Lightsheer Laser: Stories

Hi Half, wow I've just been reading all your feedback on this discussion. You have a great wealth of information! Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge on this. I'm wondering if I could also get your recommendation for the best laser clinics in Houston. I'm mixed race too with very light brown skin, i'm not sure whether to go for the Diode or Yag laser. Either way I would like to use the most effective system and bid rid of my unwanted hair that's depressed me for years! Thanks for your advice.

Hi, I have been doing alot of research on the best laser treatment for me (light skin and dark hair) and have decided that I need a diode or Alexandrite laser. Do you have a good recommendation of a place to go in Houston? There are so many to choose from!

Hi kenji, I sent you a private message with the info.

Hi Half, You seem to be very knowledgeable about laser hair removal. Can you please recommend someplace in houston that uses the Nd Yag? I am black with coarse hair. TIA

Hi winwin, I was using diode for my entire full bikini area for the first 2-3 treatments. I then switched to a different laser center which uses Alexandrite/ND:Yag lasers instead. I have gotten about 4 treatments with the new system. I switched laser centers because I was not seeing good results in my labia area with the diode. The diode head seems harder to manipulate to get all the hairs in the inner labia, so it may have been that the tech @ the 1st place was missing those areas. I have been satisfied with the improvement at the new laser center. She is using the proper settings I believe on the Alexandrite/ND:Yag machine. The head for this laser is smaller and uses a better cooling system. It blows very cold air on the treatment area while at the same time operating the laser. It is better than the first laser place using the diode which was just using ice packs to keep the place cold. The ice packs were melting on my skin and the water was interfering with proper laser absorption in my skin, so that may have also contributed to lack of good results in the beginning. If you started off with diode, continue on through until the 3rd treatment and see if you get any good results/hair reduction. And make sure she/he uses the proper cooling system, preferably a cool-air blowing one, rather than watery ice packs. The water condensation really does interfere with proper laser hair removal from what I have read.

There are four basic categories of lasers which are used on people: Ruby, Alexandrite, Diode, and ND:Yag. The facility I go to uses the GentleLASE Plus laser system from the Candela Corporation or the Apogee Elite by Cynosure for my fair-medium skin tone. However, since you have darker skin tone, they would likely use the Coolglide Excel Nd:YAG from Cutera or the Apogee Elite Nd:YAG, since they use these laser machines for darker and/or tanned skin tones. I would suggest going to a facility which has ND:Yag available, but also some others to choose from. Alexandrite and Ruby lasers may not work well for you, but then again, you must see a certified laser specialist (ask for their certificate, check to see it's up to date) who will visually examine your skin tone and hair color. Many places offer free consultations. I would highly suggest doing this first.

Hey Half...I didn't ask which setting she put me on...I will ask next time. You are right...I do not feel the itch anymore...I guess with the help of Aloe it does help... If she used the setting on the top for your labia areas will that hurt you even more? I thought you were using the Diode laser in your previous posts... My 2nd treatment will be on Feb.6 so hopefully I can achieve more results after that treatment.

I have decided to go for hair removal on my back and chest. I have tan/dark skin with black hair. Hair growth is thick on chest but no so much on the back. There are so many lasers out there. Could you suggest which would be a good choice. Thanks.

Hi winwin, mine is also the same, lighter on top but darker on the labia areas. So my laser specialist technician used the setting for Hispanic skin, but still used Alexandrite, I believe. That's why she used to change settings when she did my labia area. However, after 5 treatments with the "changed setting" for my labia, I noticed my labia hair was not really reducing that dramatically in hair density, so for the treatment I just got done (like a week ago), she decided to do Alexandrite (same setting) as my top area for my labia area now. This was just a week ago, so I'm waiting to see the results and I can let you know. It itches for a while especially during the first week because the hairs are growing out, so I believe it's normal, but ask your laser specialist anyway just to make sure. Mine felt more sore than itchy, but the feeling goes away after the first couple of days for me. What treatment number are you on?

Hi Half, Another question is, it's lighter on top, but darker on the labia areas. Will Alexandrite work? Also, I did my first treatment, and it itches in the bottom. Is this normal?

I've had about 6 treatments on bikini area down there and it hasn't affected me negatively whatsoever. Really, either Diode or Alexandrite can be effective depending on the skill of your technician. It's not just the laser type, but also the energy setting/pulse width/spot size, etc, the settings of the laser that only an experienced technician or nurse, etc, will really be able to determine for you specifically. That's why it's more important to go to a place that's certified to perform laser removal and also has a technician/nurse/etc who has been performing the procedure for many years preferably.

Hi Half...I'm debating whether to get Diode laser or Alexandrite for down there...I understand the whole skin tone III-IV concept, however, not all Laser clinics here provide both lasers or either one here in Toronto...Anyway...what would you advise in terms of best bang for the buck and effectiveness for laser...its usually lighter down there anyway rite? Also...the person who made a comment about potentially effecting our orgasm and that area..is it true?

Yes, I sent you a private message with the info.

Hi Half! I'm in Houston as well and I'm researching on laser hair removal when I found your comments. Do you have a place and specialist to recommend in Houston??

Hi, you should get a live consultation with an experienced, *certified* laser technician and/or dermatologist to determine which laser is best for you. Mediterranean skin varies in tone, for instance on some parts of my body it is more Mediterranean tan colored and therefore my laser technician adjusts the Alexandrite setting to be more for "Hispanic" tone. So Alexandrite can be used, but the settings should be adjusted by an experienced and licensed laser technician who would be administering laser to you. There are more factors like "pulse duration" and energy of the laser rather than just the laser type itself (Alexandrite, Diode, Nd:YAG) which affect the results of laser treatment on your particular skin.

