I went into a consultation with a clinic with a GentleLase and she gave me a test patch.

I don't know the exact settings but she said the number 16..
What would this likely be?

I've already had a few (unsucessful treatments with rubbish lasers before) and the harmony probably hurt more than what the GentleLase did.

I have fairly pale skin, but do have a matlese background, but I don't think that should effect the laser, im not really dark at all.

Basically, what would be the best settings for me.

You can see my previous post to see photos of what my skin looks like.

Cheers

16 is probably 16 Joules.

It is very important that they don't miss any areas. Touch-ups won't help. And if they do not do a proper job, it all adds up, and it gets very unlikely that you will have uniform growth.

I had 5 arm treatments and now the result is patchy. After more than a year, it hasn't gotten better. As a last resort, today I've started Rogaine. You can read my previous posts about my experience.

They are the most experienced clinic in the state.

They even are going to shave the areas for me

So, 16 joules..what spot size should I ask (or demand!) they use?

Is 16 joules decent?

I know all about patchyness and poor jobs from the last treatments at a different clinic.

Is 16 Joules decent?

I don't know. It also depends on spot size, and pulse duration. For 16 Joules, I think 18 mm spot size is OK, but I am not sure.

If the machine is GentleLase Alexandrite then it has fixed pulse duration of 3 ms, so PD is not a parameter here.

16j using an 18mm spot size is a good starting point. If you skin can tolerate 18 or 20j even better.

Five treatments is not enough to see good results. Minimum would be six, some people need twice that. Guys generally need more due to more testosterone in the body.

Goodluck HE.

16J on the largest 18mm spot size is a pretty high setting. The max is 20J on 18mm. If the spot size is smaller than that (i.e. 15mm, 12mm, etc), the overall power decreases greatly. So you should try to get treated at 18mm spot size if possible. Of course, you need to make sure your skin can handle these settings.

What specific areas are you treating? Is the hair coarse?

If you have an ethnic background, you still have underlying pigment even if you look light. So keep that in mind.