Finally biting the bullet and ditching razors forever! I’m 40, pretty pale, with medium-blonde head hairs and body hair that ranges from very blonde to medium brown. Today was my first treatment of at least 6. They will be 4 weeks apart for the first 3 then likely longer as the hair grows in slower. Legs: My thighs have fine, thin, light blonde hairs that I don’t usually shave. I was told the laser won’t work on those hairs anyway so I skipped that bit. I got my knees on down plus my big toes done. Armpits: nothing exciting to say there. Don’t wear deodorant. Brazilian: I left the hair on the mons pubis but removed everything on the labia all the way around the backside. The clinic me shave everything before I came in and let me tell you do NOT leave stragglers! She wiped each area down with alcohol and then spread ultrasound gel. The laser was a ~1” circle. It pulsed quickly, maybe twice a second, and it only took 13 seconds for her to do one straight line from my knee to my ankle. She overlapped the passes by 20%. Where the hairs were lighter, I didn’t feel anything. Where they were darker, it was like rubber band snaps but it subsided quickly. Where there were hairs I missed shaving, it stung the most. I expected the most pain during the Brazilian. The front really wasn’t bad at all but near my anus was the worst of all. That very last snap right on it made me yelp then laugh! It’s a different type of feeling, but it’s certainly no worse than waxing and the sting fades much quicker. She did one pulse at a time on the more sensitive parts, not the rapid succession like on the bulk of my legs. All I felt after I left was some slight stinging still on my anus and now (11 hours later) very slight itching all over. My skin wasn’t discolored or anything and I was given no restrictions. She was very thorough and made sure to ask me lots of questions along the way about exactly what I wanted. 5 more appointments to go! Pivoted taken before I shaved. Armpits with about 48 hours of growth, legs and pubic area about a month of growth. Updated on 14 Aug 2020: The leg stubble is weird! Instead of standing straight up, they’re laying down at funny angles and come right out when gently tugged with tweezers. Definitely the last gasps of dead follicles! Yes! Pubic stubble looks the same but then tugged, a good number are anchored in well and several come out. Armpit is harder to gauge as I have continued to shave there daily. Stubble appears to be growing a little slower at least. I was instructed not to tweeze or wax anything, I just tested a little because I was curious. Updated on 23 Aug 2020: Legs and pubic area I have plenty of stubble which is to be expected. Armpits are doing fantastic though! Took this picture this morning and I haven’t shaved in five days. While you can see a tiny bit of stubble in the photo, there’s nothing you can feel. Updated on 30 Aug 2020: Armpits: absolutely thrilled so far. I haven’t shaved them in 10 days and this picture is the result. Barely any peach fuzz. Legs: definitely a major difference. Two weeks no shaving in this picture. There’s definitely patches where there’s hair and patches where there’s no hair. All the hairs there now are anchored well, not the ones I can pull out easily. I took a sideview also so you could see lighter, finer hairs poking out from my shin. Pubic area: no difference so far. This picture is no shaving since the last treatment and looks the same as it did before. Added a bikini line pic. Updated on 9 Sep 2020: It has been 5 weeks since my first treatment. I was supposed to go in last week, but they had a technician cancel at the last minute so I rescheduled to today. Today’s appointment was exactly the same as the first one as far as duration, pain level, and all that. Not much else to report, the next appointment is in four weeks. Updated on 9 Sep 2020: Someone messaged me and asked about recovery so I thought I would cover that. There is none! The sting of the laser fades immediately and that’s it. No skin irritation or redness or anything. As soon as she’s done, I get dressed and go on with my life. They did say to stay out of the sun for two weeks post treatment to avoid the possibility of hyperpigmentation. Updated on 19 Sep 2020: I shaved before treatment as required but I haven’t shaved at all since - for science! Armpits: barely any hair at all and what is there is finer and lighter. I’m most thrilled with this area so far! Legs: hair growing in slower and more sparse. The hairs there now do feel well anchored and I can’t pull them out easily (like dead ones). Pubic area: still the most typical growth but I can see a difference between the lower half and the mons pubis which I shaved at the same time (11 days ago) but is not being treated. Lighter, softer, slower with no to very little hair growing on the outer edges by my thighs. No hairs are pulling out easily. My 3rd treatment is 10/8, 4 weeks after the 2nd. Updated on 14 Oct 2020: 10/7 was my 3rd treatment. These photos were taken the night before, no shaving at all for the last four weeks between treatments. Similar to my last update, 100% thrilled about the armpits. Virtually no hairs there at all. Legs are getting lighter each time. All the way until today, there have been hairs that are just tiny black dots that can be picked out. Pubic area remains the most persistent but that’s to be expected. Bikini line is lovely and smooth, but the main part still has significant growth. I can tell a moderate difference between the mons pubis which has had no treatment and the lower area which is being treated. My next pubic treatment is in four weeks. I can do my legs then if I feel they’re ready. Next armpit treatment is in eight weeks. Updated on 17 Jan 2022: I’ve done 8 or 9 treatments on each area now. My legs and armpits are essentially done but I’ve got a few more left on my second package. There’s really just light blonde or almost blonde hair left. I will keep those on file for future touch ups as they don’t expire. Pubic area is coming along but definitely still a work in progress. I’m still very happy with it as the hair is far fewer, finer, an slower to grow. Pic was taken today. I don’t shave at all anymore unless I’m going in for a treatment, the latest of which was at least 6 weeks ago.
