Can you give me any beginner advice about laser hair removal for face?

[HemiDemiSemiquaver]

I'm looking for basic advice about laser hair removal. I've been using an IPL machine, but don't keep up with it as regularly as I should, especially for my face, so was wondering whether laser would be a good idea. I've had threading before, but it's so painful for the upper lip that I'm not keen. I don't know how laser compares pain wise.

I saw that sk:n was having a summer sale on, which prompted me to look into it again. It is very expensive and I don't know if it's worth it for me. I don't know how much the salon matters, whether it's all similar treatment for the price and whether price comparison is a good idea, or whether you get what you pay for - and how do you know.

I have a bit of a dark moustache above my upper lip, and also extending out to a little patch on the sides of my lips where the hair is much coarser, as well as several patches on the bottom of my chin with coarse hair - mostly dark, but a few grey (which I know it won't work on). I also get some fine long hairs at random points along my jawline and over my whole neck. But it's nothing like as much as the photos online I've seen of people with loads of dark hair on their jawlines/neck.

But the price structure seems to go by area, so I'd have to pay for lip, chin, jawline (not sure about neck), which then costs loads, even if it's only a very small amount on my jawline. I could just leave it out, but they are the ones that sneak up on me and I might not spot them otherwise!

Do you have to let them all grow for ages before you have it done, to have the best chance of affecting the growing hair? I pluck them out as much as possible, so it would be quite obvious to wait.

The packages seem to suggest 6 to 8 sessions to get as many of the growing hairs as possible. But I'm peri-menopausal, and expecting this to get much worse - so what will happen then? If the hairs haven't started growing yet, it's just going to keep happening over the next few years, isn't it? Should I wait until then/have to save for another course? Or better to get rid of the ones I have now, and then hope it makes new ones less obvious - plus maybe now is better, before they turn grey and I can't do this?

What happens to the hairs after you've had it done? Can you then pluck them out or do they fall out naturally? Some of the online photos make it look like there's a bit of a dark spot left at each follicle, so while there isn't a moustache anymore, you can still see where it's been done, looks a bit like it's been shaved, and if that's the case, there's not much point for me.

anything else I should know?

[partypeople]

I've just started laser hair removal myself (had my second session a couple of weeks ago), so although I'm still a bit of a newbie I can hopefully answer some of your questions.

For context: I am Asian, so have dark skin and dark hairs, so it definitely has to be laser for me (not IPL), and it has to be a certain kind of laser (ND:Yag) for it to work effectively. As far as I understand it, IPL is more effective on fairer skins and lighter coloured hair types, and laser would not be as effective. I had to do quite a bit of independent research before I took the plunge because there is a lot of differing advice out there, so I would advise you to do some research before you even go anywhere near a salon, and even when you do, go to a few salons and get consultations from all before committing. Once you've done some research based on your own skin type you'll soon be able to see when someone is spouting a bit of bullshit at you to make a sale, and/or when the same professional advice is being regularly given by reputable salons. I don't necessarily believe that salon 'names' matter as much as their technicians and the lasers they use, but of course, bigger brand name salons tend to (you would hope) have professional accreditation as well as strong reviews from customers. I go to a fairly well known salon that specialises in hair removal services.

Laser works like this: the day before a session, you have to shave the area that you'll be having lasered. So for me that's my face and chin. You can't wax, thread or pluck it, because that would defeat the whole purpose of the exercise. Those methods pull the hair out from the root. Laser works best for hairs which are in the anagen phase (i.e. when the hair is still attached to the root). Not all of your hairs will be in the anagen phase at the same time at any given point, so that's why you have to do a number of sessions in order to see good results - it's about making sure you capture as many hairs in the anagen phase as possible. They advise 6 - 8 sessions minimum; I've signed up for 12 on the advice of my technician.

Laser will then destroy the hairs in the anagen phase, and as the cycle continues through the month, the hair will detach itself from the follicle and start to shed. In a 'normal' (i.e. non-laser) cycle, this would be the point where a new hair would start to grow from that root, but the laser destroys the hair bulb itself so that eventually it stops producing new hairs.

Once you've had the session, you have to leave the hair to grow as it normally would. I won't lie - this was one of my biggest concerns, because, with my hair being as dark as it is, I would get very self-conscious going to work and about my daily life with that much facial hair. With waxing I would only have a two week wait and in between I could pluck any obvious stragglers, but with laser I have to wait a month at least for my next session. So the first time I had the session, my hair grew back as long as it always would and I struggled to leave it alone. You have to do it, though, otherwise - again - it defeats the purpose. Anyway, ten days after the laser session, you shave that hair again, and this is the point at which the hair starts to shed. If you exfoliate regularly you'll start to see small hairs shedding with dead skin. It's weirdly exciting to watch this happen (at least the first time!) because you can tell it's working. Then, you repeat the cycle, and shave again the day before your next appointment.

