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Golden Gate
1/15/2005
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Saturday 08/13/05

On Thursday, August 4, after the art walk in Mukilteo, I had my beard zapped by my good friend Dr. Warren Magnus at his new clinic Maia Skin. The laser he used was a Candela GentleLase.

I have always had trouble with my beard. Whenever I shave it close, even with an electric razor, I always get "shaving bumps" (ingrown hairs). The worst of these can take months to subside. For this reason I shave clean only on special occasions. Most of the rest of the time I use the trimmer on my electric razor to give myself a fashionable stubble. And even that sometimes results in ingrown hairs.

I hate shaving with a passion. For years I've been saying that if there was a pill that would make all my hair fall out permanently, I'd take it just to never have to shave again, even if it meant losing every single hair on my body as collateral damage.

Laser hair removal is not for everyone, but I am nearly an ideal candidate: I have light skin and dark hair. This means the hair can absorb the energy from the laser, but the skin reflects the light -- so a fairly high-energy setting can be used to zap the hair without burning my skin. People with darker skin have to use lower laser settings to avoid burning the skin, and that means hair removal requires more treatments. Laser hair removal will not work if your beard is light or, in most cases, red, despite what some clinics claim. I have a few gray hairs in my beard and the laser will never get them; I'll have to keep pulling them or, if they become too annoying, possibly have electrolysis on them.

The laser only kills follicles that are actively growing hair at the time of treatment. (Hair growth does not happen continuously; at any given time, some follicles are "resting.") For this reason, it is necessary to have multiple treatments -- probably four or five in my case. My next one will be in early September.

There is some discomfort to the treatment, but it is certainly not intolerable. I was given no anesthetic or pain reliever and really needed none. The discomfort was worst along the jawline, which is one of the more sensitive areas. The GentleLase squirts you with a cool liquid before zapping you, and this seems to help. It took less than a hundred individual laser pulses to treat my entire beard area. (I elected to leave my mustache area untreated.)

Afterward, I had some redness that lasted for about a day. It felt like a sunburn. There is also a distinct scent of singed hair -- I shaved the next day to help get rid of some of that. The smell is not noticeable to others unless they are right next to your face, but you will notice it occasionally for the first few days.

Hair continues to grow out after the treatment -- even out of the dead follicles. About a week after the treatment, however, the singed hair gets completely pushed out and begins falling out or coming loose with gentle tugging. At this point, the follicles that have been successfully zapped will not regrow hair ever again.

I seem to be one of the few straight men having laser hair removal on my beard. Most people who have the treatment are male transsexuals wanting to lose this secondary sexual characteristic, or post-menopausal women who have developed unwanted facial hair. So I thought I'd post my experiences to illustrate how regular guys can benefit from this procedure too. If you hate shaving, check it out. I'll let everyone know how the second and subsequent sessions go.

Continue to first update

Re: laser beard removal There are 159 messages in this thread, displayed in the order they were posted. Keith 8/15/2005 10:15:51 AM Pacific Fascinating. You should do a photo study of the results. Martin 8/17/2005 3:19:42 PM Pacific I know the feeling all too well Jerry. I get ingrowing hairs all the time - I'm sick of it. Some of them are as thick as pencil leads, with horrible grissle on the ends when they eventually come out. I'm of a strawberry/fair hair colour and complexion, so I'm not sure it will work on me. Jerry Kindall 8/17/2005 3:23:17 PM Pacific What's really kind of funny is that the marketing for laser hair removal is all geared toward women. Admittedly, only recently have lasers really become available that are suitable for using on the face, but still, I think a clinic that focused on men could do quite well. allenrc@earthlink.net 8/20/2005 3:08:00 PM Pacific I've heard that, for the first several treatments, your beard is supposed to look very weird and uneven (because the laser only kills a portion of the follicles each time and it is unable to kill them in a 'symmetrical' fashion). Consequently, I was told that I'd have to sort of hibernate for several months because my 5 o'clock shadow would look patchy/botchy and peculiar. What has been your experience? Also, I've heard that the entire process could take up to 12 months with some people (as little as 3 or 4 with others)... have they given you any feel for what it might be in your case? I agree with Keith... would love it if you could post some pictures! Jerry Kindall 8/20/2005 3:11:06 PM Pacific I should have taken pictures before my first treatment, but I'll be sure to take some before each of the other ones. Yeah, my beard's getting a little patchy already and probably looks a little odd. I'm told it'll probably take me about five treatments. Touchups are free for a year after that, in case some comes back. Mark Balelo 8/25/2005 11:50:01 PM Pacific Hi Jerry. I am now going for my third treatment for the laser hair removal. I broke out pretty bad after my second treatment, but it is getting back to normal now. My first treatment was unnoticeable. My hair continue to grow regularly and I continued to shave 1-2 times per day. My second treatment I definately notice a difference after a week but during the treatment I had to change lasers because I could not tolerate the pain. I was given a very large amount of lidocaine, valium, codine.... I still could not handle the pain. It was an extremely painful experience. I had to change to a