Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

My first session of laser facial hair removal


Guest hoojee15

Recommended Posts

Guest hoojee15

Hey everyone, this is Jessie (used to be Jessica lol), I have not posted for a long time. Today I just finished my first session of laser hair removal so I want to share with you ladies some details of my experience.

I did that in dermatology department of Boston Medical Center (725 Albany St, Boston, MA). The procedure is super fast, only takes about 5 minutes and only needs one dermatologist and one nurse to carry out. The pain is not too much, completely tolerable even for me (I often burst to tears because of the pain I suffered when I need to cut my skin to do some blood test). The whole treatment will be 4 to 6 sessions, depending on individual situation. Each session will only take 5 minutes to finish, but the time between two sessions has to be at least 1 month (can be longer than that). The price is $400 per session (with a 10% discount if you are affiliated to BMC or BU).

According to the dermatologist (certified and with M.D degree) there, their laser facial hair removal for biological male is permanent, unlike previous laser approaches. Once all sessions are done, there will be either no facial hair at all, or at most some very scarce facial hair remaining. In case one is concerned about the little remaining hair, one can do the laser once again and get rid of what is remaining.

So if their claim is true, then this should be a fast and . I will see what the effect on me is and update this post telling you my latest experience.

Hug you all.

Jessie

P.S It cannot remove white, grey and blonde facial hair

Edited by hoojee15
Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

Please keep us posted. It sounds like a wonderful development.

Hugs,

Charlie

Link to comment
Guest hoojee15

Would like to know some of the specifications of the type and name of the equipment or treatment as I am in need of same here in CT.

I am not sure about the specifications of the equipment. I will take a careful look at it next time I go there. The website of them is below:

http://www.bmc.org/bu-cosmetic-laser-center/services/laser-procedures-laser-hair-removal.htm

And I am sorry I made a mistake in my original post. This procedure is unable to remove white, grey and blonde hairs. ("Please keep in mind that white, grey and blonde hairs do not respond to any laser and are best treated with electrolysis.") But it can be applied to any skin types.

I am still skeptical about if this LASER treatment has permanent effects, as from all I have read before LASER is not permanent, only Electrolysis is. I choose that just because it is convenient and does not confine my schedule. I will see what the actual effect is.

If you are in a different region then please contact your local professionals directly, as they know much more. I am only reporting my personal experience.

Good luck to you and hugs:)

Jessie

Link to comment
Guest hoojee15

D+2 day Update:

Suppose the day of my first session, 11th Dec 2013 is D day, then now it is D+2 day.

The pain completely diminished when I woke up in the morning of D+1 day, and now the area that received laser just feels and touches as normal and as nothing had happened. I have not shaved since D day and now my facial hair grows out a little, but far less than that can grow out after two days without shaving before the laser treatment. It is still visible yet, but looks sparse and like a shallow shade, not like a dense forest anymore as before. (I have black beard and mustache)

Can any moderator tell me how to edit my original post please? Thank you very much.

Jessie

Link to comment
Guest Melissa~

I was going to post something to that effect even the best unit on earth can't target individual blond hairs, I suppose someday an excimer type laser could "delete" indivdual hairs after making a hyper-accurate map of every follicle on the face, still probably 30 years from that level of technology.

Link to comment
Guest hoojee15

D+10 day update:

The growth speed of facial hair almost has not changed since D+2 day. It reduced to about half of the speed it used to be before the 1st LASER session. The treated area remains perfectly normal and well as if nothing had happened. Now at least I can save several shaves.

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
Guest ashleynikole

I am going for my 5th facial session on Jan 2 and I saw immediate results about the 3 wk mark (probably about now for you Jessie). However, I started noticing hair regrowth around the 3rd month and when I asked, they said that the hairs on your body grow in cycles so while you will kill off some of the hairs at a session, you will not get all of the ones that were not around during that first cycle. This is why you need 6-9 sessions, to cover all the cycles and make sure all hair is attacked.

I had about 10% blonde/gray hair on my face, so I still shave but it doesn't take near the time and I am WAY less irritated afterwards. it's also nice not having a shadow to try and hide with make up. Keep us posted on your sessions over the next 6-9 months. Don't forget your before and after pics (if you want them).

