After much research, and lots of "Yes I'm going to, no I'm not going to", I did! Had my procedure Apr 8th, 4 in a diamond around my belly button, 1 on lower abd, 1 on each flank for a total of 7. I arrived at 7:30am for consent, pictures, and measuring/sharpie markings. Each application took an hour, and I went to the bathroom after each application, so it took awhile...I was finished at 5pm. The procedure itself wasn't bad, no pain at all with the treatments, just very strange feeling. I had hoped to work on my laptop for the day but it was pretty awkward, so I watched Netflix on their TV instead! The Dr and her staff were extremely accommodating, I wanted for nothing while I was there. I did start to get a pretty bad headache toward the end, and I don't get headaches often. The assistant gave me 2 ibuprofen and it was gone before I left that day! That night, my abd and flanks felt tender to the touch but numb at the same time which was very strange. Basically felt like the tissue was bruised but my skin was numb. And abd was worse than flanks. Maybe 2/10 on a pain scale. I took it easy that evening, and I did take oral 30x Arnica when I got home and before bed. I also took 6x orally a few times the day before the procedure, only because I didn't have the 30x yet. My hope was to minimize the bruising and inflammation. Fingers are crossed for excellent results!! Updated on 12 Apr 2016: Updated on 12 Apr 2016: LOTS of swelling today. Still the numb skin/bruised tissue feeling, and redness around navel. Pretty tender to touch, 3/10 pain in the abdomen and 1/10 on flanks. Slept great last night, on my stomach with no issues. Out and about all day, 30x oral arnica 4 times. All in all not too bad, but I definitely wouldn't attempt any jarring exercises! It hurts when my fat jiggles! Updated on 12 Apr 2016: Updated on 12 Apr 2016: Updated on 12 Apr 2016: Trying to post a front view but having difficulty. Here's a side view day 1. Very swollen!! Updated on 12 Apr 2016: Updated on 13 Apr 2016: Still very swollen, pretty uncomfortable when I woke up this morning. Took the 30x arnica and tried Spanx, holy wow my abdomen felt soooo much better with the compression! I have worn Spanx at all times except at night since then. So much more comfortable. Out and about all day on day 2. Slept fine that night. Feeling like one of the "lucky ones" who don't experience much pain! Updated on 13 Apr 2016: Each day is a little better, a little less swelling, little less uncomfortable. The reddened areas on my abdomen have turned into bruising in a diamond shape round my navel. Flanks feel great, still numbish and slightly bruised feeling, but no big deal. This morning I felt like the swelling was way down so I didn't wear Spanx. By the end of the day, my pants were too tight in the waist. Will wear them tomorrow! Updated on 13 Apr 2016: More of the same. Swollen, numb skin and tender abdomen. Less tender though. Spanx definitely helps. Wish I felt like exercising like several women said they did, but unfortunately any jarring motion is uncomfortable right now. A little apprehensive about day 5 and the "zinging" feelings! Updated on 13 Apr 2016: Best day so far! And no zinging feelings yet, crossing my fingers! Spanx on, swelling slowly dissipating. Bruising on abdomen still apparent. Flanks almost back to normal!
This is difficult to answer with any precision because the likelihood of scarring correlates directly with the aggressiveness of your picking! The deeper the injury you caused to your skin, the more likely you are to have created scar tissue to repair it. If you only had some very superficial scabs that flaked off easily, you are less likely to scar. For my fractional treatments I advise patients to continue to wear the ointment (that they are sent out with,) for 3-4 days or until most of the scaling is gone. Keeping treatment sites moist with ointment and cleansing skin with a gentle cleanser more frequently helps to diminish the scaling/peeling a bit faster.
After the laser hair removal treatment, the damaged hair is slowly expelled from the hair follicle which is why it sometimes takes a few weeks to see any immediate reduction in hair after the treatment. For overall reduction it does take a series of treatments done at scheduled intervals to achieve good results.
The cost is dependant on each individual and their ultimate goals. We suggest that you set up a consultation. At that time we will assess your problem areas and draw up a customized treatment plan. At that time we will discuss the cost.