lower laser beam. Even with the lower laser beam, it was still painful. Because of my lack of tolerance for pain in my face area I will problably need few extra treatments. I really don't care, because the ultimate result is what I am looking for = (Not having to shave again!!!). So hopefully within the next 6-12 months I can accomplish that. In regards to laser hair removal, it is different for every person. However, the goals can be achieved with time. I in particular, don't have a lot of hair in other areas of my body. But, just like my dad, my beard was really bad. The hair would grow thick, strong and constantly. Because my type of work (Director of Sales), I always had to shave. Sometimes I had to shave twice per day. I now only shave once a day or two and just in the chin area. The amount of hair is very minimal compared to before. I am looking forward to not having to shave ever again. I will tell you how my third treatment goes. Sincerely, Mark Balelo kristin 8/26/2005 5:13:33 PM Pacific Hi. I have had 11 lazer treatments, and after ALL that I still have half my beard! AND...its getting thicker everyweek. And they told me 3-5 treatments because i was their bestcase type; dark thick hair and light complection. And they hit me hard, with a 28 setting. We used a Litesheer lazer...aledgedly oneof the best. AND no freebies...500.00 each visit. What arethey charging you? Have they had much success with males at this place?? I think I was my Docs first transgendered guinna pig!! I hope you have much better luck then I. Thanks, Kristin Jerry Kindall 8/26/2005 5:19:10 PM Pacific I'm getting a really good price precisely because I am a guinea pig here, and plus the doctor's a longtime friend. It's my understanding, Mark, that the Candela GentleLase is just about the least painful laser on the market. Assuming that's not what you're already using, you might try finding a place that has one and see if you tolerate it any better. The GentleLase sprays you with a little puff of coolant just before zapping you. Jerry Kindall 8/28/2005 2:25:38 AM Pacific I went Googling for information on the Litesheer laser and found this. Notice they put "pain free" in scare quotes. It's like a grocer who advertises "fresh" fish. Mark Balelo 9/2/2005 9:25:56 PM Pacific I feel for Kristin. I haven't paid near as much as Kristin, but price is not the issue for me, results are. I can't imagine that after 11 treatments you have unsatisfactory results. Maybe you have to change doctors. There are several types of laser machine and maybe they're not using the best that suit your needs... I also understand that is different for every person, but 11 treatments is a lot. Sincerely, Mark Balelo Dave Myers 9/14/2005 6:53:30 AM Pacific I am 35 years old & have suffered from large numbers of ingrowing hairs , the problem seems to be increasing with my age which is quite concerning , as well as being unsightly there is also constant considerable pain & discomfort , i think this is an acceptable solution although i now have as many white / grey hairs as dark ones so it dous not sound like a solution for me. kristin 10/1/2005 3:58:47 PM Pacific OK...gave up on the laser. I had my first IPL treatment yesterday. WAY...let me repeat...WAY less pain! (of course, lets see some results!) It is also cheaper. It is ALSO the only method that can treat my ver growing amount of gray hairs. AND its cheaper too. The usual shedding starts in about 10 days...so I'll et a know. Kristin k west 3/20/2006 1:29:07 AM Pacific Following Jerry's lead I had my first lightsheer session at a place here in the UK. Like Jerry I am amazed that more men dont get their beards zapped...It was a bit painful but tolerable. I think the degree of pain relates to the density of hairs you have..not on your pain tolereance btw...some have more some less. I am pleased to say that the lasering worked...straight away!..I can see clear patches already..but the downside is that although after the treatment it looked OK..by day 2 and 3 my skin was red, and sore, and I had these acne like spots (22 to be exact) mainly around my chin area. By Day 5 they were calming down but i reckon it will take 10 days to get back to mormal.. So, here I am at Day 6 post zap..I am hoping it wont be too patchy..why..? ...I never told my partner I was doing it...! He who dares...? Jordan 3/28/2006 3:13:50 PM Pacific man i had some electrolysis done on my face with the laser an dat ish did not work in fact it scabbed up an looked bad like 2 weeks later an took a few weeks to completely heal...it was very painful to JeanD 3/31/2006 1:50:34 PM Pacific In regard to the laser beard removal. I'm currently considering doing it, the density of my beard is quite impressive so I'm guessing this will be painful. I think I'm a good candidate for that, my skin is ghostly white and my hairs are dark, with some white and grey here and there. I'd like to hear from you Jerry (and others who also did it) if you are satisfied with the results? Was it painful? Have you lost touch sensations, actually I'm woundering if the fact that all hairs of an area are gone change something to your sensations? Has you skin changed color because of the laser to be whiter or darker than it should be? Thanks a lot for the info. miguel A 4/29/2006 10:25:39 PM Pacific In regard to laser hair treatment, I had my entire face done especially my mustache, because my job requires me to be clean shaven. My first treatment cost 543 dollars, and it was worth it, because a huge reduction in my hair was noticeable after 6 weeks. The first three weeks were the worst in my life, I was so scared that my face was permanently ruined, because after the second day, It became red and sore and developed white dots that looked like acne. In addition, the skin will chap and develop a dark layer, which you really can shave that well. After the third week, some of the hair began to gradually fall out, and eventually my skin was begining to get lighter, and most of the dark dead hair began falling out. After 5 weeks I went back and got a second treatment, but this time just on my mustache, because it was not as light