I don’t think it’s any secret that women take a break from epilation during the winter. (Opaque tights were invented for a reason). I assumed I was going to use the colder months to complete my laser hair removal treatments, but it seems that out of sight truly is out of mind. That’s sure changed, now that all the new spring clothes are in stock.

It’s been six months since my last LHR session, but it’s not just hibernation that got me off track. I wanted to determine if there have been any results from the pain, cost and time that I’ve put in. The only way to do that was to give the hair lots of time to completely grow in. Prior to starting LHR, this would have been an easy exercise, quickly accomplished, because if I didn’t maintain its removal, I would be a beast within weeks. Since starting LHR, however, things have changed.

After three treatments on my legs and four elsewhere,

1. the hair that does grow back is considerably finer
2. there are bald patches among the regrowth
3. ingrown hairs have been eliminated from my life

In more detail:

• LEGS

Estimated 30% reduction in growth.
Regrowth is soft and fine.
Ingrown hairs reduced by 100%.
Hyper-pigmentation from past ingrown hairs is gone.

•  BIKINI

At least 75% reduction in growth.
Regrowth is soft, fine and very slow - took months to appear.
100% reduction in ingrown hairs.
Hyper-pigmentation form past ingrown hairs is gone.

• UNDERARMS

Estimated 25% reduction in growth.
Regrowth is very soft and fine.
Noticeable reduction in perspiration.
(Ingrown hairs were never a problem in this area)

Price Comparison

In February I cheated on my LHR program with a waxing session at my local spa. Here is how the costs compare:

Bikini & Underarm wax: $90
x 11 per year = $990

In comparison

Laser Hair Removal at Salon Indigo

Bikini & Underarm: $180
less 30% web special: $126
x recommended six sessions = $756

Seeing the results laid out like that has given me renewed enthusiasm. I’m booking my next LHR appointment with Deborah right now!

A few weeks ago I went into my LHR appointment feeling confident (cocky?) with my Tylenol 3, saying “Bring on the Joules! Let blow these hairs away!” But the pain! I suffered silently, hoping to meditate it away. It’s pretty tough though when a laser is snapping at your skin once a second and the smell of burning hair is wafting past your nose….  

So, is the worth it? The teeth gritting, the….searing nerve ending? Here I am at the midway mark.  I’ve undergone three session on my underarms & bikini, and will be going for my third leg session in a few weeks (it’s been eight weeks since my last).  I’m convinced that my hair is particularily stubborn.  I have to admit that I was hoping that, by three appointments, I would have better results on my underarms.  Not quite the bareness that I was expecting by this point. But we did give a major boost to the laser’s joules at only the last session, so I expect great things upcoming (especially considering the boost in joules brings a significant boost in sensitivity).

As for my legs, I’m especially impressed with how much finer the hair has become. I still need to shave regularily, and expect to for a while (the legs are such a big area – I don’t know how it can all be eliminated in only six sessions. But I’m only a third of the way there, so we’ll see.) However, there are bare patches among the regrowth, and the stubble is soft and fine.

If I could only judge the efficacy of LHR with the progress of my these two areas, I think I would be a little discouraged. Or at least majorly impatient. Fortunately, the results on my bikini line have been so effective that the joy propells me forward. I noticed a significant reduction in growth from the first session. I’m almost in disbelief at the immediacy of the results. I don’t know what to attibute it to, and I don’t really care. I’m too busy filling the time that used to be spent fretting about waxing necessity.

Those polar ice caps will be salvaged, yet. 

Every skin type has a maximum allowable laser heat setting. My type (dark forest growth on ghost-like skin) allows me quite a bit of room for increase. Which I’m all for, if it leads to the desired deforestation. At my last LRH appointment I had mentioned that, though the hair was growing back finer, I hadn’t really noticed any bare patches. Verdict? Not enough joules.

Ouuu mama, does an increase in joules bring an increase in pain. Yes, yes, I’m still of the opinion that when it comes to LHR pain (something to which you’re being subjected voluntarily for vanity), you’ve got to suck it up. But from now on I’ll be sucking it up along with some painkillers, thank you very much. It turned out to be a great move. In the five weeks since my last leg appointment, I’ve noticed much better results. There are many bare patches among the re-growth. Actually, more like bare strips. It’s funny ‘cause you can see the path the laser wand tip traveled. I have hairless rows spaced among stubble.

In addition to the increased sensitivity, an increase in joules might cause a reaction of the skin. I had hive-like bumps over my legs. Not attractive, but it’s an expected side effect. They were all gone a week later. If you were questioning when to schedule your LHR, I suggest starting in the fall. Get through all the ickiness of the process while under winter clothing cover.

