Had my 1st laser hair removal treatment yesterday!

After 12 years of dealing with the LOVELY issue of excess facial hair (from PCOS and my ethnicity) I finally gathered up the courage and the cash to have laser  hair removal.  I'm so glad that I've started the process....it feels good knowing that this huge burden and embarassment that I've been living with for so many years will be under control.

People always say that the laser treatments are mildly painful and feel like a rubber band snapping against your skin.  I figured that I'd see how the first treatment went before deciding whether to get the numbing cream.  The technician explained that because my hair follicles are SO numerous (lovely) and because I have metal plates in the area to be treated (from a jaw surgery when I was a teenager), I'd probably experience more discomfort than the average person.  She explained that the metal plates naturally conduct heat which would make the "snapping" feeling even more intense.  She was right.  It was pretty darn uncomfortable so I'm gonna go with the numbing cream for the next treatment (in about 7 weeks).  She said that I had a great response to the treatment.....she said that the tons of little mosquito-bite looking bumps were a great sign that my hair follicles were aggravated and responding well. 

She showed me all of the hairs that popped out as she did the treatment and then a bunch more started poking out on their own on my way home.   My skin was really red and irritated for about an hour and then it started to calm down.  I can still feel the heat on my skin this morning....its like I have a mild sunburn.   

This CERTAINLY wasn't a glamorous experience.....hehe...its funny because you see the ads on TV and in magazines of gorgeous people with gorgeous skin who are promoting these laser treatments.  I'd like to make a "reality" ad about how it hurts and you'll be red and swollen with little black hairs popping out of your skin on your ride  home!  But I'd stress that it'll all be worth it in the end! =) 

I'd love to hear if anyone out there has used the numbing cream.  The technician said that I'd have to put it on an hour before the treatment and cover the area with saran wrap so the cream doesn't dry up and flake off.  Another lovely image..........me driving along the highway with saran wrap on my face......grrreat......laser hair removal is SO glam.

I used Emla (the numbing cream I was given) years ago and it was really helpful (electrolysis). And yes, the saran wrap is pretty too!

I'm with you on the glamour of hair removal! The laser removal is going to be my present to myself when I lose 75 pounds! Electolysis didn't do jack (but hurt, cause horrible bumps and burn like a mother for about two days after!)

Please keep me posted about if it is doing what you want it to. Oh, and if you don't mind sharing (or PM'ing me) I'd love to know if they give you a ballpark cost for getting it all done. I need to get my "Funds for laser hair removal" jar ready!

Good luck!

Denise

Lauren, welcome to the wonderful word of laser hair removal. I too have PCOS, so I can really relate, and I've been doing laser hair removal for a while, as I need it/can afford it.

I started doing it with one dermatologist, then I switched to another derm's office.  The first derm had me use the numbing cream (Emla) with the saran wrap. About a year ago I switched to the second derm (whom I utterly adore). She told me that I didn't even need to use the saran wrap, and she gave me different directions than the "Standard" directions for how to use the numbing cream. I was skeptical at first, but I tried it, and I found that it worked great and was way easier than the saran wrap method.

Here is what I do, per my derm:

Take a shower, make sure area that is going to be treated is washed well (but not scrubbed--you don't want to irritate it.). Dry off. Apply Emla cream to area and rub it in (yes, rub it in, this is different than the saran wrap method, in which you are instructed to use an occlusive barrier and let it sit on the skin).

Drive to your laser appointment and smile, because you haven't wrapped up your face like a ham sandwich!

You should time this so that the Emla sits on your face for at least an hour before your treatment begins--and up to 2 hours.

If you cannot take a shower before hand (because you are,say, at work prior to going to your appointment) -- you can use a washcloth and warm water -- first clean your face of all makeup, etc, then apply the warm compress/washcloth. Dry off and apply Emla. The nice thing about this is that you can go right back to work, with the Emla on your face, and not look like a crazy person with the saran wrap. (Back when I did the saran wrap method, I always had to get ready for my laser appointments at home for obvious reasons!)

Hope that this helps!

This product is something I apply to my skin right after my laser treatments to minimize redness. It contains topical aspirin, so if you've had RNY you may want to check with your WLS surgeon to see if s/he approves. (The entire line of skin care from the same line is something I recommend as well, but that's another story).

Here are some other tips that I use with laser treatments:

Bring extra Emla with you to the appointment, you never know if you might need it.

Before I had my RNY, I always took a dose of Ibuprofen an hour or so before my appointment time. I don't know if it *really* worked to minimize the pain or inflammation, or if it was just a placebo effect, but since it is an anti-inflamatory I reasoned it could work (my first derm's office recommended doing this). Of course, now that I've had an RNY, I no longer use NSAIDs.

I also sometimes would take a Xanax or Ativan before the treatments, sometimes with an NSAID or sometimes by itself. (I would get someone else to drive me). This would really help the treatments be less painful.

Now that my hair is less dense, the treatments are not as painful as they were when I had more hair.

One more tip--when they do my upper lip, I learned a trick to put a wad af gauze underneath my upper lip, in my mouth over the gums (as if I were in a dentist's office). It helps them access the area better and at the same time, I think it makes it more comfortable. Ditto for the area just under the lower lip.

I'm pretty experienced w/laser treatments so if I can be of further assistance, please let me know!

Thank you for sharing your experience!  The technician had me put the guaze under my lower lip to create a bit of a buffer between the laser and my metal plates so I'm going to make sure that we continue with that.  I'm going to call the laser center for the Emla before my next appointment....I'll just sport the wrapped ham sandwich look.....anything to be more comfortable!  

It may be worth experimenting--try the saran on only half of your face, the "rub it in" method on the other, and see if it makes a difference. If there is a difference, then you know that you need to do the saran. If there isn't a difference, well, then you can save your plastic wrap for the food.

But whatever you do, I highly HIGHLY recommend the Emla. I'm actually surprised that they laser center didn't instruct you do to it/give you a prescription, prior to your first session. The difference (at least for me) with Emla or without it (I once forgot to ask for a refill and had to go without) is SIGNIFICANT. Way more comfortable with the Emla.

Let us know how it goes!

They offerred it to me but I wanted to see what the treatment would feel like without it to see if I REALLY needed to get it........I'm definitely gonna get it!

I had my underarms done a few years ago (now i don't have to shave my armpits....YEAH!!!!!!!). Now I'm thinkin about getting my bikini line done.....I had one treatment there at the time I was doing my underarms (OUCH!). I was working at a salon at the time and was getting the treatments at a HUGE discount....like maybe $15 a treatment (underarms were free) and stopped working there after the first treatment so I didn't get to finish my bikini line. I also had laser facials done and my face is still so much nicer......I had little bumps...not pimples...just bumps on my forehead. Their still gone. Love laser stuff!!! I never used any numbing creams.

Now my daughter had lipo injections done about a year ago (waste of money). She had to use the numbing cream and wrap in saran wrap. She forgot her cream before one treatment....I don't know why they went ahead and did it. She said it was extremely painful without the cream. She said it felt like bee stings each time they injected her and it was between 50 and 75 injections!!! 

Anyway, good luck with your treatments!! They do wonders! Are you having them done in a medi salon or dermatologists office?

Hi Stephanie,

Thanks!  I'm really excited for the final outcome.   I'm having them done through American Laser Center....they've been great so far. 

I have excess facial hair also, did it get any better after WLS?  Friday I got a flyer in the mail for the treatments and was thinking about starting them too.