So, you: Shave 24 hours before > Have Laser > Shave 10 days after appointment > Hair starts to shed > Shave 24 hours before next appointment.

Since my second appointment, I've noticed that my hair has already stopped growing as much, and that it takes a little longer to grow out than before. I don't want to make this out to be some miracle cure that will work the same way for everyone - I think for me, the years of waxing probably contributed in some way to lightening the hair enough for this to work so quickly, and I'm still going to go through all 12 sessions that I've paid for, in order to make sure it sticks.

To put this all in perspective, before embarking on the laser journey, I have had my face and chin professionally waxed (and eyebrows threaded) every two weeks for at least 7 years - regularly. Not only is that expensive (and painful), but it was a fairly heavy maintenance schedule. In between, I would pluck any stray hairs that couldn't wait until my next wax session. Each session would last about 45 minutes. With laser, I have to shave my face the day before, which is not painful and doesn't take that long at all, and then on the day, the session itself takes 15 minutes start to finish (this probably varies from customer to customer, but I don't think it takes nearly as much time as a wax does). Then, nothing for ten days, when I shave again. In all honesty it's been such a relief to go from a heavy 45-mins-every-two-week-without-fail cycle to a relatively light one. I go in for a 15 minute session once a month and then essentially forget about it.

Pain-wise, I'd say that laser definitely does sting, but for me, not nearly as much as waxing and/or threading. The laser is hot and accompanied by a very cooling fan they place on your skin at the same time, which is a bit of a weird sensation though not necessarily painful. The laser itself feels like a hot pin-prick, and technicians usually work fairly quickly across your skin, though they will adjust the speed if you prefer. For me it's most painful around the chin area, and that's because my hair is thickest there, but it only lasts a minute at the most and they only go over the area once so when it's done, it's done.

Afterwards, you absolutely have to wear sunscreen, every day. Without fail. No matter where you live. Particularly the day of/couple of days after the treatment, but they are very insistent that you wear it regularly. They also advise the use of aloe vera gel for any redness or bumps that may occur. I have - so far - never experienced rashes or redness. When you go in for a consultation they will do a patch test so you can be sure that the laser won't produce any major side effects, but I'm told that occasional redness immediately after a session is normal and to be expected. You have to be careful re: going on sunny holidays/tanning etc. If you have a tan, they will ask you to push your next session back until the tan has subsided; this is something to do with the effectiveness of the laser beam on tanned skin.

I can't advise on the peri-menopausal thing, other than to say that, since the laser targets the hair follicles that exist (and are in anagen phase), going through the treatment now will presumably still work in the same way as described above, and it's about deadening the root (bulb) of the hair more than it is about any hairs that are above the surface. Salons and experienced technicians would definitely be able to advise you on that when you go in for a consultation though.

I don't know about the dark spots thing - luckily I have not experienced these at all. I would say that (having done this myself!), a lot of the pictures online can be off-putting or even misleading, but you have to remember that there could be any number of reasons why they have those dark spots - they could have used the wrong lasers, or their hair type or growth is different, or they have unknown hormonal issues, or whatever else. Everyone's skin is different, and the hardest thing is to know exactly how laser would affect yours. It's why it took me years and years of dithering before I finally took the plunge. I wish there was a more cohesive industry standard re: laser hair removal but until there is, we just have to inform ourselves as best we can and not be afraid to ask as many questions as we need. I went to a couple of salons before I picked mine, and luckily consultations and patch tests are (generally) free, but I took my time choosing the salon I did, and you have to be confident that the technician and/or salon is one that you are comfortable with.

This turned out incredibly long but I hope it helped answer some of your questions!

[HemiDemiSemiquaver]

Thank you! That's been really helpful. I didn't realise about the sunscreen thing for one thing; I don't tan (quite pale and tend to burn) so don't spend much time in the sun, but I am not sure I'd wear suncream on ordinary non holiday days, so that's good to know.

The 10 days sounds like the worst bit, just letting them grow in! I don't have loads, but the corners of my chin and side of my lips have some really dark and persistent ones, and they embarrass me. I normally pluck some every day.

I don't know quite what happens to hair in perimenopause - I guess the follicles must be there already but not active, so it sounds like it might not catch them until they finally do start growing, and which point I'd have to do it again.

I'm not sure how many salons there are here (fairly small city), but I could get to London if needed and there were more choices. I do worry that they'll just tell me that it'll work, no problem, just to sell me something, when that might not be the case.

[OnlineAndInStoreNow]

Electrolysis is probably better for facial hair of the sort you describe.