Link to comment

To the OP. I think they fed you some misinformation... and on top of that you are paying WAY too much for your laser. I pay $200 a session in san francisco (the land of outrageous pricing for everything). Back in FL I used to pay $115 a session for a place that used a diode laser, and $45 a session for a place that used a YAG laser. And as far as the equipment they are using, it has to be a YAG laser because on their site they claim that it is "the technology we use is safe for all skin types, even dark skin" the only laser that is true for is a YAG... and it just so happens that YAG lasers are NOT permanent and are basically completely ineffective for people with light skin tones (sure they are "safe" for light skin but they aren't effective on light skin). I do not know what your skin type is but I am sorta on the pale side (and Caucasian) and my beard was sort of a blonde/red/brown color and I was treated with a yag laser 5-6 times and it did absolutely NOTHING. I have also been treated with a diode laser which was only very slightly effective. It wasn't until I went to a place that operates several different types of lasers that I was told the only laser that will be effective on me is an alexandrite (low frequency red laser)... and guess what, they were spot on. The Alexandrite has been very effective. But I wasted a whole bunch of money on previous treatments because I didn't shop around properly.

Sorry if my post sounds a bit emotional I just kind of hate the hair removal industry, they have no qualms whatsoever on playing to peoples ignorance of the technology. They have made millions by tricking people into blowing their hard earned cash on expensive and ineffective treatments... all the while promising completely unrealistic results. Guess what ladies? Chances are that 90% of us will go through twice as many sessions as they say you will need and at the end still have to shave daily. Actual clearance of facial hair using laser is a rare rare thing (but if done right it will thin it out significantly and slow its growth).

Link to comment

Actually I was wrong, the are not using a YAG laser... in fact they are not using a laser at all, they are selling IPL treatments as "laser" treatments and those are NOT the same thing by a long stretch. Sure IPL is safer, but it much much less effective in fact it is generally considered worthless for beard removal. Not to mention the fact that IPL machines are way cheaper and generally IPL treatments only cost a fraction of a laser treatment.

It sounds like this place is running a scam... OP if I were you I would put my cash back in my wallet and run like the wind!

Link to comment
Guest hoojee15

Actually I was wrong, the are not using a YAG laser... in fact they are not using a laser at all, they are selling IPL treatments as "laser" treatments and those are NOT the same thing by a long stretch. Sure IPL is safer, but it much much less effective in fact it is generally considered worthless for beard removal. Not to mention the fact that IPL machines are way cheaper and generally IPL treatments only cost a fraction of a laser treatment.

It sounds like this place is running a scam... OP if I were you I would put my cash back in my wallet and run like the wind!

I have not been here for a while.Thank you so much for your two informational threads jodie. So far 25 days passed and my beard growth is still very slow, and I only need to shave every 3 days. So as far as I know it seems working.... Of course I do not know the long term effects yet. Can you please tell me why you think they are using not laser but IPL? Sorry I do not know too much about this.

Link to comment
Guest hoojee15

Just looked up some more information of the clinic I went. It seems the doctor treated me is a good one with lots of publications, honors and awards. So do her colleagues. So I would rather believe them for now..... Maybe there is a reason why they charge that much. Hopefully I am right lol.

Link to comment

Yea the first place I went to had all sorts of publications, certificates, and awards too... had a wall with a ton of them stuck to it. But guess what? Those are all awarded by the industry... that's like the National Restaurant Association giving Burger King an award for "health and nutrition"...

This is the link on their website that states the machine they use is IPL not laser... they are being misleading.

http://www.bmc.org/bu-cosmetic-laser-center/services/laser-procedures-starlux-laser.htm

The first time I had it done with a diode laser I saw results too, but they quickly reversed... when the follicle gets zapped it may get knocked out of commission for awhile giving the illusion of success. Then the hair follicle heals itself and starts pumping out hair again. Trust me, I have wasted thousands of dollars on laser, I have heard it all before... I have spent countless nights researching the tech and science behind it all. I am by no means an expert, but I know enough to be skeptical. You should do yourself a favor and shop around, what harm can it do?

Link to comment
Guest hoojee15

Yea the first place I went to had all sorts of publications, certificates, and awards too... had a wall with a ton of them stuck to it. But guess what? Those are all awarded by the industry... that's like the National Restaurant Association giving Burger King an award for "health and nutrition"...

