Hair Removal using a Light-Sheer Diode Laser.

My Experience.

For information and guidance on any type of hair removal, check out HairTell.com. This is a brilliant site with tons of non-biased information (they don't sell anything!), and forums where you can read other peoples experiences, add your own experiences and questions, or chat to other people who are using pretty much any type of hair removal product you can think of. If you would like to comment on this page and add your feedback, please go to my entry on the Laser hair removal forum at HairTell.com

Introduction:
I am a 35 year old female with type I skin (pasty white!) and course thick black hair. I am beginning a course of laser hair removal this week using the Light-Sheer laser at a clinic which employs Registered General Nurses to carry out the consultations and operate the equipment. The areas I am initially getting treated are my whole legs and feet - below are some photo's taken before any treatment was commenced, although it is only about 6 weeks since they were last completely epilated, so they are not "in full bloom" so to speak... this is only 6 weeks growth - any hairs not it the androgen (growing) phase are not visible, and the hairs have not grown to their full length yet, but I'm not waiting 6 months just to get a good photo!! You get the idea anyway... not very attractive for a female!

Laser Used: Lightsheer Diode EC which is capable of a maximum of 60 joules.

Cost: £1200 Pounds Sterling for course of 6 treatments to whole leg (not supposed to include feet or bikini line which are priced at approx £700 for both, but the nurse was very generous and included them anyway).
This converts to about US$1850 at current conversion rates, which I thought was pretty reasonable for whole legs, even without the extra's thrown in.

Consultation:
My consultation took roughly an hour, and was with an experienced Regiestered General Nurse. She took me into the laser treatment room, introducing herself and making me feel relaxed and comfortable and she showed me the equipment, explaining briefly how it is used. She asked me a series of questions regarding my medical history and any health problems I may have, then examined my legs to assess my skin and hair type. This all took about 20 minutes. Before she started any testing, she took photographs of my legs to put into my notes as a guide for results.

Next was the patch test. For this, she put me onto the treatment bed and shaved a small patch of skin on the side of my calf. She rubbed cooling gel onto the area, then started the laser test itself. Oh, and she gave me some eye protective glasses to wear, as the eyes contain melanin and may be damaged by the laser if eye protection is not worn. The Light-Sheer apparently has 2 pulse settings - short and long. She first started with the short pulse at the lowest fluence. The first time she "zapped" me almost made me jump off the table, as it was rather a shock and I had not known what to expect. After the first one I was fine, and they didn't hurt all that much. Sort of like a bee sting, but only for a second, then the pain was gone.

She progressed by gradually increasing the fluence and working her way around the area she had shaved, each time asking me how it felt. To be honest, I didn't really feel much difference between the low settings and the high settings, although as she increased them slowly, maybe I just got used to it? She was looking for a particular skin reaction - swelling around the hair follicles - and was rather disconcerted when this didn't happen. Once she had reached maximum fluence (60 joules) on the short burst setting, she changed legs.

Again, she shaved a small patch and applied cooling gel. This time she used the longer pulse setting, again starting with the lowest fluence and gradually increasing. Again each zap felt like a bee sting, but only momentarily. She told me to expect a smell of burnt hair, but this didn't really happen. Neither did the oedema and swelling around the hair follicle which she expected. Eventually she had the fluence to its maximum setting of 60 joules, and was still not satisfied with the results. She has been working there for several years and seems very experienced and knowledgable (in her "past life" she was a Nurse Practitioner in an Accident and Emergency Department in a huge inner city hospital), and I felt complete confidence in her abilities. When she had finished the patch test, she was still concerned that I had not shown the usual skin response, and she was uncertain whether the therapy was working on me. Her advice was to wait a few weeks and observe the areas and see what happened. I was impressed (though more than a little worried!) that she told me I may not respond well to the treatment, as I didn't show the normal expected skin response. She was open and honest with me, and explained that it doesn't work on everyone. This was a refreshing change from the usual high sales pitch that many people seem to get from different clinics.

Results of Test Patches:
So, on one leg I had a patch treated with the short pulse duration, on the other leg a patch treated with the longer pulse duration, and I shaved a third test area myself when I got home so I could compare both the treated areas with a patch of normal untreated growth as this gave me a better idea of what I was seeing. I found this really helped.

For the first 5-6 days, the hair on both test areas appeared to continue growing normally which caused me untold anxiety, but the growth slowed down after about a week on the area treated with the longer pulse duration.

Short Pulse Area: By the end of 2 weeks, the number of hairs does not seem to be significantly reduced, and the growth rate is increasing to almost normal again. This doesn't seem to have worked, even on the higher fluences.

