Do you have unwanted hair that you would like to get rid of? Tired of shaving and plucking, tweezing and painful waxing? You may consider laser hair removal as an option for you.
Let me begin by telling you, I am a 34 year old white female, light olive complexion and dark hair. I have already made multiple round trips across medical spa nj and found a lot of contradicting claims thrown at me by the staff there. I have unwanted hair on about 3/4 of my body, the most bothersome being on my face. I naturally have hair on my lip and chin that can be compared to a man (or used to have anyway). I began growing a beard at 16 years old. I’m not sure if it’s hormones or heredity (my mom has this too) , but I have been shaving it for 18 years now, and it is too dense and thick to wax, and too embarassing to let it grow out long enough to wax it. So, I must shave it at least once daily. Before my laser treatments, it was twice a day. Even with the shaving, you could still see the stubble, so I would apply concealers to try to cover it up, only to have it rub off on my clothes and it was still visible.
For years, I was miserable, embarassed, and ashamed of my face. I felt like a circus freak. I couldn’t help it. I seriously considered burning my face so that the scar tissue would stunt the hair growth. I would rather live with burn scars on my face rather than hair, is that sad or what?
Anyway, about 5 years ago, at tax time, when I had a little extra money, I decided to take a chance and try out laser hair removal. I paid $400 to buy a package which included 6 laser treatments, lip and chin (which was a pretty good deal) which we to be given every 6 weeks. It was the best decision I ever made. Those 6 treatments eliminated more than half of my facial hair, permanently. The other half I have been working on for about the last 3 years. Though none have gotten rid of all of the hair permanently, I would say to date, that about 70% of my hair is gone for good, while the other 30% is being stubborn (my fault, since I haven’t been going every six weeks like I should).
Hair grows in cycles. While some follicles are actively growing, others are sleeping. The laser only can treat the hair that is in the active growing phase. Then, after 6 weeks or so, the follicles that were inactive the last session are now active and growing once again, and can be treated as such. That’s why it is important to follow up every 6-8 weeks, so as to catch all of the hair in it’s active growth stage.
There are 5 different types of lasers used in hair removal, the IPL (pulsed light), Diode, Yag, Alexandrite, and Ruby lasers. These machines all deliver pulsed laser light, each in it’s own way, that is attracted to the pigment in hair. The darker, or more pigment that is in the hair shaft, the more attracted the laser light will be to it. When the pulsed light from the laser hits the hair, the energy travels down the hair shaft to destroy the hair root, and the follicle in which it resides, stopping the blood supply which allows the hair to grow. After the hair has been treated, the treated hair still remains in the follicle for 10 to 14 days, by which time the treated hairs will all shed, and leave a smooth, hairless skin surface for about a month, until the sleeping follicles awaken to grow more hair.
Although lasering is not painless (it feels like being popped with hot rubber bands), it is much better than the alternative, electrolysis, or waxing (which is painful and not permanent). The treatments are quick, it usually takes them no longer than 10 minutes to do my lip and chin. And, it’s result is more desirable than the alternative. Though it may not be completely permanent hair removal, I am completely pleased with the results of my sessions. What I have to live with now is alot better than before. I don’t have to hide my face in shame anymore. I am (almost) free!
