Okay…this is more of a ‘how do I know it’s working’ thread more than anything. I’m 25 years old and have always had extremely hairy arms and fairly fare skin.
So, I decided to do something about it. I did my research, found what was generally speaking one of the best places to get my treatments done in New York City. I should note that I am completely happy in the place I went to and have absolutely no problems with them, their services/staff/prices/etc. They used the PhotoDerm HR IPL to do the actual removing…my arms were shaved while there and then on with the treatment. They were pretty thorough in removing everything and when I left things were pretty much as smooth as could be for the most part.
I’ve started to notice stubble and I can’t tell if it’s hair re-growing already, which I guess is possible, or if it’s hair falling out or working it’s way out from being stuck in the skin still…I was told that the shedding process could take 2 - 3 weeks after the initial treatment and I’m prepared to go however many times it takes to get rid of everything (man, smooth skin is addicting!), but is this normal?
I chose the place based on a few things…I went to about 4 and felt the most comfortable with this one, their prices were in the middle of the spectrum and the person that did it has been doing it for 15 years…I did some searching/googling and found that they had a really good reputation and extremely satisfied customers that posted about them in several different places. I think I picked them mainly because they were very up front about their prices and there was no pressure to buy a package or anything and offered a free touch up within a couple weeks if they had somehow missed anything.
When they were explaining it he did say that the hair should shed within 2 - 3 weeks…I got the treatment done about 3 days ago or so…is it just too early to tell the effectiveness of the treatment yet? (I do have a tendency to get a bit ansy, heh.)
On your last point - yes, you need to wait 3 weeks. Shedding doesn’t start until week 1.5 or so at least.
Laser hair removal has only been around for about 10 years. They couldn’t have had 15 years of experience. Does the person treating you actually have many years of experience? I would be suprised if they have been in business for 10 years since they’re using this machine. Maybe they performed other services for a long time and just started laser hair removal? Where did you find reviews? PM me if you want. I’d like to see them. There is one clinic in particular that I know of in NYC that posts fake positive reviews on sites such as citysearch for example. I’m just suspicious of these claims considering the machine they’re using.
Hi there, Ive just joined this forum as im about to get some IPL treatments done myself.
My ‘old’ Beaty Academy where I trained years ago - is now doing IPL.
IPL has been around longer than Laser Therapy. However it initially was not used for hair removal, but for other dermatology reasons. Hair loss was a side affect - and so in 1997, the US FDA gave permission for its use as a tool for Hair removal - a YEAR before LASER hair removal.
In the very Early 90’s scientists discovered that this machine was removing unwanted hair, so it is very possible that this person has had 15 years experience with this machine.
Because IPL has been around a lot longer than laser - there is a lot more info in circulation about it - and a lot more facts.
Lasers in dermatology have been used for over 30 years. Predominantly the ruby laser. I even gave a talk on lasers to a group of derm residents in 1989.
IPL is a relatively new technology. The first IPL sold, to my knowledge, is the Photoderm made by ESC for leg telangiectasias. It was an improvement over lasers for treating those superficial vessels, lasers being already in use. I believe it was first sold in the mid 1990s. Around 1995 or 1996. (There may have been an slightly earlier one, please correct me if I’m wrong.) But by that time, the seminal article on using lasers for hair removal had already been written.
The first system approved by the FDA for hair removal was the short pulse ND-YAG (Thermolase) in 1996. It didn’t work. The next system approved was the ruby laser (Epilaser) in April 1997. The first IPL (Epilight) was not approved until June-July 1997. I know because I bought both an Epilaser and Epilight when they were released.