as I wanted it. I was charged 121 dollars for the mustache above and below my lip area. The setting of the laser was 18Joules which was not too bad, the first treatment the laser was set at 16Joules. My suggestions to anyone interested, is to be sure you have plenty of time so you can miss work, because regardless of what you read, most people will become red, sore, and breakout on the facial area. You will not look very handsome for at least 4 weeks. However, It is worth it for me, the thing I was most scared of was scarring, but no significant scars occurred, I do have some very light spots from the laser zapping, but these to are begining to fade, and they are not noticeable unless someone really uses a microscope to look at my face. Overall, I rarely shave now, and my skin looks younger and healthier, I have a greater self confidence, because my mustache is not so noticeable on my face. I dont like dark mustaches, and I have been really getting lots of dates since my treatment. Women just want to date me and go out with me, since now they see me as a cute guy with a baby face, but with a mans appearance and in very good shape. Jimmy 5/21/2006 3:12:42 PM Pacific I had 4 or 5 laser tretament on the mustache, because I thought it was too dark and I looked not cleanly shaven even just after shaving. At the end of the day, it was even worse. It is to pointed out that indeed even with the best and most recent material -which makes the process not a pleasure but bearable- after the treatment you have to deal with visible effects on the skin (acne like spots, redness, etc,...) so it is better to do it when you do no have to work. That is true for the firtst week. The second week is better but still not perfect, even if you can go back to work. The result is pretty good, but I will probably need a last one. Last, to be noted that on the neck, the effect can be quite radical just after the first treatment (complete disappearance of existing hair in my case, although should come back, which is good because I did not want a total lack of hair). charles 5/24/2006 12:09:47 AM Pacific I did laser hair removal on my shoulders and it was pretty successful. However, I then tried it on my beard which is extremely thick and dark, but did not have the same success. I laser treated my beard three times over 2-3 months. First, the beard looked really bad for a week after treatment. and then, the hair fell out in blotches. i went again to get rid of the remaining hair, but with the same results. I'm still waiting for hair to grow back in certain dry patches on the neck portion of my beard. any suggestions Shakir 6/4/2006 1:20:23 PM Pacific I had a laser treatment on my beard about 2 years ago. It was so painful that I didn't go back since. After the treatment I had these red spots all over my face and later they turned dark. They remained on my face for months. The worst time in my life. But before the treatment I had facial hair all over my face and now it's in a conventional shape. I'm thinking for going back today. But I"m a little scared about those red and dark spots on my face. kim 7/8/2006 11:12:06 AM Pacific I've had lots of light sheer beard removal laser. It always "clears" my face but in time grows back--but as others say, in spots. It gets some of the hairs "permanently" and in other places, the whiskers grow back with a vengance. They say that's how it works, and you just have to keep coming back. They charge about one thousand dollars an hour to run their laser here at advanced laser in ann arbor, so it gets pricey (at about half an hour to do the whole beard). They say to do six treatments and they will guarantee full clearing for two years, or followup treatments are free. This means you have to keep going back, and it hurts. It also means it isn't permanent, if the quarantee isnt permanent. but it does do a good job of clearing each time I go. Now I have a fairly blotchy beard if I let it grow. If I shave, I look very cleanshaven Simran 7/19/2006 6:10:26 AM Pacific hey, I hate to shave and i have been looking for a solution other than laser as this costs alot but there are home laser treatments aswell like the riolaser system which costs £99 in UK money but i have no idea if any male has used this i wanted to find out if there are any other systmes machines even pills which will get rid of my facail hair for good i have recentley WAXED yes waxed my face and boy it does hurt but i got used to it so im sure netin else cant be as bad as waxing my face seems much better i mean no one likes stubble and now there ist any green shadow either but under neck hair is jus two hard to wax as well as chin but cheeks were fine if anyone can help with solutions pls email me rsmastani@aol.com JK in San Fran 7/29/2006 5:35:46 PM Pacific Yes, I bought a package of 6 full face laser treatments for $600. (70% discount). It was a friend of a friend's practice and they are just renting the laser, so after 6 months I need to get al 6 treatments in. I don't know why but I thought it would be painless. Boy was I wrong. I had waxed my face in the past and that was maybe the most pain I have ever felt. I have fallen out of 2 story windows and it hurt less. The laser was just slightly less then all of them. I have black metal wires growing from my face and lighter skin. I do have some of the same reactions as described. Red zebra like streaks across my face. Darker looking singed hair that is unshaveable after like 3 days. I tried and it makes it look worse. It has been about 3 days and I might do a cucumber/ aloe soothing pack. I think maybe 1 week from know I will use a light scrub so I don't get breakouts. I am a male esthetician so I can professionally suggest a light scrub with jojoba beads. Don't use a scrub with nut shells in it as it will be too abraisive to your tender skin. But I am glad to here many other men are having the same reactions as me. I just wonder it sounds as if though it may not be a permanent solution? If it is a permanent solution just remember the reason men's faces age better than most womens is because we are constantly exfoliating our skin by shaving. If it