Laser Hair Removal: VERY Worth It! - St. Louis

I was born with apparently very strong hair genes--or very bad hormones! Since I was in elementary school, I've been battling facial hair. I remember the first time I shaved my upper lip--in 3rd grade. It just went on from there. I have medium brown hair and my complexion is medium to light as well. I usually tan after an initial burn, but I do not spend a lot of time in the sun, though I did when I was younger. When I hit puberty, I started to develop dark hair on my sideburns and a few on my chin. I lived in a house with all women who I had always seen shaving their legs. I saw the solution to my problem: shave it. I suppose that was the worst mistake I could have made. Before I knew it, I was shaving my upper lip, my chin, my sideburns and under my chin. I plucked what I could, waxed, used Nair and creams and bleaches and nothing helped. I had dark coarse hair on my face that a MAN should have--not a girl! My atrocious hair genes had me shaving my legs daily and eventually, my face too. I was miserable. I used to cry it upset me so much. I found that I was always hiding, or trying to. I never wore my hair up. I used tons of concealer and foundation to try to hide the shadows. I trid to avoid getting too close to people for fear they would see my facial hair. I always stayed distant. And then there's the whole issue of kissing-or being touched. Every guy I dated, if they even acted like they were going to put their hands on my face, I was pulling away and pushing them away. It caused issues. If they didn't know about the hair (I was meticulous about grooming and covering it--VERY time consuming!)it caused issues in our relationship because they didn't understand why I would push them away. You don't want to say, "Because you might get scratched by my bristles!" You don't feel much like a woman, no matter how pretty you are. You find yourself dreadful about all kinds of things--what if you're in a car accident and go into a coma--who is going to shave your face for you? What if you get stranded somewhere without a razor? Things that to the normal person seem trivial suddenly become top priority. At times it seemed like everything I did revolved around covering up my "secret". And even when it's covered, it's constantly on your mind. Every time you look at another person or they look at you, worry fills your mind. I am 25 years old and have now been dealing with this issue for 16 years. I had long ago given up hope of ever being relieved of this hairy burden. I didn't think there was any way I could ever fix it. Then I found Infinity. I received a small settlement from an auto accident I was in and I decided I wanted to do something important with the money. I had heard of laser hair removal, my parents even looked into it in my youth, but knew it cost too much for me to ever afford. Or so I thought. When I got the settlement, I began checking into laser hair centers locally. I got a few price quotes and most of them were packages where you paid $2,000+ for a set number of treatments and then you got 1 year of maintenance. Infinity, however, was not like that. They allow you to pay as you go--and most areas can be treated for under $150. Depending on the size. At any rate, I decided to give it a try. I went in and they were super nice and professional, very explanatory. For my whole face--upper lip, chip, bottom lip, sideburns and neck (under chin) it was $150, which I paid gladly. They said I'd probably need 5 to 8 treatments, but that it was up to me how and when I did them--after explaining the hair growth phases and timelines. They also explained that it does work best on certain hair and skin types. Fortunately, for once in my life, I seem to be the perfect candidate! After my first treatment, my face was swollen and a little sore. It does sting and it's not pleasant. But. While you are undergoing the procedure, you can hear the little hair follicles popping and smell the hairs burning and I felt a wave of relief and excitement come over me. I was getting my revenge on those [RS bleep] for all of the years they'd tormented me and the stinging was well worth it. It's bearable, I don't want to scare anyone away from it because of the fear of pain. Just know it's not going to be a relaxed day at the spa! Within a few days, I started noticing hairs coming to the surface--dead! I could easily pull them out and they were clearly fried. within 2 weeks, I could already tell a noticeable difference. I would say at least 50-60% reduction. 6 weeks later I went for my second treatment and it was less painful. At this point, I could not be happier with my results. I wake up in the morning and touch my face and instead of cringing and feeling disgusted with myself, I smile. I'm not completely smooth yet, but I am so close, it makes me want to jump for joy! I don't have to worry about shaving everyday. Or spending an extra 30 to 45 minutes in the mirror every morning plucking hairs. I don't have to hide like I did before. There are a few hairs that need to be shaved until my next treatment, but I don't even have to do that daily anymore. I feel free. I am so impressed with my first 2 treatments that I just wanted to spread the word about my experience. If you have lived or suffered with this issue for any period of time, you owe it to yourself to seriously consider looking into this option. I do advise you to do your research and price shop and get all the details you can. Also go into it knowing that the success rate is dependent also on your hair/skin type. But if you have dark hair and light skin--you probably suffer the most and would be the best candidate for the laser hair removal anyway. I am so pleased, I just can't say it enough. The relief is tremendous. My mood is vastly improved. I'm not so worried anymore about what people look at when they see me. My attitude and life in general is much better. I feel like a girl for once. I can't wait until my 5th or 6th treatment. Maybe even before that I can say goodbye to the razor forever. I am sure I will have to get maintenance treatments on occasion but at least the majority of the issue will be resolved. I really wish I had taken some before photos so I could show the difference, but it's not something I ever wanted photographed--I didn't need any memories. I just can't say enough about it. It's the best thing I've ever done for myself. Truly!