CoolGlide Laser Hair Removal

[Anne]

Thank you Beauty for your account!

[Beauty]

Hi Lorna and Anne,

You're welcome

I've tried to type the my seventh visit up several times now (the irony)

Sooooo... brb

:: 30 minutes later :: (chores)

The 7th visit
So the 7th visit came after a two month hiatus. I stopped dressing for a while. Hair wasn't growing enough for me to care and I just went into a Winter "funk". On one appointment my battery went south. The second appointment I didn't even remember I'd agreed to show. Thankfully the forum, specifically Julie's post for some reason snapped me out of my winter slumber.

[boring fluff]
I was back. My TG'd eyes showed me that there was growth on my face, but not much at all for a male face and too much for a femme face. It was very fine hair. It hadn't seen a razor before.

[the morning after]
The first night I shaved... ahhh smooth again. I had a great night of dressing. The the following morning. ACK! Razor stubble!! :faint: It was if I had forgotten what a face feels like when hair grows back after being shaven. My face and chin had been smooth for over a month plus.

That inspired me to e-mail my laserologist and tell her I was feeling ok again. So luckily she had an appointment last Friday.

[before I went to the laserologist for visit 7
Friday night I gobbed on tons of the topical cream. I was serious about not feeling the little hot pin prick feeling anywhere!!!! Noooot. The problem is I don't live close enough to her so the topical creame wears off a little by the time I get to her and on the table. If I were to go and apply some on the way there I'd be fine, but I kind of do have to drive. (Ok, I'm going to leave earlier and have time to apply some again when I get there) Thanks for listening. You helped me work that out!

[describing the feeling]
I didn't shave this time. I wanted her to see what had grown in. To our surprise we saw these light brown baby, baby hairs on my right cheek. I saw them when I was putting on the topical creame. I hadn't seen them that morning. She said she'd never seen that before. The rest she could see was new growth from that huge magnifying glass she uses.

ZAP!!! My little hot pin prick feeling laser friend was back and frying those hairs at their roots and some of them were literally jumping out of my face onto her laser. Yes, they actually can evacuate when zapped. She's shown them to me after it happens. It's weird to see any hair at all because I am always clean shaven.

The zap passed right through the topical creame force field that was substantially weaker than 10 minutes after I'd first applied it. Regardless, it was better than having nothing. I'll never forget that stupid experience!

There were just a couple of zapps on my upper lip. THANK YOU GOD!!! That was the most painful part. I've never asked her to stop though. You have to put those cotton dentist thingies under your lip when she does the upper and lower lip. I teared up so bad when we first did those in July.

Because of the sensitivity there, I applied the topical creame the heaviest on those two areas (i also learned to get the corners too! OUCH!!!). You could be numb and you'd still feel the zaps. There were only a few hairs that were growing on my upper lip. The growth I had seen before was pretty much all on the chin and just in specific areas.

[Taking your pulse]
I don't know how many of these long arse posts you've read but she told me that hair grows in a plentiful amount where there is blood flow. She told me that's why around the mouth is where hair grows the strongest. You chew, you talk, you contort muscles in your mouth area to make sounds or speak, you yawn. I'll stop there. If someone wants to know what I mean, please ask.

The whole event was shorter than any of the other ones before.

[advice for some of those considering this]
I talked to her for a little bit after and I'm glad I did because I have some very serious advice that you need to take if you're considering this. These people can really mess up your face. If you get someone who isn't qualified they will burn you really bad. She told me she gets one mess up and then she won't be insured because of the dangers that accompany someone who isn't experienced. She knows of people who have had to sell their laser machines because they burned someone and were no longer insured.

I recommend you find someone who does electrolysis and laser hair removal. I think they should also be able to convince you they know about the way hair grows. Check their references. I had no idea how dangerous it is to be in the hands of someone who isn't qualified.

[fluff about next time]
I am looking forward to my next appointment. Again, it took no time at all. One more thing the second week is when it starts to fall out on it's own. The first week it looks like it's growing normal, but it's darker and fuller. Then after the second week. Smooth. I'm only into the second day of the second week so it's still growing out.

Thanks for reading this. I hope it helped those who are thinking about it or are curious. For me it's worth it because I want to dress a lot and I don't want to shave everytime I do. I'm lazy.