is in fact permanent then remember to use a light scub bi-daily to make up for not shaving. This will ensure gracefull aging later on down the line. Any comments? sorya chan 8/3/2006 11:45:33 AM Pacific Hi! every body on this board, thanks for all the posts, it's very informative and helpful. I'm in my mid 30, i'm an oriental man. To my surprise, i have a fair amount of facial hairs including beard and mustache. I have a dark facial hairs and light skin of the oriental descent. I hate shaving and the ingrown hairs associated with it. I'm considering having a laser beard removal. Does anybody out there known or heard any asian guy having this kind of treatment done. Any information posts will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. JK in San Fran 8/5/2006 11:37:41 AM Pacific I know many Asian women that have had thier underarms done and thier downtowns too. I have heard good results from the "Aurora/Elos laser". This laser has multi ethnic settings. More update on my own treatment. I broke out major my first week after treatment with many burns and ingrowns. I found a "light" appliaction nightly scrub with microderm crystals followed by a soothing allow mask helped a lot. Now it is a week later and everything s all good one week later. Cheers... sorya chan 8/9/2006 6:22:20 PM Pacific Thanks JK for the reply and following up with your treatment. I live in the SEATTLE area. I've been doing research around to find out a good place that has done this kind of treatment and has achieved good results. For you, JK, what type of laser have you been using and at what setting stage to treat the beard area. How many treatments have you had so far and what are the results. Do you see a great reductions of hairs in the treated area or you still shave as regular? I heard that it take 5 to 6 treatments to achieve the permanent result. Wishing you the best of luck and let's us know your up-to-date results. Joe Schmo 8/12/2006 9:26:36 PM Pacific I am 20 years old and have had a nasty redneck looking crustash shadow for a couple of years now. It is significantly darker and thicker than the rest of my beard and I'm about sick of it. I've seen a few posts with success in lasering the mustache region. Since I'm lasering such a small area, who thinks that it would leave a patchy shadow behind? I am really looking to not completely remove the hair but lighten and thin it out significantly. How many treatments do you all think this would take? JK in SF 8/13/2006 3:05:09 PM Pacific Hi yes, Joe Schmo. If you just want to lighten the thickness of hair and you are not looking for a permanent solution. Then why not just wax? it is cheaper..... And it will thin out hair after a few waxings. If you are really daring you can wax it yourself. I will admit waxing your moustache will hurt like h*ll. I did it once or twice by myself and I bleed bad! Sora Chan, I have only had one treatment with the Aurora/ Elos laser. It has been almost three weeks. I am really impressed. Sahving is easier. Just one pass over an area instead of four. My 5:00 shaodw grows back a lot slower and I can honestly say I have close to half the hair on my face I used to have. And after only one treatment. I was a bit scared it would have no effect, but I guess I am ideal for teratment. Lighter skin and really dark thck facail hair. Cheers, -JK Mark Johnson 9/10/2006 7:24:36 PM Pacific I have had it done and they are making improvements. You are going to get some redness. My suggestion is to have them numb your face or take some kind of medication and then it is bareable. If your beard is thick you are going to have some regrowth particularly around the chin but it will be easier to shave and less normal. Really the downside if any is that if you are say 35 or older you might not have always realized the aging process meaning I noticed a few lines, etc I had due to age but it was worth it. sorya chan 9/17/2006 1:56:31 PM Pacific Good news, Mark, would you please, tell me what kind of laser have you had it done, at what setting and how many times have you had so far? How long did the redness stay after lasering? did you buy a whole packet for 5 to 6 treatments or you had it done on a walk in basis? Thanks for your reply. Chan Dave 10/12/2006 8:05:01 AM Pacific I just had laser removal done on my neck to reduce ingrown hairs. I am in the military and have to shave all the time. I have lighter skin and very dark, thick facial hair. I was going to do my entire face but pussed out. Its been three days since i had it done and the results all alright. I read all these entries before considering and decided to go for it. Here are my results so far: 1st day, skin was red and rasied slightly and areas zapped where clearly seen. 2nd day, skin was slightly red, no rasied areas but small pimples like razor burn apeared in some areas. 3rd day, skin is barley red ( i can tell where the laser was used mostly because it is my face), razor burn pimples are 90% gone. I was given lotion to apply as needed and that seems to be doing the trick. As far as shaving the next day is out of the question. Its been 3 days and i haven't shaved yet and will hold out as long as I can (which will have to be Saturday Morning, so 6 days after). The place and others, have saif you can but I am affarid it would slow the healing process down. I went back to the work the next day and no one has said anything yet, then again it my face so i notice marks and redness more then anyone else would. if interseted i will share more updates because this was a hard decission to make but thoughts of not having to shave while deployed sounded to good. vladimir deslouches 10/17/2006 4:28:48 PM Pacific h i my name is vladimir iam looking to have laser beards removal because every times i shaved i couldn't lookingat my face the nextday please help me but there is a problem iam a black man brown skin butmy beards started grey now please hepl Michael Conroy 10/26/2006 3:20:19 AM Pacific Hi my name is Michael and I suffer from breakouts all over the shaving area. My doctor has told me this is as a result of shaving rash and not necessarily acne.I constantly get