps I should try looking into other places to continue treatment for perhaps better effectiveness...I really hate to do this, but I simply cannot afford spending this kind of money frivolously.

Thank you all again for sharing your personal experiences. If anyone has any other advice, I'd certainly welcome it.

Love,

Gina

[Guest nomnomnom]

I'm rather white skinned and and have brown hair with natural blonde highlights.

laser removed pretty much all of the major facial hair after about 6 sessions, I.e no shadow! I'm still continuing as there are a few stragglers, but by and large, the dark hairs are gone. Of course the blonde hairs remain but they're fairly easy to manage. I'll get electrolysis when I have the time.

after about 1.5 to two weeks from treatment you'll notice your hairs falling out, especially if you rub your hand over your chin / scratch it. (don't go overboard though!)

[Guest Amber Lynn]

Thank you Andrea, it is encouraging to hear that it can indeed work on brown hair as well! Since it's only been a week for me, it sounds like I should wait a bit longer before jumping to any conclusions about its effectiveness. I cannot tell you how excited I would be to discover even a few hairs falling out in another week's time...

Thank you so much for the information, and congrats on your results!

[Guest Cyndysub]

I'm late again.

My Laser guy told me that the laser will be permanent for hairs with dark roots. On Average people require about five treatments on the face and neck and more on the difficult upper lip area. Your mileage may vary. I had mostly black hair on my face and on the neck was mostly grey. After five treatments with the exception of my upper lip my black hairs have disappeared.

My laser guy told me that he has noticed that with some of the Transgender Females that he has treated that their hair becomes darker (Younger) because of the Hormones. When I started electrolysis at about the third treatment my Laser guy told me that some of the gray hairs he was removing on my upper lip had dark roots. Laser will kill the ones with dark roots and Laser is much more pleasant than Electrolysis. I'm still getting my upper lip, under arms,cleavage area on the chest and around my nipples. I have read that the Cleavage and around the nipples are the problem areas with Trans Females even after total transition. On the plus side the laser treatments under the arms will also kill your sweat glands. Yippie! I'm not going to get any other areas treated that are not being treated now as I think it would be a waste of money.

My two Cents

Cyndy