See ya!
Beauty

it was a good post, but it was too long. So decided to go back in and tell you where the meat of it is, by using bold.

[Beauty]

April (8th visit)

Ok, so I missed this one, but let me tell ya' it was boring. Don't get me wrong, my laserologist and I had a great talk, but we didn't get to talk that long. She had a dinner date right after my appt.

The only other thing I did was carry the topical creme with me in the car and apply it on my way. I kind of worked, but we talked before she started so I started feeling it wearing off right when the ZAPS! started.

I spent about 15 minutes on the table.

It was the quickest visit I'd had.

Beauty

[Beauty]

Hello,

Danielle has inspired me to keep this alive. One of the things she mentioned was about the darker hair. I bring that up because after my 8th visit (April) I didn't dress that much because the first 2 weeks it got darker than I'd ever remembered. Naturally (as has happened every time) after 2 weeks it's as smooth as can be. Still I didn't feel like shaving to see how much would pop up and I only saw hair after the 6th week. It was in very small patches, but the hair was far finer than the hair that grew before laser.

So I was DETERMINED to not feel anything this time. I drove to the location putting the topical cream on, on my way again. BUT!!! I also put a lot more on. Like I used 1/4 of the cream vs. the small applications that I'd done before.

I have to say. I think it was a success. The treatment wasn't that long, but it didn't hurt as much. Unfortunately we talked again before the treatment started and so it started to wear off again, but not as much as last time. 10-15 minutes again.

The laser is not a single prick here and there thing. It's like a laser razor going across, but it only zapps what's close enough to the surface. Because these hairs were finer she turned it up a notch. The laser felt tinier. It was more direct.

After the treatment, we applied the icy pack (reusable) the tingling went away again at 30 minutes and I dressed the next two days (all day).

One other note. Unlike my 8th visit, the hair isn't creating anything that I'd have to shave. Also, I haven't shaved my upper lip since February and that was for like one or two hairs.

Beauty

[Beauty]

Well, I am happy to report that my "almost a year" of laser facial has been incredibly successful. I have one more treatment before it will be a year. My first treatment was at the end of July. I have only had 10 treatments because I missed one appt.

I started out thinking it would be done early, but I was wrong.

After a year of treatment I can say that I really don't pick up my electric shaver anymore. I am moving on to my armpits and the "bikini" area now. (I don't do bikini's. That's just the area they call it)

There are a few straggler hairs that are going to require a higher zap on the corners of my mouth. I haven't shaved my upper lip in 5 months now and I haven't shaved my cheeks since April. I haven't shaved my entire chin since May.

Danielle's treatment will hopefully reduce the amount of time it will take to rid yourself of facial hair. Her system does it in 1/4 the time mine does it in. Mine took four quarters, her's is taking one. The price point was pretty much identical (her 3 mos. = my year payment).

I hope everyone who's more of a transgenderist, my new word, (thanks CJ) considers having this done.

It has meant more to me than I imagined at the onset. It was liberating, exciting, fun, zappy! , and acceptance psychology for who I am.

Thanks to those who've read this thread. I hope it helped you see what happens during the year and serves as a nice reference for you, if you've chosen laser.

I'll post here again in several months to let you know about those little hairs I mentioned earlier.

Beauty

[Elizabeth]

Hi beauty,

I am very interested in this. I would like to do my face, chest, back and underarms, but I am on a budget. I figure I could save it up though. Been waiting this long, a while longer won't hurt. If you don't mind, what is the exact name of the procedure and what did you have to pay for it? Thanks in advance.

Love always,
Elizabeth

[Beauty]

Hi Elizabeth,

It's official!

It has been well over 2 months since I even picked up my electric razor (and that was just for an annoying hair here or there that I didn't want to pluck because that screws up the laser. It can't zap what's been pulled from the root). I call that a success.

The procedure is called Laser Hair removal and the system that was used on me is the CoolGlide Laser.

I can't believe it's been well over 2 months since I've shaved. It's amazing.

Since the treatments took a year (12 treatments so far) I was thinking I was going to have to keep growing hair, but she increased the intensity of the laser almost every time and less and less grew. Since the last treatment I haven't had any hair growth (several weeks now). That's new. Usually there are very fine hairs that peak out. You can't see them, but I can feel them. This time that hasn't even happened. So I feel I'll make an appointment next time, but I may wait 3 months after that and that's just out of fear that this can't be true.