yellow pimples a day after shaving. My skin is very sensitive and dry and as a result can't shave every day otherwise my skin would be destroyed.I am thinking of laser treatment so as to end the torture of shaving. What do you think? sorya chan 10/27/2006 10:38:29 PM Pacific Thanks for the information, Dave. Please, do share some more update while the process takes and how the result turn out to be. especially when you go on with the entire face. I think that is the smart decision that you decided to go with your neck first. I heard that American laser center did good job with 2 years guarrante of no hair growing after treatment. Did anyone else out there had experiences with the Americna laser center. Chan Josh 11/5/2006 7:33:55 PM Pacific Hi, my name is Josh. I am a ridiculously good-looking hispanic young man and have an extremely thick and dense black beard. It's always been like torture having to shave my face. I would have to shave every 3 to 4 days because my face is so so sensitve(and beautiful). So after two years of careful thought as well as research I decided to do it and found a respectable laser clinic an hour from where I live. So, I went to that clinic to get more information. My main worry was that I would get those white pimple-like bumps all over your face. Cuz like I said earlier, I have a good looking face and the thought of having filled with pimples for two weeks after the treatment did not appeal to me at all. But they told me that it would not happen, that my face would only be red for a couple of hours after each treament. So I thought, ok, let's do this . The clinic provided 7 treatments for $1,200 which is a good price for that package and the laser they would be using is a Sonata laser. Anyway, I stayed away from the sun for two weeks and then had my first treatment on September 15. And first of all, they said to me that it would feel a rubber band snap when they laser shot those hot beams of light onto my face. Well, let me teeeeellll you...it did not. It felt like a laser was shooting hot beams of light onto my face. The poor lady doing my treatment saw how uncomfortable I was and asked if I wanted to take a break but told her to just keep going cuz I wanted it to be over already. I just sucked it up and just kept thinking of how this would get me closer to never having to shave again. When she finally said it was over I was so happy. She told me how strong I was and that most guys have to take breaks during the treatments but not me. Which made me feel good : ) But anyway, ten minutes later before I left they gave me a mirror, at my request, so I could check out my face. And I must say I did gasp at first..it wasn't beautiful. There were some areas swelled up and it looked I had a slight sunburn. But three hours later it went away. The next three days my face looked normal and then it started...those ugly little pimples that everybody warned me about. They started to appear all over my face and stayed there for the next 10 days. It was so embarrasing going to work like that. I mean, I felt like I was 14 again going through puberty. But once again I just sucked it up and kept my eyes on the prize(never shaving again). When my face cleared up I noticed that my beard was thinning out and there were some bald spots on my neck and my moustache area. About 10 -15 % of my beard was removed after my first treatment. And more will be be removed with each subsequent treatment. Only thing that stinks is that I have to get the treatments every 4 to 5 months, not 4 to 6 weeks like some clinics do. This means that it will take longer my face to be completely smooth. I will keep you guys posted. Oh, one word of advice to all future candidates...DO NOT SHAVE YOUR FACE WITH A RAZOR FOR AT LEAST 2 WEEKS AFTER EACH TREATMENT. Please trust me on this. It will only make your pimples worse. Use an electric trimmer and let a fashionable stubble form for TWO WEEKS after each treatment. Trust me. Aron 11/16/2006 10:33:17 PM Pacific My beard is normal density. I hate shaving my beard and would like to keep it trimmed. My preference would be to have beard that looks very natural. and at the same time off my cheeks and little off my chin. Just like when you get beard when you were early 20s. Any ideas and recommendations are welcome. I live in San Francisco bay area. Good doctors who are expert in men beard would be appreciated. I have light brown skin with black hair. Thanks Aron. Josh 12/25/2006 4:50:01 PM Pacific Hey, guys, this is Josh again. Well, it's been three and a half months after my first treatment and I am sad to report that those bald spots that I had on my moustache and on my neck are have disappeared. That's right, new hair has completely filled them and my face now looks exactly as it did before I went in for that first treatment. Man, I'm pretty bummed out right now and am hoping that when I get my second treatment in January the results are better and hopefully "permanent". I was told that you only really see the results after your 3rd treatment but that is in June. If anybody experienced similar results after their first treatment let me know. my email is hottamale3232@hotmail.com luiz 2/2/2007 12:02:39 PM Pacific Hi. I write from Brazil, and I'm sad to not have seen this forum before. In last Diciembre I did one aplication of Light sheer laser in my beard. I didn't have the intention to do more than one aplication. But I'm afraid I'll have to! I have now "islands" of beard on my chin, and it looks like spots, as others said. What shall I do? Others aplications? Won't it be worst? I don't want to spend more money and fell more pain (that's the worst i've ever felt). But if it is necessary... Thank you, if you can help me. I'm weird in Carnival period, and I can't go to the beach because I can't have sun (that is specially strong this year). I did other aplication in my back that were very well sucessful. But in the beard I don't sugestt to anyone. my email is luizttt@bol.com.br luiz 2/12/2007 12:11:20 PM Pacific I want my beard back! Joe 3/22/2007 12:35:14 PM Pacific Well, you can always go to romeo and juliet hair removal in NYC. It's