I heard about Secret RF but was reluctant to spend the money to try it. I have been disappointed by other treatments and did not want to waste my money again. After seeing Dr. Fortson and having her answer my questions about what can be accomplished by this treatment, I decided to give it a try. I have had two treatments on my face and neck and can definitely see the difference. My acne scars are definitely less noticeable and my skin just seems brighter (if that is possible) and the fine lines around my mouth and neck are gone! My husband is the one that made a comment about my neck looking so much better! I was a little reluctant about the idea of micro needles running over my skin but it was so much easier than I imagined. I was a little red after the treatments but by the next day you could not tell I had anything done. Look forward to my next treatment and maybe try a different body area.
I have had two treatments now and I definitely notice a difference in my smile lines and the size of my pores. I am very pleased with the way my skin feels and looks. I am looking forward to my third treatment and might even have my stretch marks done after that.
Had a friend do Secret RF for her fine lines and wrinkles and suggested I do it too. So glad I did! Definitely worth it! The technician was very professional and knowledgeable and made me feel very comfortable. The treatment did not take very long and my downtime was minimal. I left there a little red but by the end of the night I was fine. My face looks like I am more rested and my pores are definitely less noticeable. I will do it again and recommend this to others. I really want to try to get this done for my stretch marks next!
the secret RF treatment was definitely worth it! i had heard about it online and facebook and decided to ask when i went in for my annual skin exam. i have trouble with wrinkles in the past and so far with my two treatments i have noticed a significant difference in my laugh lines and crows feet. i also enjoyed the no downtime as i live an active lifestyle. the staff are always so welcoming and nice. will be looking forward to my final treatment and seeing more improved results!
I had the Secret RF done to my stretch marks on my stomach after having 2 kids, and it was worth getting the procedure done! I am so ecstatic about my results! I had 3 treatments 4 weeks apart and I don’t believe I need any more at this time.
The Secret RF microneedling treatment was worth it! Made my skin look and feel smoother and more firm. I also like that there is minimal downtime. I was very red at first, but looked almost normal again by the next day. Looking forward to finishing my package of 3 treatments.
Dr Fortson's staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. Dr Fortson recommended a few laser treatments and I am glad I took her advise. Excel HR for laser hair removal works! I have been to another office for laser hair removal and was disappointed with the results. It hurt and my hair grew back just as fast as shaving. Her new laser is faster and does not hurt at all! I would recommend this office.