Today I’m heading out for my third underarm/bikini session, my first one at the new high-heat setting. Better believe I’ll be popping a T3 before I go.  Don’t worry, no heavy machinery will be operated afterwards. I take the bus.

So it’s been eight weeks since my last bikini/underarm treatment and ten weeks since doing my legs. My leg hair has been growing back in recent weeks, which I continue to shave away. However, there is one significant difference. Pre-LHR, shaving would result six hours later in the most disgusting, sharpest stubble. Post-LHR? The regrowth is superfine, soft and inoffensive. I shave about once a week and I’m good. This is after ONE SESSION, people!

However, after a few joy-filled weeks of total smoothness, I’ve noticed my underarm hair growing back with vigor. I mention this to Deborah, my LHR technician, and she thinks we should raise the joules. More joules = more heat = more killing power! 

As she’s telling me the treated area should look mildly sunburned afterwards, I remember a conversation I had recently about the merits of using an RN at dematologist’s office versus an esthetician at, say, Salon Indigo. Burning the skin (no matter how mild) is serious business. Deborah answers that she can’t comment on the doctor’s office, but says that in addition to the training she received when purchasing the machine, she graduated from an intensive five day training course with with the renowned Dr. Yousef Shihab of the Laser & CosMedic Academy in Vancouver.

Blast away, I say!

So today is my first bikini/underarm treatment. I’m going to Hawaii in three weeks so I’ve timed this appointment right. Have we talked about the illusion of hair growth after the treatment? The hairs appear to continue growing, but in fact they are just being pushed out of the skin. In about two weeks when you shave, the razor pulls, not cuts, the hairs. For a hairy beast like me, this is truly a memorable experience. 

As I’m lying on the gurney meditating away the pain (does the Emla numbing cream actually do anything? It’s not like I want to do a comparison test), I do a little math:

LHR Bikini line: $90 per session x 6 sessions = $540 (not including the discounts Salon Indigo gives depending on the current promotion).

Bikini Wax: $50 x 12 / per year = $600.

Even if LHR didn’t permanently reduce or eliminate the hair growth, it would still be more economical than waxing.

WHY DID I NOT START DOING THIS EARLIER? 

After a quick easy busride on the #1 from downtown, I’m brought almost to Salon Indigo’s door. Deborah greets me immediately after knocking and I’m invited in. Her business is located in her cute character home that was built at least 60 years ago. Archways, high baseboards, wood floors, that sort of thing. The rooms are large, clean and spacious. I notice quite a bit of purple decor. Salon Indigo; I get it!

Deborah leads me to her studio where I fill out a stack of forms. Then it’s time to get started. I strip off my jeans and climb up on the gurney. Deborah makes sure my top half and one leg is nice and cozy under a blanket. This I appreciate as I’m always chilly. She then tucks my eyes behind a pair of opaque glasses to protect them from the laser light. Oops! I guess I won’t be reading that book I brought along! I worry for a moment about how I will occupy myself for the next 90 mins, but it turns out that Deborah is such an interesting lady that our conversation makes the session speed by.

Before starting, Deborah inspects my legs and shaves a few hairs I’ve missed (what can I say, I’m blind in the shower without my contacts in). She uses a yellow highlighter to draw a map on my skin then applies a cooling get very similar, if not the same, as used for ultrasounds. Man, that stuff is cold!

Then we’re ready for the laser. I’m shock to see how small the head is - about the dimension of a lipstick case (9mm diameter, actually). How will she do my entire legs with that tiny device? Well, she get to work (with the machine beeping out a rhythm) and it is surprisingly quick. Pretty soon we’re moving on to the upper legs, then the other one, then I’m flipped over.

1.5 hrs for round 1 in the Battle of the Body Hair. Point: Me

I used to think that I could use waxing to manipulate my hair growth so that my first treatment would target a maximum number of anagen hairs, making it extra cost effective. This theory doesn’t pan out though because waxing often breaks off, rather than pulls out, hairs, meaning that the cycle has not been “reset”. Your best option is to suck it up and shave for a couple of months and just book your first appointment, know that you might only be successful in killing a small percentage of hairs the first time.

But, don’t think of it as a waste! #1: You’re getting started on you worthwhile laser hair adventure and #2, when the lasered hairs (anagen or not) all fall out a couple of weeks later, the smoothness and promise of what’s to come will make your heart leap with joy.

For Pain: I purchased the recommended Emla topical anesthetic cream. Apply to treatment area about 30 minutes beforehand. Emla costs about $50 for a large (relatively speaking) tube. It doesn’t require a prescription but you do need to ask the pharmacist.