on E 57th st. $350 for full face/neck, or $150 for the Gotee area. I've been alternating... My mustache area especially is very stubbern. Shenoy 5/21/2007 10:40:20 AM Pacific Hi, I have a mediumbrown skin with darkhair.Iwent formy laser beardremovalevery 4 weeks. I have completed 4 treatmentssofar.Iseeabout 20%reduction sofar. But, AFTER MY 4TH TREATMENT RECENTLY,i BROKEOUT PRETTY BAD WITH WHITEHEADS (white acne pimples) all over my moustache and chin areaand neck.Peopleat work were staring at me as if I was suffering from chickenpox.Man,that was the most embarrasing time of my life. Now,I have decided not to go back for my 2 more treatments. I can tolerate having hair over ugly pimples/whiteheads anyday. Well,itcouldbe my sensitive skin. John 12/19/2007 6:54:52 PM Pacific Interesting. I see that I'm not the only guy who had a horrible time with shaving and ingrown hairs and then thought to get laser hair REDUCTION. Let me just say to those people out there who are doing this or considering doing this to think long and hard about it. In my view this laser hair removal procedure is a total SCAM!! I speak from experience, I have had a total of 16 sessions with the laser at a cost of thousands of dollars and my face is anything but clear..I still have continual growth but now it comes in patchy where I HAVE to shave everyday or look like a freak! Shaving everyday causes irritation that I didn't have when I could grow a bread out for a day or two, so not only did it not cure the problem of ingrown hairs it made it worse! I regret everyday that I had this idea and wonder if there is some kind of male hormone or something to make my facial hair grow back. Good luck to the people who try this, but if I were you I would buy a good razer and deal with bleeding and shaving bumps, or grow out your stubble and adopt the 5 o'clock shadow look. I wish I had. :( John 12/19/2007 6:55:52 PM Pacific Interesting. I see that I'm not the only guy who had a horrible time with shaving and ingrown hairs and then thought to get laser hair REDUCTION. Let me just say to those people out there who are doing this or considering doing this to think long and hard about it. In my view this laser hair removal procedure is a total SCAM!! I speak from experience, I have had a total of 16 sessions with the laser at a cost of thousands of dollars and my face is anything but clear..I still have continual growth but now it comes in patchy where I HAVE to shave everyday or look like a freak! Shaving everyday causes irritation that I didn't have when I could grow a bread out for a day or two, so not only did it not cure the problem of ingrown hairs it made it worse! I regret everyday that I had this idea and wonder if there is some kind of male hormone or something to make my facial hair grow back. Good luck to the people who try this, but if I were you I would buy a good razer and deal with bleeding and shaving bumps, or grow out your stubble and adopt the 5 o'clock shadow look. I wish I had. :( wai 2/5/2008 10:18:31 AM Pacific I just had my 1st treatment last Thursday. but I don't see any difference... it's painful, but I think I can take it. actually I would like to know how many days should I start seeing any difference? I'm afraid that this is just a scam... =( AA 2/29/2008 11:11:25 PM Pacific John - I'm in the same situation as you almost exactly. Have you figured any way to help the bald spots on the beard regrow? Have you asked any dermatologists if anything can be done? For everyone else - laser removal of the beard is a bad idea. The hair will regrow slowly and unevenly and your face will be patchy. Black Guy 3/22/2008 9:51:34 PM Pacific I'm a dark-skinned black guy and my beard is also very dark. I hear that the best treatment is for light-skinned men with dark beards. However, I have been recently hearing that there is also a new laser specifically for black guys. Does anyone know if this new technology really works for black men? As some of you might be aware, black men have the worst cases of in-grown hairs and I am one of them. I would just be ecstatic to get rid of this bothersome beard for good. Paul Brax 4/2/2008 3:51:55 AM Pacific I hate shaving with a passion and iam wondering how i can remove this beards which makes me feel very uncomfortable shaving and the after affects of ingrown hairs. Iam a Black man leaving in Uganda and would like to get rid of this permanently, so can some out there be of any help to me? Ionutcelgroaznic 4/15/2008 10:27:33 PM Pacific Hey, I have a theory why people get grid like pattern regrow.Well in case of RF ablation of lung tumors , the blood vesels acts like cooling devices and prevent tumors from being cooked up.It is possible that the grid like pattern regrow in case of laser treatment to be determined by underlying blood vessels that protect those area from being properly zaped.So the only method that can remove those hairs is galvanic or blend electrolysis. andrew 5/9/2008 4:05:23 PM Pacific well....i have a very white skin and brown hair. i had some treatments too.4! but it was not on all my beard,its was only above my cheeks! well on the 2 first i was very satisfied but now im starting to realy doubt!!! usually the area im treating is not a common area with a lot of beard and only hairy people have beard above the cheeks...what i really want to know if the beard will ever disappear there? also...is at least 1 guy that is really satisfied with his treatment or is just a fake product!!!! :'( pleas answer soon and good luck! SM 5/22/2008 7:13:12 AM Pacific have had 2 treatments and am noticing patches where hair is dead. Been 4 weeks since my first session and a few days since the second. Hair is hard to shave the day or two after treatment but it returns to normal then but with retarded growth. Bought endless treatments for 2 years so here's hoping. I have thick growth and sallow skin but I can see the difference already. The pain is unbelievable, particularly along jawline and moustache. andrew 5/23/2008 4:11:12 AM Pacific is there anyone who had more than 12 or so treatments to tell us his results? abc 5/26/2008 7:43:56 AM Pacific Do