Why was my experience with the GentleMax Pro laser so painful?

Question

Hi, I am 30 year old male with light skin tone and a really thick coarse beard. I decided to get laser done to remove it- the place I went to used a gentle max pro laser. It was sheer torcher and after one pass I didn’t think I could continue! My hands were shaking when I was done from the shock. It’s sounds dramatic but I honestly don’t know how I am going to bring myself to go back? Why would this be affecting me so badly when general concensous is that there should be minimal discomfort?

Mark A. Blair, MD · Answer

Hello, thank you for your question.  We generally find that the coarser the hair follicles, the more discomfort.  When doing laser hair reduction, it is actually the hair follicles that are absorbing the heat. The coarser the follicle the more heat absorbed.  The laser does have cryogen cooling spray that sprays at the same time the laser pulses, this should help with the discomfort.  You may try taking an ibuprofen prior to treatment to take the edge off, also the technician can certainly slow down the treatment in order to make it more tolerable. The good thing is, as the total number of follicles are reduced with each treatment, so will the amount of heat.  Good Luck!

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