Thought I would share my experience with you all for those who are thinking about doing this… I’m also sharing so I can get feedback from the experts to see if I am doing everything correctly.
I am a male and am having LHR on my face and neck (under the chin area). My beard/neck hair normally grows in thick and fairly quickly, and the 5 o’clock shadow is not something I like. Basically, I’m getting LHR done to thin out the density of hair on my beard and possibly remove all hair from my neck.
I had my first treatment a week ago using the Gentlelase laser (16J setting and 18mm spot). I believe I am skin type III or IV - I get dark when I am tan, but since I am pale now ,I appear “whiter.” I have slightly olive color skin.
I had LHR done on my chest with the Gentlelase - so far 4 or 5 treatments and the results have been good. I still have some thin dark hairs that grow back, but a much bigger difference than how I originally was. Based on the results I had from this laser, I decided to stick with it for my face
A few questions:
Is 16J enough to have an impact in my treatment?
Is 18mm too large of an area to use?
Will I see a noticeable difference after 1 session? if not, how many sessions until I see a difference?
Is the Gentlelase laser the best one to use on my face?
How long should I wait until I get my free “touch up?”
Basically my goal is for my facial hair to be able to grow, just not as thick and not have the 5 o’clock shadow after I shave.
To those who had this procedure done already, please share your feedback.
To the experts in LHR, please provide me with you insight and let me know if I did everything properly (laser type, settings, etc).
I’ve had this done over the entire beard. After a dozen+ treatments my “results” are horrible.
I would recommend you stop now. You’ve only had one treatment at a relatively low setting so any hair that was zapped will grow back in a few months–if you stop now.
The male beard is very hard to remove/reduce with laser. Especially if you are young (20s).
From my experience, and many other men who I’ve talked with who had their beard done, it is a mistake. Even after 2 years of treatment we are still left with plenty of terminal hair. But the reduction is not uniform. It is patchy and gridlike. It looks really horrible.
We went through all that time, money, irritation of laser, and now look like we shaved notches in our beards. The only comfort I have is that it MAY grow back in if I wait several years.
I recommend you go out and buy the $150 Norelco Smart Touch XL from Walmart. It’s a fraction of the cost of one laser treatment. If you moisturize and use it on your neck you can reduce the pseudo folliculitis barbae just as much as the laser does.
Do you have pictures so I can get an idea of the results? What laser did you use, etc? I’ve seen some posts with people who had good results… Im interested in hearing more about your experience.
yes. you shoudn’t need more than 3-4 treatments for just a reduction.
yes. this is a good laser for your skin type. and if 16 joules on 18mm are not burning you’re skin, you’re good. you can even try going up to 18 joules or 20 which is max on 18mm.
your hair should shed within 3-4 weeks. whatever is left was missed and can be touched up (on this area important in my opinion to avoid patchiness)
if you’re male, you will be developing hair even after you finish initial treatments, so you might need some touchups later in life. just have correct expectations going into this. this area is highly stimulated by hormones.
jimmyjames had IPL treatments and at a notorious chain clinic. The people here who have reported good results you might have read about used good lasers, like the one you’re using. You just need to make sure they’re overlapping and not missing areas to avoid patchiness. It’s an area with dense coarse hair, so it can be challenging.
its still not worth it. if you’re looking into laser you don’t want to hear this but: i hope you try an altered shaving routine first. try the norelco.
FYI - since I couldnt remember my login info for my Playerman account, I made this new one
Hi all,
I had my face and neck lasered a few weeks ago and most of it shedded off with the exception of a few patches of hair on my neck and face. I went back to the laser place and asked them to touch it up. They wound up charging me to touch it up (which I was pissed about), but I also think they used a higher setting. Now these patches that they treated are red/purple and have a little bit of blistering.
The areas they treated on my neck/face patches look terrible - how can I get them to go back to normal (remove the red and return it to flesh color) quickly?? Also, how do I get the blistering away?
you would just have to wait it out. i would definitely go back to them and show them while they’re fresh (because they will resolve), and possibly ask for your money back. they might be able to prescribe a cream for burns. it sounds like a superficial burn that will resolve itself. otherwise, you can use aloe vera daily to moisturize and help it heal.
pictures would be really great btw if you can post them. i know several people here would be curious to see seemingly good results on a man’s face.