not get laser beard removal! I have had have had 4 treatemnts and the hair keeps growing back. Luckily I have had enought regrowth that it doesn't look as bad as some other clients. I am not going for my 5th treatment session. Please do not be fooled by the "technicians" in the clinic. They are just salesmen trying to get you to buy a "service." Has anyone discontinued treatement and seen pretty good regrowth? adrew 5/28/2008 11:45:06 AM Pacific is there anyone who had more than 12 or so treatments to tell us his results? Marco 6/2/2008 6:04:29 AM Pacific Hi, I am a young 20 year old male from the UK and i have just finished a course of 12, YES 12 laser hair removal treatments. My feelings are this - after 12 i DID notice a permanent reduction in hair growing on my face. The thing is, its still growing back! When i initially went in for my consultation, i was told 12 treatments should do it, clearly not! My hair growth is really patchy, it grows back really slow, but the fact remains - the beard is still there! After paying about £1300 for the 12 month course of treatments, i have been told another 12 should do it? I have been for my 13 treatment now and the growth is still slow and patchy, but now im considering whether to give it all up or not? Will i REALLY see my beard gone - or am i just about to waste another grand on something that really wont work?? FEEDBACK APPRECIATED!! abc 6/3/2008 7:47:51 AM Pacific anyone interested in talking to some who had 12 treatmetns just has to go to youtube.com and type in "laser beard remvol." there is a video there of someone who had 12 and still has patchiness. I only had 4 but now they are "splotches" that are slowly growing in. Within a year i will be back to normal and i will not complain about shaving. yes it hurts and causes skin irritation and whiteheads but that is part of being a man. Anyone who thinks they are supposed to be clean shaven all the time just has to look at photos of celebs when they are not on camera and have not had makeup and been air brushed. DO NOT GET LASER BEARD REMOVAL. IT IS A SCAM. IT GROWS BACK SLOWLY. nico 6/7/2008 7:16:58 AM Pacific yeah its ard to remove beard..its hormons who make it grow its not like hair or hair on hte legs...hiar on legs grow to a given length and then stop..beard can grow with no limit.this proves tha its very hard to remove it. but saw a website about a transexual that did 23 treatments in 2 years and was rid of the facial beard!!! justin 7/3/2008 6:43:26 PM Pacific i believe, and i want your opinion on this..that12 treatment for beard removal is clearly not enought even if clinics say so! They say so because it would be too much money for more than 11 treatments..although i think that 20 -25 tratment might make you rid of your beard...what do you think about that? Joe 7/7/2008 8:37:38 PM Pacific HI - i have just had my 4th treatment - the first two grew back to an almost normal thickness - the third treatment left me with stripes - lets hope this one will be a little better. you have to tell the person to make sure they overlap at least 50% - i think that will reduce the splotches, lines, etc. i hope she overlapped as i requested i am doing this because i want a total reduction - i really hate that it appears that i need to shave all the time, even when my skin is smooth - there is just so much hair under the skin i guess. it hurts - it is insane how much it hurts - it doesnt feel like a rubber band snapping you, it feels like i am being stabbed over and over with a bar room dart. i do have several acne looking blemmishes - i got the treatment a week ago - they showed up a few days after the treatment i would suggest that you get it done as early as possible - i'm 36 - i wish i got this done 20 years ago i'm not sure if i will continue the treatments until its completely gone, but if i have the continued uneveness, which i fear, i will have to keep going remember to do your best to stay out of the sun before you go another thing - do your best to try and pull out the hairs with tweezers a few days after treatment - hopefully anyone who gets this treatment will not have to report to work for several days afterward, at least wont have to shave - your skin will hate you if you dont give it several days rest!! justin 7/14/2008 4:45:54 PM Pacific so there arent people that tried it for more than 20? everyone gave up before that number? but why? where they too disappointed or rid off their hair!? BJ 8/1/2008 4:07:41 PM Pacific what causes the darkness on the facial skin after shaving? it subsides after a few days, but still have the dark streaks along jaw, cheek bone area and the upper lip area. nothing i do gets rid of it. Matt 8/6/2008 3:34:06 PM Pacific Excellent!! Thank you for putting the information on the internet, informative, honest and easy to follow, I'm off to book my first appointment!! joe 8/29/2008 2:36:27 PM Pacific i had treatment #5 today - damn it hurt!!!! the last treatment was approximately 2 months ago - the regrowth wasnt bad i was very happy with the neck & sideburns - i usually only shaved every other day - moustache & chin could have been shaved everyday, but even though there was some splotchy looking spots on the chin, it didnt look bad with every other day shaving - but it still looked dark i'm not sure if other doctors do this - i have an actual doctor - but she gives me a dental block which completely numbs the upper lip area - it is such a valued part of the process - i am truely thankful because i know how sensitive that area is, and i know how much it hurts the areas that are only somewhat numbed by the cream she puts on my face - i would suggest that anyone looking into this should ask about incorporating this into their program even with the numbing cream and the dental block, it hurts like hell - even the places that look clear of hair!!! its been 6 hours since i finished the appointment - my face still hurts, but a lot of the swelling is gone - yes there is swelling - most is gone within an hour - it still burns - she took the time and went over a few of the spots twice - it hurts, but i think that its worth it - you really have