Laser hair removal......let's discuss!

It's not really a surgery, it's a laser. For me I felt quite a bit of pain. I had my whole face done, 8 treatments, and it hurt quite a bit. My hair is very dark and I am fair so I was a perfect candidate. The darker and thicker the hair, the more it hurts. Felt like a little sewing needle going into my chin one at a time. However, my doctor was incredible and did her job magnificently. I'd be red but be at work 20 minutes later! Unfortunately, the results were not permanent. It's been 2 years and I'm almost the same as then. I need to go back. And just as someone said before, yes it hurts, but for that full year I was hair free which was completely worth it. Plus there are so many deals on laser hair removal now that I personally think it's great if being hairy is a big struggle in life as it is for me.
 
is there any pain on getting anyone of these surgeries ? Any idea anyone?

It's the same sharp, instant, short-lived pain as ripping off a band-aid or a waxing strip. It also depends on your hair and how far along in the treatment you are and the strength of laser being used. It's a weird arc where at first the pain will be less because you will be at a low laser, it will increase as the laser level gets more intesne, but it will subside even at a high laser because you won't have much hair left that the laser is picking up.

It also varies by part of the body a lot.
 
How dark does the hair have to be in order for the laser to remove it? I have black hair on my lower legs and the bikini area but my thighs are very light brown. Would it still work?

It will work on lighter hair but just be less effective. Also, it will be less permanent/long-lasting in general on upper thighs vs. lower legs because of the type of hair growth. On females upper thigh hair growth is more hormonal than lower, so the hair is much more stubborn. It will go, but it will come back significantly sooner. I have a lot of hair on my thighs again when it used to be nearly 100% gone, but it's like little girl hair compared to the wildebeest I used to be so I am still mega-happy with the results.

Hair in areas that are more hormonal (like the face on females) is more resistant. I've had to do my face three times in life (like 6-7 year intervals in between) and I'm still not 100% hair free.
 
How about the laser hair removal treatment on face? Is it really going to be harmful for facial skin? I will prefer some other technique if ts harmful.

In my experience it's awesome for your facial skin. I had horrible scarring and my first dermatologist took care of both the scarring and hair with the same laser, my skin never looked so good. People were stunned.

Same thing with the second time around, I didn't have the scarring but discoloration and patches got much better.

That said, for your face, I really really really urge you to go to an actual dermatologist who does the treatments his/herself. Not a hair removal type center, not a doctor's office where the technicians do the treatments. Only trust your face to the actual doctor. It's easy for the skin to burn if not done well. Or you could have the experience I did at 17, where the technicians were so scared of burning me they never turned the laser level up and I did a year's worth of useless treatments. It's more expensive with a doctor for sure but so, so worth it.
 
I have had all my body hair removed. I just didn't want to see razor bumps, or deal with waxing. Best find someone that is good, real good! Don't look for a deal you'll end up getting hurt. Also prepare for a serious commitment. No one can tell you exactly how long it will take so be prepared for more treatments then they tell you. If the hairs get to thin a laser won't get them so you will need an electrolysis to get those hairs. Some areas will really hurt you just won't know till you get there. Icing does help with the pain and aloe because it's an antibacterial. Hope this helps😀
 
You said your brother has very dark hair. That's great but only half the equation. What color is his skin? If he has darker skin or olive skin (regardless of how dark) he needs to use a Yag laser. The laser is attracted to pigment and the goal is to kill the follicle deep beneath the surface of the skin. If he gets convinced to use an IPL (NOT a laser) or an alexandrite laser he runs the risk of burning his skin. The laser will be attracted to the pigment in the skin rather than seeking the pigment in the follicle under the skin. Does that make sense? I can't stress enough how important it is to do a LOT of research before shopping for a place to have laser done. Know and understand how lasers work, about the 3 stages of hair growth and how laser treatments work. If your brother doesn't do these things he is much more likely to be dissatisfied with his results after spending a ton of money.

Hairtell.com is a great resource. I relied on it greatly when I was doing my research years ago. I did my full legs, full brazillian front and back, underarms and a few other small areas. Aside from electrolysis on my face, laser was the best thing I ever did. I found a place that used a Candela Gentle Max because it is both a Yag and alexandrite. I used the Yag but did the Alexandrite a few times when my hair was finer. My sister used the Soprano XL with excellent results and little to no pain. I never researched the Soprano too in depth so I can't speak to that but I know she loved her results and the draw of Soprano is no pain.

It is really important to use the highest settings his skin can safely tolerate otherwise it is just a waste of time. Also, make sure to space treatments at LEAST 6 weeks apart. Most places will try to urge spacing 4-6 weeks apart. Read up on the stages of hair growth to understand why that's just a way to sell more treatment sessions. The back shouldn't be too painful. Of all the areas I had done, the mons (pubic mound) was BY FAR the most painful area. Underarms take second place. Hope this helps. It is such a liberating thing to be free from the things that bother us about ourselves. If he is embarrassed about his hair I strongly suggest he do this for himself.
 
I use the Philips Lumea, very happy with it and saved tons of money.. it's an IPL laser
only downside is that you have to recharge it like every 15-20 minutes during which you can't use it
 
I am Italian with very dark hair and growing up I was always super embarrassed about my arm hair. I had it lasered off 10 years ago and it hurt…a lot (they said it would feel like rubber bands snapping on my skin but to me it felt more like they were holding the car cigarette burner on my skin over and over), but I would do it again as it was worth the pain for the lasting results. It took 9 sessions for me.
 
I use the Philips Lumea, very happy with it and saved tons of money.. it's an IPL laser
only downside is that you have to recharge it like every 15-20 minutes during which you can't use it
Please can you tell more about Lumea like which model and is it permanent?

Im also interested in Philips Lumea SC2009, since its IPL it might not be permanent.
 
I'm currently using the Bellasilk (from costco) on my armpits and bikini line. I've done about 3 sessions and I think it's working. I don't find it painful at all but I have a pretty high pain tolerance.
 
Please can you tell more about Lumea like which model and is it permanent?

Im also interested in Philips Lumea SC2009, since its IPL it might not be permanent.

Sure, the model I use is SC2006/11.
I can't say for sure if it's permanent, but you can see results even after using it one time. I'm dark haired so my hair normally grows back really fast. I think if you're not that dark haired it might have permanent results for you. You do have to be very disciplined as you have to do it every two weeks. And you have to recharge like every 15 minutes which is super annoying. But as I said, it saved me tons of money and you can use it on the whole body so overall I am really happy with it.
 
Sure, the model I use is SC2006/11.
I can't say for sure if it's permanent, but you can see results even after using it one time. I'm dark haired so my hair normally grows back really fast. I think if you're not that dark haired it might have permanent results for you. You do have to be very disciplined as you have to do it every two weeks. And you have to recharge like every 15 minutes which is super annoying. But as I said, it saved me tons of money and you can use it on the whole body so overall I am really happy with it.
Thank you for reply, Jana007! You mean "do it every two weeks" like for the first few months and after that do it as needed like once every 6 months, or as always like for entire year ?
 
Thank you for reply, Jana007! You mean "do it every two weeks" like for the first few months and after that do it as needed like once every 6 months, or as always like for entire year ?

The main idea is to do it every two weeks forever LOL, but I do it like every month and the hairs don't really grow back. But I'd recommend sticking to the every two weeks routine, especially in the beginning, because then you'll have the best results of course :smile:
 
I have had a Tria for about 5 years now. It hurts like all Hell , but, nothing has grown back that I've used the highest setting on. It was well worth what I paid, and that was in a time before Sephora and other sites started selling nice bundles with it.