Longer Pulse Area: During the second week, the hair does not seem to have grown any more, and there seems to be less of it, so maybe it has fallen out. What has grown back also appears to be finer, so I'm hoping that it has worked on this setting. There is definately a marked difference between the hair growth on this area, and "normal" hair growth.

Side Effects:
As for side effects - the skin felt badly sunburnt the night I had it done, expecially on the shorter pulse duration area, and was quite uncomfortable in bed. It's hard to stop your legs from touching the sheets etc. when you are lying down!! The area done with the short pulse was the worst - this had an angry looking red rash and felt very hot and tender. The area done with the longer pulse had very little rash, most of which had gone by the time I went to bed, and did not feel anywhere near as tender or sunburnt as the shorter pulse area. By morning both areas had calmed down, and by the following day both areas looked and felt pretty much normal again. After about 3 days, you couldn't see any difference at all between those areas and untreated skin. So nothing major there - certainly nothing out of the ordinary, and no long term damage of any kind was obvious.

So, here are the "before" photo's: The hair you see here is actually only about a third of that which grows, as I have been epilating twice weekly for several years now, and only stopped about 6 weeks before I started laser treatment, so it is actually MUCH worse than the pictures suggest. Not the most attractive site for a girl... and hopefully the LAST time I ever see them looking like this!!

If you really want to be grossed out, click on the pictures below for larger and more detailed versions with the hair being much clearer. But have your sickie bucket handy!!

My first actual treatment is tomorrow afternoon, so stay tuned and I'll let you know how it goes!

Oh, a note about Pain Management:

My nurse strongly advised me NOT to take ANY analgesics prior to treatment, as she said this would interferre with the expected inflammatory response which should occur with the laser treament. I'm not sure whether something like paracetamol would do this, as it isn't directly an anti-inflammatory, but certainly things like ibuprofen and diclofenac would be out. I was not offered any type of topical anaesthetic either, such as Emla cream, so I will just take a smooth stick along with me to hold between my teeth and chew on occasionally...

Treatment 1:

Introduction:
Well, the day has finally arrived for my first treatment. I had a 2 hour appointment time booked, as the nurse suggested it would take this long to adequately cover both legs. She had given me prior instructions to shave the entire area I was to have lasered the morning of my appointment - DEFINITELY not to use any other type of hair removal at any time during the whole course of the treatment (such as epilating, waxing, depilatory creams, etc.) as these will apparently stop the laser from treating those hairs. The hair needs to be shaved off to avoid burns apparently - any hairs that are on the surface will be pressed onto the skin with the laser and heated up by it, and the skin directly underneath the hair will burn (also, the laser won't be effective in killing the hair, as it will be absorbed by the stuff on the surface and not penetrate the skin to the follicle). So, shaving only... as it was about 6 weeks since I had done any sort of hair removal at all, my legs felt really smooth after the shave! That didn't last long...

The Actual Treatment:
The nurse did a quick check of my medical history to ensure nothing had changed since my consultation, then put me onto the bed for treatment to start. She first took photos of my legs before she started treatment to put into my notes. She applied a cooling/lubricating gel to the part of my leg she was starting on, then went to work. As I had tolerated the test patches well on high fluences, she did most of the treatment on a setting of 55 joules, just turning it down a little for the more sensitive areas. She said that 60 would be too high for my skin (though I'm sure she went to 60 once on the test patch?). Anyway, 55 is still pretty high. She worked in stipes up and down the area on my lower leg, and it was extremely painful. She had advised on my consultation that I did not take any form of analgesic or anti-inflammatory medication, and apparently they only offer Emla cream for faces at the place where I went. The pain is bearable though if you grit your teeth, when you have the desired results in mind - well worth it if the treatment works!

The zaps felt like wasp stings, but are very brief. The pain doesn't last more than a second for each zap, and I was just left with a sunburnt feeling on each area for 10-15 minutes after she had finished. Areas that hurt the most were bikini line (obviously!), front of shins, back of thighs and just below the knee. Oh, the feet were actually by far the worst - even though she kindly turned the fluence down to about 45-48 for them. Once she had covered an area, she wiped the goo off and applied a nice cucumber cooling gel - the whole process makes your legs very sticky and 'orrible, so don't wear light or thin pants!

She gradually worked her way all over one leg, then the other. The whole process took two and a half hours, rather than just the two I had booked, but she seemed quite happy to continue and get them properly finished. She was very thorough and certainly seemed extremely competent at using the equipment. She suggested that next time I book the last appointment of the day, so she can continue over the two hours (as that is the longest appointment time I can book).

Although I had only booked and paid for "whole legs", she also very kindly included the bikini line and feet/toes, which are supposed to be separate, so I was absolutely thrilled to say the least!

