My Laser Hair Removal Journey
Hello, my gorgeous friends! I posted the below picture on my Instagram which caused lots of people to get in touch and ask questions about laser hair removal. So, I thought what better way to tell everyone about it, than in a blog post?! I am going to run through my laser hair removal journey as I have spent a lot of money on the wrong treatments thinking I would get long lasting, effective results. So, I really hope this helps you out!
Hair – Laser Hair Removal Indian Skin Review
IPL aka Intense Pulsed Light
There are lots (and I mean lots) of at-home IPL hair removal kits which personally I wasn’t drawn to. When it comes to lasers and intense skincare treatments I am one of those people who prefer to get a professional to work their magic on me, rather than trying to become one by getting a kit from my local drug store. I went to a clinic in my hometown which had recently opened for some treatments.
I went to about 2 sessions but didn’t see any results – AT ALL. So, it was fair to say I wasn’t going to waste any more money. Strike one.
FYI – I know people who have had treatments of IPL done (mainly all Asian/Indian skin types) and I have been told it takes a lot of sessions to see results. I have also been told by my current laser technician (and head trainer & educator of Polaris Laser Hair Removal) that IPL does not work on Indian skin and has short term benefits. It basically isn’t the best laser for long term hair-free fuss.
YAG Laser (or so I was told!)
Next time round, I decided to go for a YAG laser but to my luck, my technician had blagged her way into making me think she was doing me a favor. When in reality, her so-called YAG laser was more of an IPL treatment than anything else.
I can tell you that it made my hair a little fainter, but nothing drastic – and I had at least 6 sessions. Once again, I wasted not only my time in travel but a lot of money! Strike two.
Long Pulsed Nd: YAG Laser
For the past 5 months or so I have been going to a lovely laser technician, who lucky for me, is based in the same country as me! I had told her all the problems I have had in the past with laser hair removal and she gave me her honest and professional advice. She explained to me that IPL isn’t very effective (especially on Asian skin) for hair removal. It works whilst you are getting it done but give it a year or so and you will see your hair growth coming back. The penetration of the laser isn’t as deep and doesn’t target the hair follicle to the extent as a YAG laser does.
I then explained the so-called YAG laser treatment I was getting before coming to her. That is when she did a little digging (in her spare time) and informed me that I had been miss informed my laser treatment. The laser which I had been getting done was more similar to IPL than a proper YAG laser. It was more of a diode – basically meaning that I wasn’t going to get the same results has I would have with a proper or should I say real YAG laser!
She then told me all about her laser. The laser she uses is the Long Pulsed Nd: YAG Laser by Polaris Medical (you can see their website by clicking HERE). She is a professional educator/trainer for this laser and has been in the industry for +20 years – she basically knows her ship.
This laser can be used for hair removal of hair on all skin types, light to dark. One of the main advantages of this laser is that its melanin absorption is very low. Melanin is what gives your skin its color. The more melanin you have, the darker your skin and vice versa. Because of its low absorption of it, there is very little risk of your skin to get damaged by hyper/hypo pigmentation. This means that the long pulsed Nd: learntYag lasers is ideal for hair removal on medium to dark skin!
Pre-laser treatment
I have to go with clean, lotion/potion free, make-up free, perfume/deodorant free and hair free. Yep, which means you have to shave before (everywhere you want to target!), so that the laser can get to the follicle without any hair strands getting in the way.
I learned the hard way by accidently having some perfume on my neck and the laser burning my skin – luckily it wasn’t that bad (my Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream sorted me out!). However, this is common and can happen.
During laser treatment
During the laser session, the part/s of your body is/are sectioned off (as you can see in the picture above). The Long Puled Nd: YAG laser is used with an air-conditioning type cooling tube which is hovered over the area of your skin as it is getting zapped – this is so you don’t feel the heat. The sensation of getting this done is like someone poking you with a needle. Depending on your pain threshold and/or the area you may not feel it at all.
The laser she uses is very similar to the one Kim Kardashian uses – I can tell because of the pictures she had posted onto her Twitter years ago.
Post laser treatment
After having the treatment, I have to make sure I don’t go to the gym, stay away from hot showers/baths and can’t put anything onto my skin as it is super sensitive. After 24hours, you’re good to get back to normal.
One thing I would say is you have to use SPF because you don’t want to get pigmentation in your skin. Even though this laser is super safe, it’s always good to be safe rather than sorry. To be quite honest, I only put SPF on my face and not really anything on my body. I’ve had no problems, even after sun bathing away in Marbella.
FAQs
Is it painful? This all depends on your pain threshold! Your consultation will measure this.
Is there anything I can do to help the process? Don’t wear any make-up, perfume, lotions or potions on your skin. My technician advised me to come to my session and see how I got on with the pain. If it was painful, she said to go ahead and take a paracetamol 30mins before my treatment. But so far, so good.
How long does the hair removal last for? There is no such thing a permanent hair removal. So depending on your hormone levels you hair may grow back a little. That’s why it is advised to go for a top-up treatment every year or so.
How long is the treatment? This depends on what you’re getting done. For example, I get a full body and this takes roughly 3 hours.
What does a full body treatment include? My full body laser treatment means everything apart from my eyebrows, eyelashes and the hair on my head.
Are there any side effects? As long as you follow your technician’s professional advice you should be fine!
I have very dark skin, can I get this laser done? Yes! This laser works on ALL SKIN TYPES – hurrah!
I have blonde hair, can I get this treatment done? No. Laser hair removal in general does not work on blonde, red or grey hair.
How much does this cost? This all depends on your clinic and your laser technician.
Would you recommend this to anyone? HELL YES. I have seen major differences since starting this treatment in February. For example, the hair on my legs, underarms and bikini is pretty much non existence.