Beauty

[SophieLawson]

That is awesome Beauty, wish I had that, maybe in a few years

Could you get your legs and arms done too? owww, that ould be amazing, ya whole body free of hairs forever

Sophie xx

[Beauty]

Hi Sophie,

I can't believe I never saw that post. Yes you can get everything lasered. I don't really have much arm hair, but I have considered having my legs done. It's just so much more fun to shave them.

I agree with you completely! A body without any hair but what's on top of my noggin' would be GREAT!!!

I miss you!

Beauty

[Beauty]

Well, I had my twelfth visit today. For some reason I thought it was more.

The 12th visit came after 3 months of not shaving and 3 months of no laser hair removal. My last visit was at the very beginning of October. It's really weird not shaving for that long.

A few hairs had grown on the corners of my mouth and a few hairs on one side of my face between the mouth and my cheek. It was hard to see (unless you are the owner of the hair) It was on the side that faces away from her when she uses the laser. Nothing on the cheeks, chin or upper lip.. oh wait and there was one lone hair right under the middle of my nose that decided to show up.

I stopped taking the testosterone blockers for now, but will resume again soon. I am happy I did because I believe this hair wasn't growing as fast because I was taking the blockers. Now that I'd stopped the hair that hadn't grown out yet decided to let me know it was there.

I really thought I'd been there more than 12 visits, but my laserologist told me that it was 12 and she was positive. I'm overly pleased with the results in that many visits. I was on the table for less than 15 minutes and that was for the whole face.

Now that I read back in my posts I realize I haven't shaved since July of 2004.

Beauty

[Kyra]

Hi Beauty,
I was very interested in this thread back when you started it.

My questions:
1) Is this pretty much permanent? Or do you have to go back occasionally for spot treatments.
2)You mentioned using a razor instead of plucking? Did I hear you right? What's the significance there.
3)You also mentioned testosterone blockers. Were there any side-effects to using this? Were they part of the treatment or an added expense.
4)Approx. how much did it cost you?

I know that everyone has to understand that treatments will vary person to person. I'm just curious and possibly interested in doing this myself. (Who wouldn't love to chuck the ol' Atra in the trash permanently. )

Thanks for sharing this experience with us.
Hugs,
Kyra

[Beauty]

Good morning Kyra,

The FDA hasn't visited laser technology in quite a few years. I hear a review is due soon. Back in the early to mid 90s when they did review them the technology wasn't there and so it was ruled that lasers can only provide temporary hair removal. My laserologist isn't even allowed to say it's permanent, but she can show me the men and women she's lasered who have told her they don't need laser any longer and they still write her years later and tell her no hair is growing.

The science has been studied by others and skeptics now believe the newer laser technology is more precise and capable of removing hair permanently. There are just as many that say, "Wait and see"

In my post I said I haven't shaved for over half a year now. I can tell you that I haven't shaved my upper lip in about a year. So right now I'm going to say I believe it will be permanent. My laserologist told me, for men, it takes 12 visits and that's how many I've had now. After each visit less hair would grow and it would take longer for the hair that hadn't grown yet to show up. I think I also kind of hurt my own cause twice because I started taking testosterone blockers which slowed my hair growth significantly. So maybe it could have taken less time?

After the 3 months of not seeing any hair I was really amazed. I've had the testosterone flowing through my body again for over a month now and I can tell (like the last time I stopped) I'm back to fully being poisoned by the testosterone again. When I stopped last time I saw 10 times more hair than I did this time and even then it wasn't like I needed to shave like I did when I first started. Also the hairs were further apart, no areas (where the hair grew) were really densely populated with hair, and hair was on my chin, cheeks and even a few on my neck. This time hair only a few hairs grew on the corners of my mouth and on the other area I described. The other area were and are still hair free. I was amazed and happy when this happened.

It's so weird because I can barely remember what it's like to have razor stubble. I have had several dreams about waking up and having hair growing on my face again. In the dreams I'm totally panicking. So after I wake up I always feel my face first and then run to the bathroom to look in the mirror to make sure it's not true. So far so good.