My legs were quite pink when she had finished, and covered with tiny swollen lumps which she said were normal and this is where the hair follicle swelled when it was destroyed. It felt quite tender for the rest of the day, and rather prickly in bed, but by next morning had pretty much disappeared. The skin now looks like I shaved when I was cold and had goosebumps (you know, when you just knock the tops off some of them?) but otherwise OK. Still feels a little tender when I sit or touch it, but really nothing to bother me, and I'm sure it will have gone by tomorrow or the next day.

It's a good idea to take an old towel or something similar to put on your carseat too - I have velvety type seat covers, and was worried that the goo would soak through my clothes onto them, as my legs felt REALLY wet and sticky after the treatment with the gel she put on them to cool them down. If you have vinyl or leather seats, you will DEFINITELY need something over them - I don't think I could have bared to drive all the way home on hot leather seats - I felt the backs of my legs really hot and uncomfortable on the velvet seats as it was. Oh, and don't try having a hot shower afterwards - it feels like your skin is peeling off when the hot water hits you! A cool one is bliss...

And that's about it really. I will take some more photos in a few weeks when the hair starts to grow back to compare with the "before" pictures.

Two weeks on:
Well, for the first 4-5 days, my legs felt sunburnt, although there wasn't much to see on them. They still looked a little rough, like I had shaved the tops of hundreds of goosebumps, and I had about 10 small burn marks on the back of one thigh which I found after a few days, but very little redness. The initial oedema I had immediately following treatment was gone after about 2 days. The worst time was at night in bed for the sunburnt feeling. Having anything (like pyjama bottoms) on my legs was quite uncomfortable, but so was the sheet touching them. And the stubble from the hair regrowth made it impossible not to have bottoms on to sleep in. After about 5 days this burnt feeling left however, and then started the itching! I'm not sure which was worse... Again, they weren't too bad during the day, but in the evenings and during the night they drove me MAD!! By about the tenth day following treatment, this mostly subsided and they were starting to feel like my own legs once more.

The hair started showing again the morning following treatment, so I'm a bit dubious about how much was actually killed off. I know it isn't all in the growth stage at once, but I don't believe for a minute that so much would be in the "resting" phase JUST under the skin and would all start growing that very night. Two weeks along now, and the hair is growing back rather more enthusiastically than I had hoped, although it is definitaly patchy, as the nurse said it would be. She said I wouldn't see much of a difference until I have had 3 treatments, so maybe I was just hoping for too much from the first one. There are numerous quite obvious "stripes" of hair, where I'm assuming the laser missed, but I still have 5 treatments left, so I guess they will get zapped in time. In all, there is a definite reduction in the number of hair, but as I said, it is very patchy, and the hair which is regrowing does NOT look any finer than it was before.

One thing which has concerned me is that for about 3-4 days immediately following treatment, I felt too lethargic and weak to get out of my own way. It was such a massive effort just to get out of bed, and after I had been up for 2 hours I had to go and lie down again - and I would usually drop back to sleep. No other symptoms, so I don't think it was a viral infection? I just wondered whether I went into a very mild shock after having such a large area treated. After about 4 days I got my energy back, and 2 weeks on I feel completely "normal" again (well... as normal as I ever get...). I will be interested to see whether this happens again following the next treatment, or whether it was something else and just purely coincidental that it happened at that time. I don't think I will tell my nurse until I know for sure myself, as she may stop future treatments on me.

Due to going on holidays in a few weeks, and the fact that my nurse insists on a period of 5 weeks after treatment before allowing any sun to get on the skin, and then another 5 weeks following sun exposure (to wait for any tan to fade) before another treatment, it will about 2 months before I can have my second treatment. I will be quite pleased if I get a similar amount of reduction after each treatment, although I am a little concerned that probably less than half the hair in the anagen, or growth, phase has actually been affected. Time will tell I suppose.

Treatment 2:

Well, the second treatment went much the same as the first. Hurt like hell and took another 2 hours for both whole legs. The skin became quite oedematous around the hair follicles, and all over redness which stayed for around 24 hours then went away competely. My legs were not nearly so itchy after this treatment as they were after the first one, nor did they feel sunburnt or uncomfortable after the first 24 hours. Recovery time was much less, and my legs felt "normal" again within a couple of days this time rather than a couple of weeks. Also the severe lethargy I felt following the first treatment never occured following this one - still not sure whether that was even related though.

And the results??

Well, it is now about 3 months after this second treatment, and I can honestly say the treatments are worth every penny! Although there is still a little way to go, I can hardly recognise my legs as being the same ones I have lived with all my life. After just 2 treatments, there is far more than a 50% reduction in the amount of hair - I probably only have about 20% of the hair I used to have on the lower legs, and a bit more than that on the thighs. My thighs haven't responded as well as the lower legs, although maybe the hair is a little finer on the thighs anyway - not so course. This is excluding my INNER thighs which have responded better than anywhere else.