Hi guys, I want to do laser hair removal but I am not sure which type of laser i should use, I am a Portuguese guy with mediterranean skin and black hair, any suggestion? I heard that the Alexadrite is not the best one and I should go for the diode but not sure. thanks

Glad you found the info useful. You can call Amore Laser (291-4247)in Austin and see if they have the Apogee Elite system. I was searching online and it seems they have laser certified staff.

Excellent info, Half! Thanks so much. I'll look for a medical spa that's certified and has an experienced tech for Alexandrite laser, preferably the Apogee Elite. I'm actually in Austin....do you happen to know if there's such an animal here? pale.

In reply to deemar21, I had gotten my full bikini sugared once (waxing hurts way too much and actually pulls the skin as well as the hair, whereas sugaring just grabs the hair). This resulted in (1) ingrown hairs which left scarring, and (2) I don't like having hair down there in between my sugaring sessions. I decided to make an investment in laser hair removal down there & under my arms, because my bikini area and underarms are the most prone to painful and scarring ingrowns. (3) As far as laser hair removal interfering with blood circulatory problems, I disagree -- if you bruise your arm and have to put plastic-wrapped ice on there for 20 minutes, it does not ruin your ability to forever feel sensation on your arm again. My experience can also attest to that. I hope this clarifies. But thank you for your concern.

Hi, I've been to two laser clinics so far and read scientific literature on it as well as gotten some feedback from other laser doctors, and I can tell you that (1) no laser is effective on grays, (2) GentleYAG can be used on all skin types but to get good long term results and avoid skin damage then the settings (spot size, pulse duration, etc) must be changed for your specific skin tone. This is best achieved by an experienced laser specialist who has been around long enough to see the effects on his/her patients and know what setting is best for what skin tone *from experience* as well as their own formal training and education. I heard that YAG (at least Nd:YAG) is not so great for achieving good long-term results unless changing the settings as mentioned above-- make sure you're going to an experienced medical spa which has board-certified laser specialists. Ask for their years of experience, too. The huge "plus" for the YAG system particularly the GentleYAG is that it has a cooling system which allows for greater effectiveness and less pain than the diode Lightsheer. The Lightsheer's cooling system rather is basically a cooled tip rather than cooled air that's blown out, resulting in water condensation on the skin and less effectiveness of the laser at "penetrating to notice" the hair within the skin. This is what I read in scientific literature. I explained this to my tech and she was surprised I knew and she agreed. I started off with 3 diode laser treatments on my full bikini, but my first specialist wasn't doing a very good job on getting all the hairs particularly in the hard-to-reach areas, especially due to the design of the Lightsheer hand-piece. So then I switched to a different laser specialist who began using Alexandrite laser on my skin (I am also pale-skinned with dark hair). Alexandrite is more suitable and effective long-term for people with pale skin and dark hair. She adjusted the machine to Hispanic skin tone setting on my bikini area because I am more tan there. From the scientific literature, Alexandrite has slightly better effectiveness (like 87% compared to 85% hair reduction) than the diode, but many people say the diode can treat more ranges of skin types. Since you already have pale skin and dark hair anyway, try to find a place that is certified which has an experienced tech for Alexandrite laser, preferably the Apogee Elite which contains two laser systems - a 755nm Alexandrite laser and a high powered 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser - in one unit. It also has the better, optimal cooling-wind system rather than the diode Lightsheer's cooling system. This is just my opinion. So far I've gotten 3 diode treatments and one Alexandrite treatment on my full bikini & I've seen great results, almost 80% reduction already. I have a few white hairs which obviously are still growing but it provides a convenient measuring stick as to how long (length-wise) my black hair would've normally been growing if not treated with laser! I've also been getting my under-arms done with Alexandrite laser, two treatments so far, and great amount of reduction. This is the best place for Alexandrite laser for me, since the skin is very super pale and my hair is (was!) very coarse and dark here. Alexandrite is also good for fine dark hairs on light skin, so you could also have it used on your ears as well, BUT PLEASE MAKE SURE you put sunscreen on there because you don't want the skin to go dark and get messed up -- ears and face are commonly most exposed to the sun and should be protected especially during and after laser treatment. Bottom line: Alexandrite is best for pale skin/dark hair, diode is best for medium skin/dark hair, and Nd:YAG is best for medium/dark skin and dark/hair. Alexandrite can be tailored (settings-wise) as well as diode to be used on darker skin tones, but it's best suited for lighter skin tones. Therefore Alexandrite is probably the best choice (done by an experienced tech) for your skin and hair type. Hope this helps! Best wishes

Hi Half, Wondering if you have gleaned any good info from your endeavours here and in the clinic? Six days ago I had my first laser treatment for ears and boyzilian. Was a GentleYAG. Felt a bit hot on the ears, but actually felt great on the groin! I am all pale skin, mostly black hair, but some grays. The tech said their laser is not effective on the grays, so I went to another clinic 2 days ago...they used a diode...they did my neck and arm pits -- was darn painful, mostly in areas with coarser hair, which the tech said is expected. Not sure how to proceed. I doubt I can tolerate the pain of the diode on the groin. But the 2nd clinic said the YAG was only appropriate for darker skin tones. I've seen mixed info on whether the YAG is good for light skin. Some references say it is ok for all 6 skin types....very hard to get definitive information on best laser to use...all the clinics just want your $$. Any advice and/or commiseration would be greatly appreciated. pale dude