So yes Kyra I believe it's permanent because of the science behind how the hair is destroyed and my own experience thus far. I also encouraged that it's permanent because when I first started I could smell the hair that was being zapped. She'd have to clean off her laser device because the hairs that would just jump right out of my face. That stopped happening before June because there was just no hair in some places. Now when she runs the laser across my face I don't really freak out because I don't hear the zapping noise that much nor does the laser zap as much. If you look back at some of my earlier posts I said how painful it was during the 20-30 minutes of zapping.

To answer your question about plucking. Hair does grow quickly, but also grows in cycles. The laser kills the hair at the root and then closes the door behind that root to make sure another one can't grow in the same place. If you pluck a hair at the root it can wait for another cycle to grow or may not grow out enough to be touched by the laser in time. When an appointment is close to when the hair is plucked odds are the follicle won't be grown enough to be touched by the laser.

The laser usually only truly destroys hairs that have broken the skin or are close enough to the top to be destroyed. Shaving just cuts them back, but doesn't pull them out. So when the laser grows across a hair that's been cut it's close enough to the surface that the laser can destroy the root by sending heat through the hair follicle. If the hair isn't close enough to the surface of your skin, it gets missed and you have to wait until the next time you get lasered to get those other hairs. In the early treatments thousands of hairs do this (missed you by that much). When the other hairs you couldn't see, but were lasered, fall out the hairs right behind those (that didn't get destroyed by laser) stick their hairy tongues out at you and kind of say, "You missed me!" Not the next time!

I kind of new I'd be a guinea pig for this because there aren't a lot of people who've really documented their laser hair experience online. I promised myself I'd do it to make it easier for someone who decided to do it too and wondered if their results were normal or similar.

Thanks for posting and asking those questions Kyra. I'll post about the testosterone blockers in another thread. I'm sorry my reply was so long.

Beauty

[Kyra]

Thanks Beauty,
It was a joy to read. I'm glad you're being so open about this. Like I said, I'm curious. Maybe one day...

Waiting in anticipation.

Hugs,
Kyra

[Beauty]

Hi there,

Well it's been two months since my last treatment and I'm happy to announce that I still haven't shaved since July. Rikki has now joined the ranks of those who are going through laser treatement to get rid of that pesky thing called facial hair.

I see a few hairs here or there, but not really enough to justify going in for a treatment. You really can't even see them as they are fairly fine hairs and like I said not really even close together. Hold on, I'm going to go to the mirror and see if I'm lying. . . . brb

Ok, I'm back. No, I'm not lying. There are some fairly fine hairs on my cheeks, but you'd have to sit there and focus on them to see them. If I put powder on my face or a light foundation they wouldn't be viewable.

There is absolutely no hair on my upper lip at all. So, it's almost a year of not shaving there. I would have to review these posts, but I know it was before July. Soon I'll be able to say a year, thank you God.

I thought this would be a good link to post since it discusses hair and it's growth (scroll to almost the bottom of the page). Lots of people are getting more curious as prices for this service seem to be coming down. There are so many myths about hair growth and like I was told and am now telling people hair cycles are VERY important. So please never believe anyone who tells you in X treatments you will be done. Based on my own experience and what I've read from people who have had laser treatments I do think it's safe to say after about a year of Laser or IPL treatments you won't really have to shave anymore, but only your hair truly knows how long before there's no more hair at all.

Ok. Here's the link. I'll keep you posted. Thank you for reading this.

http://www.removeunwantedhair.com/laser.cfm

Beauty

[Beauty]

Hi there,

Well I'm officially at the 3 month mark. Those light hairs I talked about in my last post have grown in a little more. The good news is they are light hairs (not color) but they look like grown baby hairs on the bottom of both sides of my cheeks.

There are a few hairs on the corners of my mouth. I can't see them as much as I can feel them. The hair started to kind of appear about two weeks ago.

Under my chin I have one hair that feels like the hairs that used to grow when I had facial hair. It's one lone hair.

So? Did I shave? No. Still haven't used a razor of any kind since good ole' July 2004. My electric razor is still in the off position and is not charged. If you passed me you'd say I look clean shaven. At worst I'd say it looks like I did when I was in 9th grade and a few hairs had grown in. If I had told people I shave with that much hair they'd tell me I should wait until there's some real hair there to shave.

I'd have to read, but I'm pretty sure I've passed the year mark for seeing any hair on my upper lip.

My 13th appointment is tomorrow. I'll let you know how that goes.

Beauty