Alexandrite laser is one of the most effective lasers on the market for permanent hair removal along eith Nd-Yag (very painfull). You just have to make sure that Alex laser that clinic is using is one o f the FDA approved models. There are a lot of lasers which are not powerfull enough to remove hair permanently.

I am also trying to decide what laser to use and I'm wondering other people's opinions. I'm a little wary of LHE just because it seems that few clinics are using it and I can't find that much impartial information on it. I've done some searches for scientific papers and have only found one on LHE but many on other lasers (http://www.skinpulse.ch/rtf_pdf_docs/Final%205_3-4-163-CLT30261.pdf). I've really been looking for results from clinical studies rather than anecdotal evidence.

I realise that laser will only be permanent hair *reduction* and not removal, but I am a good candidate (dark hair and light skin) and I'm looking for the most bang for my buck. It seems that LHE is less costly than the other lasers, but then that could just be the difference between clinics.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

PS is it true that you could expect scabbing?? I thought that would indicate that the strength was set too high for your skin...

I've had treatments with both an alex and a diode. I like the alex better actually (GentleLASE) vs diode (LightSheer). I feel it is more cost-effective if the techs have similar experience because it is a lot easier to miss spots with LightSheer due to the technique used. GentleLASE worked great on my light skin and dark coarse hair even at low settings. Ultimately, the tech's experience is what you should be looking for though since a very good tech can achieve great results with either one. If you don't have many options of techs, I would go with an alex though.