From having very thick course black "pubic hair" almost down to my knees on my inner thigh, there is now almost no hair at all there. The results have far exceeded anything I was expecting. My inner thighs are now almost completely hairless!!

Where the remaining hair was quite patchy following the first treatment, it is more evenly spread now, except a few areas which remain hairier than the rest. Maybe my therapist missed these areas a bit, but with 4 treatments still remaining, I'm sure she will get them.

I have not had to shave or use any sort of hair removal at all since the second treatment, and if the weather was nicer, I would have no second thoughts about going out in public in short shorts! Something I would NEVER have considered doing before the treatments.

I still have 4 treatments to go, but I have serious doubts about there being any hair left for the last couple... I was extremely dubious about this whole treatment before I started, and it took me over 2 years to decide to try it. I can honestly say it is the best money I have ever spent. I can now look at my legs and not feel repulsed by them. It has given me so much more confidence and has changed completely the way I see myself. I feel so much more relaxed about myself now. And it is wonderful not having to epilate twice a week - especially as I was always left with stubble following epilation anyway due to the hair all being different lengths.

I am so glad I took the plunge, and I would highly recommend the treatment to ANYONE who has excess hair they don't want. I have never looked back, and the pain and cost is nothing compared to the fabulous results. Like childbirth - soon forgotten!

I am due for my third treatment in a couple of weeks, so hope to get some more photo's in a couple of months so you can see the huge difference for yourselves.

Treatment 3:

Well, here I am again with the third treatment completed. Apart from having a second practitioner taking over for one leg, the treatment went along pretty much exactly the same as the previous two. Still hurt! The redness was almost gone by the time I went to bed that night, and although it looked like my toes might blister as they had round white areas on them where it looked like the skin had been damaged by morning they were back to normal with no ill effects.

Three months down the line and I can once again notice a marked improvement in the amount and quality of hair growth. Here are some photo's taken 3 months after my third treatment:

The red mark on my lower leg was gym injury - not caused by the laser...

Although I still wouldn't dream of showing them out in public looking like this, it is a huge improvement with about a 70-80% reduction in hair growth. There are still numerous stripes and patches of hair, but overall a massive reduction. I am very keen to see what the next one will produce.

Treatment 4:

Well, it looks like this may have been my last treatment for a while, as the clinic has closed! I had my fourth treatment during their last week of operation. Such a shame, as they were first rate. After some confusion about reimbursement for the treatments paid for but not provided, the clinic decided to provide a full refund for the whole prepaid course (even though I have had 4 out of the 6 treatments!). I was over the moon at this decision, as I am thrilled with the results and have doubts about the need for further treatments on my legs anyway. I'm not usually the sort of person who gets lucky breaks like this, so I am still in a bit of a state of disbelief...

Once again the actual treatment was the same. Rather less painful in many areas, I presume due to the sparse hair growth still there. I pointed my practitioner to any real "trouble spots" like patches and stripes and she paid extra attention to those, so hopefully they will be much improved now.

Results:

It is 4 weeks on from this fourth treatment now, and I feel great. For the first time in my life I now have the confidence to wear skirts and shorts and to show my legs off. I could not have imagined the difference this has made to my life and to the way I feel about myself. I used to look in the mirror and cry as I was so very disgusted by what I saw looking back at me. Not a woman at all, but an orangutang. I hated myself and felt I was not worthy of happiness at all due to my disgusting appearance. Suddenly all those feelings have evapourated. I would not have thought it possible. I still have hairy forearms, hands, fingers and a bit of a moustache - all of which used to really get me down. But you know what? Now my legs are not hairy anymore I feel "normal", and my arms and moustache, although still very hairy, don't bother me at all now, as they are the only hairy bits left. I just don't care about them anymore. I am no longer like a gorilla from head to toe - just a couple of small areas which lots of women have.

My lower legs and feet have almost a 100% clearance - probably about 98% anyway. It is only 4weeks since the treatment, so some hair may grow back in time, but if they stay like they are now, I will never have to shave again. My thighs didn't do quite so well, but I am happy with them too. The inner thighs and backs where the hair was thick and course have responded extremely well, again with about a 95-98% clearance. The fronts of my thighs still have a bit of hair on them - maybe about a 70-80% clearance here, but what is left is much finer looking than before, so that's OK.

For the first time in my life my legs feel smooth. No other form of hair removal has managed that for me. They still felt stubbly before, no matter what I used. It feels quite weird actually, having these smooth soft legs. Wonderful. I seem to keep saying that, but I can't help it - I am so overwhelmed by the results which I really never thought would be possible.

Hope this helps someone, and I hope that if you decide to have the treatment yourself you are as pleased with the results as I am.

Cheers for now!

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