I had a hard time finding reviews that related to my situation so I wanted to post my progress on here. I just had my first PicoSure laser treatment on 7/28/16. Owl: Lower inner left leg, tattoo 3 years old, Intenz tattoo ink. Chinese symbol: Upper back, 7 year old tattoo, ink known. Butterfly: Lower back, 13 years old, mixed ink from tattoo studio in the BFE. Updated on 8 Sep 2016: Some fading after tx 1 Updated on 30 Oct 2016: I'm starting to wish they had the boost setting available up here in Alaska or the r20 treatment. I don't feel like I'm seeing much progress except for on the tattoo on my upper back. I see a little fading. I go back for treatment 3 on 2 more weeks. May have the doctors in California so one round when I'm on vacation a few months from now to see if there's a difference in technique. It's hard to tell at this point. Updated on 15 Dec 2016: She turned the laser up to 2.8. It caused more swelling but was fine within a week with TLC. My upper back tattoo is responding really well but my ankle doesn't seem to want to budge. Updated on 16 Dec 2016: Week 6 after treatment 3 Updated on 18 Feb 2017: I'm not impressed with Picosure. I was 6 weeks out from my last session and decided to try Quanta Q C Plus after doing my research, it my have a different pulse but has been clinically proven to breakup tough black inks whereas Picosure is not able to as well without a system upgrade and laser extension. No one informed me of them. Picosure was sued over a year ago and their effort to makeup for the lawsuit was to add the extension and software upgrade, unfortunately the upgrade has been injuring people. I was contacted by a lawyer 3 weeks ago from this site and apparently it looks like they may be heading back to court. I am thankful that none of the girls at MD Fortsen's office damaged my skin, they're all very sweet women working there but after all that I've been informed of and after speaking to some world renowned dermatologists on here, I don't believe Picosure is for me. I had one Quanta Q C Plus 1064 on my upper back tattoo and was impressed, here is the before and after 10 days apart. I also didn't use lidocaine and I didn't swell up, nor was I in severe pain like I was from Picosure. I do believe Picosure is still leading in the removal of green and blue ink, they have proven that but half the price and twice the downtime with no results after $2k in treatments I'm just not so happy with Picosure. I hope they refund me my $1k, especially with the lawsuit issues, Picosure is under fire for producing false data from my understanding. It's not the providers fault, although it would have been more promising if there were more before and after photos, most places never seem to be able to back up their claims with proof which is frustrating. Updated on 1 May 2017: So my tattoos were showing very little progress and PicoSure is getting sued for inaccurate claims regarding their clearance compared to other devices of lesser cost. The company is very hush, hush. I told the provider about this and requested a refund of the unused portions of my treatments but it's been a month and I haven't hear back so I'm just going to assume my $1000 is along gone because I refuse to use that laser again. Too much swelling/pain, very little result. It's questionable if picosure can clear dark black ink completely in most people, seems Picoway is the best for that. PicoSure does seem to clear greens and blues rather well. Updated on 27 Dec 2017: I really think Picosure is overated. I ended up scarred from the Picosure at MD Fortson’s office to which they never responded to me and still have a $1000 of my money that I won’t be using. The more people I talk to about this office, the more horror stories I hear unfortunately. The girls working their are sweet, but after talking to some renowned plastic surgeons offices in the lower 48 should not be cranking the machine up or going over areas twice, it basically fries the skin. I’ve been doing the Quanta Q 1064 every 3 months and the results are slow the 1/4 of the price, no swelling/damage and I’m seeing results so I’m happy. This is after my 3rd treatment with Quanta Q + C and 3 Picosure treatments (15 months into treating). I’ve found the closer to the heart the quicker they clear. Updated on 27 Dec 2017: 3 Picosure and 3 Quanta Q Minus one treatment to the butterfly due to keloidal scar treatments/steroids on the butterfly from Picosure burn. I really like Lasercare Tattoo Removal in Eagle River. She keeps her machine updated and knows her stuff. I’ve also learned a lot about keeping my immune system strong and increasing lymphatic drainage which I believe helps speeds up the process. Updated on 21 Feb 2018: or so I’m learning.... Updated on 2 Jul 2018: Still going strong after treatment 7 with quanta-q. I know the one on my ankle will take longer since it’s further from my heart but it does appear to be coming off. Updated on 11 Feb 2019: I’ve only had two sessions since my last post. I’ve just gotten a bit lazy with it but I think I will go back to trying to remove my tattoos again. The bottom photos are what they look like not, the top right last Feb and top left when I started all of this.
I read a lot of reviews about this procedure, it was supposed to be fairly painless and very easy, a slight pinch at most. I thought I'd give it a try. OMG!! The pain is excruciating!! I couldn't even get through the first full level of the machine. As soon as it was fully charged the pain in my legs was like a branding iron! I tried for 2 hrs to get through the warm up and tried multiple areas but didn't succeed. I couldn't stand even 5 minutes. Finally had to call it quits, I couldn't stand it anymore. I hope others have more luck than I did.