This is the link on their website that states the machine they use is IPL not laser... they are being misleading.

http://www.bmc.org/bu-cosmetic-laser-center/services/laser-procedures-starlux-laser.htm

The first time I had it done with a diode laser I saw results too, but they quickly reversed... when the follicle gets zapped it may get knocked out of commission for awhile giving the illusion of success. Then the hair follicle heals itself and starts pumping out hair again. Trust me, I have wasted thousands of dollars on laser, I have heard it all before... I have spent countless nights researching the tech and science behind it all. I am by no means an expert, but I know enough to be skeptical. You should do yourself a favor and shop around, what harm can it do?

Thank you so much jodie88. I will definitely ask them about this. May I ask how long it took for the follicle to heal back for you? And since your beard is blonde/red/brown, as far as I know normal laser will not be so effective on you. I have yellow skin and completely black beard which I heard is the ideal to be treated by laser or IPL. If my beard was not black I would not even bother with laser. Also I cannot afford the time commitment required for electrolysis. Well I do not know now. My life is already busy enough, sigh.

Link to comment

Still my beard was pretty dark, they all told me I was the ideal candidate too. It will take about 2 months for the follicle to heal and then you are back where you started. Here check out this pic of me just prior to beginning transition...

muic.jpg

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
Guest hoojee15

2D day update:

Today (Jan 13) is the day of my 2nd treatment. I took note of the machine they use. It is Candela GentleMax. It seems to be a new model of such euqipment. As far as I know, it uses two types of laser:GentleYag (an ND:Yag laser) combined with GentleLase (an Alexandrite laser). So I do think it may be effective after all and I will give it more tries.

I have attached a photo of the euqipment.

2014-01-13%2014.18.26.jpg

Link to comment

Yes that is an excellent machine! One of the best actually. The alexandrite mode will be very effective if you have light colored skin... the yag is for darker skin, make sure they aren't using that mode if you have light skin as it wont do much of anything.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   8 Members, 0 Anonymous, 101 Guests (See full list)

    • violet r
    • Abigail Genevieve
    • VickySGV
    • Susie
    • MaybeRob
    • SamC
    • Breezy Victor
    • AllieJ
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.7k
    • Total Posts
      768.3k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      12,023
    • Most Online
      8,356

    Delaney
    Newest Member
    Delaney
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. Dillon
      Dillon
    2. Kaylee888
      Kaylee888
    3. lily100
      lily100
      (39 years old)
    4. Luce
      Luce
      (44 years old)
    5. Luke.S
      Luke.S
  • Posts

