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Original poster

Disappointing laser hair removal - what now?

12 replies

Dancergirl · 22/05/2011 22:18

I've been having laser hair removal on my lip and chin and the results have been disappointing. It's had some effect but a lot of the hair is still there.

I paid over £300 for 6 sessions (well 5 with 1 free apparently) Shock I thought it would be money well spent, what with having the area waxed normally.

They are now recommending that I buy another 4 sessions for £180. But I've lost faith in the salon really and am loathe to hand over yet more money.

The machine they use is called ellipse and it's supposed to be effective so I'm not quite sure why it hasn't worked well with me. The only thing I can think of is I didn't exfoliate enough - one of the women who does the treatments says you must exfoliate every 2 days to encourage the hairs to fall out - is this true? The other woman said it doesn't make any difference Confused

What should I do? Pay for more sessions? Try somewhere else?

OP posts:
cornsilks · 22/05/2011 22:21

I had IPL and wasn't told to exfoliate (and it didn't work Hmm). Paid far less than £300 though.

Original poster
Dancergirl · 22/05/2011 22:29

Where do you live cornsilks? Wondering now if I've been ripped off....? I'm in NW London.

OP posts:
SomebodyNew · 22/05/2011 22:51

I had this and it didn't work for me either. Thought it was during the treatments but pretty much all grown back now. Expensive and painful and time consuming...

cornsilks · 22/05/2011 22:54

I'm not there dancergirl but I do think you've been ripped off

Havingkittens · 23/05/2011 09:38

I think it's more effective for some than others. I had 6 or so treatments a long while ago and it all grew back. Actually, it's worse now than before the treatments! I don't know if that's because I'm just older and hairier as I had the original course about 4-5 years ago.

I've been having it again recently due to a groupon offer and I basically decided that although it didn't seem to work permanently for me that it was still a much better management solution than any other treatment (based on what I was paying through Groupon, obviously. I wouldn't pay full price.) It still keeps my face hair free for about 4 weeks until I need to go again, whereas with waxing or anything else it's back within about a week. It's been amazing not having to deal with my mohair shorts bikini line for weeks at a time too as I get terrible ingrown hairs through waxing, and again it grows back really fast. So, even if it's not permanent, if I can get it done at a good price I'd rather do that than wax.

There seems to be an IPL/Laser offer on Groupon at least once a fortnight so have a look out. Obviously try to research online reviews of the salon before purchasing or if possible go and have a look at the salon before purchasing if it's one near where you work. The lady I saw last time said that it would probably take up to 18 consecutive treatments to get a permanent result in my case (werewolf!). I can't have any further treatments on my face at the moment as I'm on steroids which make your skin more photosensitive and I'm also TTC so I will have to wait now but when I'm in a position to start again I will be looking on Groupon again for good offers. I paid £129 for 6 treatments and they gave me the same deal again for an additional area.

INeedALieIn · 23/05/2011 09:48

Interesting, I'm having my consultation this week for IPL. I have very dark hair which is supposed to achieve the best results. (Am I believing the sales patter too much)

SIL (lots of v dark hair) had her legs etc done about 7 years ago and they are still enviously hair free.

I'm also haveing some kind of laser consultation for problem/spotty/rosacea skin at the same time. Have you any idea about the success of this?

Havingkittens · 23/05/2011 10:12

I don't have any personal experience but a friend of mine has been having the N-Lite treatment for a while now and says it's been amazing. I think she got referred on the NHS actually. It's something I am going to ask my GP about if/when/after I have a baby.

moragbellingham · 23/05/2011 14:21

Can you PM me and tell me where in NW London - Dancergirl?
I've had 12 sessions and it' not worked for me and do not know why, (however the machine was upgraded after 10 sessions and the last 2 were good Hmm). I'm thinking now that the original machine was useless.

I wouldn't hand over any more money yet, I would go elsewhere and have a chat with someone different about which system they use - maybe have a patch test etc.

moragbellingham · 23/05/2011 14:23

Having kittens those Groupon offers always look like really good value but I've never heard or seen of any of the salons (even on googlemap).
Next time I see an offer I'm off on a tube trip to investigate and then book if it looks OK.

Original poster
Dancergirl · 23/05/2011 15:11

moragbellingham - have PM'd you

OP posts:
jan8read · 23/05/2011 22:12

I've just started treatment at No+Vello and believe they have several clinics in London. I went to the Soho one and they explained to me that facial hair tends to have a lot denser hair follicles and requires more treatments than body hair. They said I will probably need about 10-12 sessions on my upper lip and about 6-8 on my bikini line.
The great thing about their prices is one set charge of £39 for everything so you know exactly what you are paying. They do free patch tests so it may be worth checking out.
I found them online www.nomasvello.co.uk/ after a friend told me she had been after she bought a groupon voucher.
Hope that helps??

luckychick · 11/01/2012 23:23

Hi,
I don't really understand what do you mean by "exfoliate"... and 12 sessions???!!!!! I am shocked as I have completed my full body now. I started 2 years ago but took in stages as didn't have the money to pay all at once and also wasn't sure (like most people) if it is going to work... I started with my face and underarms and soon realised that the results were great so went on with bikini and legs... My chin that i placed since i was 15 was gone in 4 sessions, moustache in 5 sessions, underarms in 6. The bikini was 8 sessions but it took 2 years for the hair to grow so i am not even sure if the last session was not just the maintenance as for 8 months i had nothing and only recently some fluff appeared. On the rest of my body there has not been any hair for many months and it is a great feeling! I suspect that this is permanent...
My ALL hair would ALWAYS fall naturarly 7-10 days after the treatment and i never heard about having to exfoliate! if the treatment is done properly it should work and ALL your hair should fall in up to 10 days. If that doesn't happen after the 1st session you SHOULD go for a redo free of charge!
I did my laser at Skin Like Silk in Chelsea and it wasn't even a laser but an IPL machine which worked fantastic. The treatment was NEVER painful, the therapist was very nice and professional and the money I spent was well worth it. At the end of the day I got a special package deal for £50 per area and it didn't cost that much in total comparing to the other places or the brouchure prices... I just can't imagine having bought some voucher even for £39 on groupon and wasting my time going 6 times, sitting there, taking the pain, to get nothing out of it and in the end discovering that the equipment was no good anyway...
My advise is, if the hair hasn't fallen after the first session, get a refund and go somewhere where you will get the proper service.
I agree with Moragbellingham, go and check the place and equipment out before you spend any money. You can always get a test patch for free as most places offer that and decide later...
Good luck!

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