Make sure you go to a registered practitioner - there is some sort of electrolysis body/association type thing.

[partypeople]

You're very welcome! Yes, any (good) salon will insist on the wearing of sunscreen. I was very lazy about it before starting laser, but now I wear it every day, regardless. For me it was also about finding a sunscreen that didn't leave a white cast on my skin, but the one my salon sells and recommends is quite good, and is also infused with aloe vera gel so helps on two counts.

The salon will also ask you to fill out a questionnaire about your medical history - what, if any, medicines you take, how you tan/burn in the sun, what creams you use etc. It's all so that they can advise you on the right laser and/or treatments for you. I know that with some medications they would not advise laser at all, probably because they would interfere too much with each other.

I can understand the embarrassment factor. For me, it was my chin. I could get away with leaving the hairs on my face for longer (after years of waxing the growth had slowed significantly anyway) but the hair on my chin would be darker, more persistent, more embarrassing. So I'd have to either pluck them out individually, thus interrupting my wax cycle, or wait it out. The waiting is the worst part of it, but after a couple of times you do get used to it and just carry on. I suppose it helps if there's a difference after the first few treatments as it was with me, but I don't know if it's a linear process or more of a hormonal one - I guess we'll see. In the end, I had to tell myself that if I never took the plunge, then things would never change, and I'd be waxing my face forever, which just depressed me.

As for salons, I was recommended two of the ones I went to for consultations by family friends who'd seen results with them. Recommendations by people you trust (and possibly who have similar skin types/concerns as you) are by far the best way to pick, of course, but that isn't always possible. I Googled, I looked for independent reviews (i.e. not the ones on the salon websites, but on third-party sites), I checked out YouTube videos and bloggers with similar concerns as me, I asked every question under the sun that I could think of. Most of all, don't be afraid to say no. Nobody can tell you that this'll work, for sure, 100 percent, no problem - because it won't, and it doesn't for a lot of people. Laser hair removal isn't permanent and it isn't for everyone, so anyone who tries to sell it that way is selling you a lie. Basically, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

I don't know what the rules are about external websites etc. on here, but if you're interested, I'm happy to drop you a PM on the salon I go to - they have several branches across the country, and seem to be fairly well regarded.

[HemiDemiSemiquaver]

thanks, yes I'd appreciate knowing which one you are using; it doesn't sound like we have very similar skin, but it's still helpful to hear of a salon that seems reputable and takes that into account.

I was looking a few up on their websites today, and one of them had at least four different types of lasers for different skin types, and also was run by doctors/nurses, rather than technicians, though I don't know how necessary that is.

I don't know if it might be too involved/expensive for my sort of hair. I was wondering about electrolysis as well, but there seemed to be far fewer places that offered it and I have only found one website so far. I'd be interested in a place that offered both, so that they could compare them for me. But laser seems to have taken over. I hear that electrolysis is permanent, which would be good, and is useful for any colour hair, but is more painful and takes longer. Not sure about cost, though.

[HemiDemiSemiquaver]

I have now found one local clinic that does both, so maybe I should ask them about it. Or I could go to London if the treatments don't have to be that often, and there might be more available there that would do both and could tell me honestly which one would be better. It seems harder to tell in advance how long the electrolysis sessions needs to be, and how many are typical, because there are a lot of factors affecting it, and therefore it makes it hard to get a sense of possible cost. But it sounds more permanent and possibly better for the random sort of hairs I get on my neck and jawline.

[partypeople]

I sent you a PM with the details, but you should definitely check out the local clinic as well - might save you travelling time etc. if something is near by. London tends to be more expensive too, though not by much from what I can tell.

It seems like electrolysis may be more suitable for you, but that's a lay person's opinion and the doctors etc. would be able to confirm it when you go in.

[HemiDemiSemiquaver]

yes I've just been reading a few sites that compare the two, and for small areas like the face, electrolysis might actually be a bit cheaper in the end.

I realised that my IPL machine has had some effect on my upper lip, though, as when I've been plucking out all the ones on my chin and the sides of my lip, I've not done much there. So I might have to wait a few months until that grows back, so that it can all be done together.

[magicstar1]

I've had three sessions out of six so far on my chin, and the results are great. I'd say about half the hair hasn't grown back at all after the first session, and the rest is decreasing with each go. Mine have been every four weeks or so, and I just use a razor if I need to in the meantime.
I go to a proper laser clinic, and the cost is €600...but I got a special offer - so €89 for six sessions. Sign up for Groupon etc. and you might get something similar.

[HemiDemiSemiquaver]

Thanks, hope you are pleased with the rest of the treament. It's good to know that you are allowed to use a razor in between.