    • Breezy Victor
      I was ten years old when my mom walked in on me frolicking around my room dressed up in her bra, panties, and some pantyhose. I had been doing this in the privacy of my bedroom for a little while now so I had my own little stash box I kept full of different panties, bras, etc ... of hers. My mom's underwear was so easy for me to come by and she was a very attractive woman, classy, elegant. Well when she walked in on me, she looked at me with disgust and said to me... "If I wanted to run around like mommy's little girl instead of mommy's little boy, then she was going to treat me like mommy's little girl."  She left my bedroom after telling me NOT to change or get dressed or anything and returned with a few of her work skirts and blouses and such. She made me model off her outfits for her and I have to admit ... I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT. I felt so sexy, and feminine. And she knew I loved it.  She told me we can do this every weekend if I'd like. It would be OUR little secret. 
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      The usual social ways, of course.  Taking care of my partners and stepkids, being involved in my community.  That makes me feel good about my role.   As for physical validation and gender... probably the most euphoric experience is sex.  I grew up with my mother telling me that my flat and boyish body was strange, that my intersex anatomy was shameful, that no man would want me. So experiencing what I was told I could never have is physical proof that I'm actually worth something.  
    • KathyLauren
      <Moderator hat on>  I think that, at this point we need to get the thread back onto the topic, which is the judge's ruling on the ballot proposition.  If there is more to be said on the general principles of gendered spaces etc., please discuss them, carefully and respectfully, in separate threads. <Moderator hat off>
    • Abigail Genevieve
      People who have no understanding of transgender conditions should not be making policy for people dealing with it. Since it is such a small percentage of the population, and each individual is unique, and their circumstances are also unique, each situation needs to be worked with individually to see that the best possible solution is implemented for those involved. 
    • Abigail Genevieve
      No.  You are getting stuck on one statement and pulling it out of context.   Trans kids have rights, but so do non-trans kids.  That conflict is best worked out in the individual situation. 
    • MaeBe
      I get the concept, I believe. You're trying to state that trans kids need to or should be excluded from binary gender spaces and that you acknowledge that answers to accommodate those kids may not be found through policy. I disagree with the capability of "penetration" as being the operative delimiter in the statement, however. I contest this statement is poorly chosen at best and smacks of prejudice at worst. That it perpetuates certain stereotypes, whether that was the intent or not.   Frankly, all kids should have the right to privacy in locker rooms, regardless of gender, sexuality, or anatomy. They should also have access to exercise and activities that other kids do and allow them to socialize in those activities. The more kids are othered, extracted, or barred from the typical school day the more isolated and stigmatized they become. That's not healthy for anyone, the excluded for obvious reasons and the included for others--namely they get to be the "haves" and all that entails.
    • Abigail Genevieve
      Context.  Read the context.  Good grief.
    • MaeBe
      Please don't expect people to read manifold pages of fiction to understand a post.   There was a pointed statement made, and I responded to it. The statement used the term penetration, not "dissimilar anatomy causing social discomfiture", or some other reason. It was extended as a "rule" across very different social situations as well, locker and girl's bedrooms. How that term is used in most situations is to infer sexual contact, so most readers would read that and think the statement is that we "need to keep trans girl's penises out of cis girls", which reads very closely to the idea that trans people are often portrayed as sexual predators.   I understand we can't always get all of our thoughts onto the page, but this doesn't read like an under-cooked idea or a lingual short cut.
    • Ashley0616
      I shopped online in the beginning of transition. I had great success with SHEIN and Torrid!
    • Abigail Genevieve
      Have you read the rest of what I wrote?   Please read between the lines of what I said about high school.  Go over and read my Taylor story.  Put two and two together.   That is all I will say about that.
    • Abigail Genevieve
      "I feel like I lost my husband," Lois told the therapist,"I want the man I married." Dr. Smith looked at Odie, sitting there in his men's clothing, looking awkward and embarrassed. "You have him.  This is just a part of him you did not know about. Or did not face." She turned to Odie,"Did you tear my wedding dress on our wedding night?" He admitted it.  She had a whole catalog of did-you and how-could you.  Dr. Smith encouraged her to let it all out. Thirty years of marriage.  Strange makeup in the bathroom.  The kids finding women's laundry in the laundry room. There was reconciliation. "What do we do now?" Dr. Smith said they had to work that out.  Odie began wearing women's clothing when not at work.  They visited a cross-dressers' social club but it did not appeal to them.  The bed was off limits to cross dressing.  She had limits and he could respect her limits.  Visits to relatives would be with him in men's clothing.    "You have nail polish residue," a co-worker pointed out.  Sure enough, the bottom of his left pinky nail was bright pink  His boss asked him to go home and fix it.  He did.   People were talking, he was sure, because he doubted he was anywhere as thorough as he wanted to be.  It was like something in him wanted to tell everyone what he was doing, and he was sloppy.   His boss dropped off some needed paperwork on a Saturday unexpectedly and found Odie dressed in a house dress and wig.  "What?" the boss said, shook his head, and left.  None of his business.   "People are talking," Lois said. "They are asking about this," she pointed to his denim skirt. "This seems to go past or deeper than cross dressing."   "Yes.  I guess we need some counseling."  And they went.
    • April Marie
      You look wonderful!!! A rose among the roses.
    • Ashley0616
      Mine would be SHEIN as much as I have bought from them lol.
    • MaeBe
      This is the persistence in thinking of trans girls as predators and, as if, they are the only kind of predation that happens in locker rooms. This is strikingly close to the dangerous myth that anatomy corresponds with sexuality and equates to gender.
    • Abigail Genevieve
      At the same time there might be mtf boys who transitioned post-puberty who really belong on the girls' teams because they have more similarities there than with the boys, would perform at the same level, and might get injured playing with the bigger, stronger boys.   I well remember being an androgynous shrimp in gym class that I shared with seniors who played on the football team.  When PE was no longer mandatory, I was no longer in PE. They started some mixed PE classes the second semester, where we played volleyball and learned bowling and no longer mixed with those seniors, boys and girls together.
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...