to in the thickest areas - there is so much dense growth, the laser gets absorbed by the first dark things it finds - she is looking for the hair to actually pop out - she gets pretty happy about that - then she can treat the same area again and it will work on the deeper hars that were hidden on the first pass i will try and make another post in a few days to update how this treatment has progressed NL 8/31/2008 4:40:43 PM Pacific does really laser give PERMANENT beard removal? hair still regrow every month!!! is someone out there that can say tha now hi do not have regrow??? joe 9/7/2008 9:48:24 AM Pacific its been 10 days since my treatment i think that she actually over did it a bit on my moustache area - its a little burnt i actually had some whiteheads full of puss in my moustache area - i tried to keep some neosporin on it as much as possible, its healing up fine i was thinking about what BJ posted about a month ago "what causes the darkness on the facial skin after shaving? it subsides after a few days, but still have the dark streaks along jaw, cheek bone area and the upper lip area. nothing i do gets rid of it." i have noticed this - my theory is that because it has been basically fried, it has expanded a little and it doesnt react like typical hair - its almost rubbery through my experience, i would suggest not shaving it - let it stay put until it startes to push itself out naturally - i didnt really think about it, so i shaved a few days later - that was the last time i shaved the chin/moustache area - i shave the sideburn/neck areas, but if everything looks uniform, try to just let it sit naturally for a while what is happening is the "dead" hairs are still pushing up - eventually they will just fall out by themselves - this acually happens from the first day, for up to about two weeks you can actually start tweezing them out the first day, but i really would suggest letting them grow - if you have a trimmer, you can use that to keep it looking sharp everybody is different - i had the permanent 5 o'clock shadow i could grow a thick beard in days after the first treatment, and everything started to grow in again, i noticed that i had my 5 o'clock shadow look again pretty quick, but i also noticed that the rate my facial hair was growing in a few days was significantly less - let me try to say that in a different way - lets say that before i had a treatment, my hair would grow to 1/4 inch in a set amount of time, well, after i got the treatment, a month later or so, that same amount of time would only produce 1/8 inch now, its even much more reduced, and i would expect that my sideburns & neck area will not produce anything for weeks, just the white hairs that are unaffected by the laser will i ever have permanent hair removal? no. the white hairs will not be removed, unless i get electrolysis, i have no intentions of doing that - i am trying to get rid of the permanent 5 o'clock shadow - i believe that i can accomplish that goal - the hair grows back a little thinner than it was before the treatment, but it takes a lot for the chin/moustache area because of the amount of hair that is in that area - much more than the other parts there is a website by a person who had a sex change and wanted to get permanent removal - i will say "she" had great success, but she had over 20 treatments & electrolysis - i also suspect that she was taking hormones which might affect the facial hair also - she says that she is basically hair free, with the occasional tweeze of a white hair i have a lot of testosterone running through my system, so i dont expect such great results (i hope i helped answer your questions NL) NL 9/8/2008 12:51:41 PM Pacific hmm...ive also thaught that it might depend of the treated area! i mean that it is obviously more difficult to make the uper lip and chin area hairless than the chiks or even the neck...what do you think about that? someone noticed more reduction in those areas? joe 9/8/2008 10:51:53 PM Pacific NL that is correct - the cheeks and neck (especially the neck) are much easier to see long term positive results than the chin & moustache area i shaved today - the dead hairs were really falling out when rubbed - like i posted the other day, i am still learning, i suggest that you dont shave the hairs for about ten days or so, if its possible. you can use a trimmer to keep everything looking neat you will experience some of the hairs falling out every day, just try to wait as long as possible to shave - if you do shave right away, you will see thick, dark hairs that you cannot get down to the skin as you are accustomed to doing. it will not look that good for a few days - until all of the dead hairs have worked completely out - they will come out, dont worry. i really hope to get another treatment in about 6-7 weeks, but i dont know if i will have enough vacation time - you really have to be able to take about 5 days off if possible - this last time i had the treatment on a friday, came back on wednesday - i think that the more treatments you have, the less time that will be required - as long as you dont wait too long between the treatments will 9/10/2008 7:51:17 PM Pacific Lots of good testimonials here. I had laser treatment done on my upper cheeks about four years ago. Didn't really care for the wolfman look, ya know? I'm the ideal candidate - light skin, dark hair. Permanent five o'clock shadow no matter how close I get a shave. I didn't really expect it to be that effective, but it was. Too effective, really. I only wanted to lighten and thin the hairs in that area. I think I went four or five times. It's still pretty clear today. A few scattered hairs grow back very slowly. My only regret is that now my beard line doesn't look completely natural - I'm thinking of going back to lighten up that transitional area. The only major side effect I experienced was bruising. It got worse by treatment number 4 and 5. I've learned from subsequent touch up visits that it really helps to ice your face immediately after getting zapped. Like you just stepped out of a boxing ring. If pain during treatment is an issue, try to get Emla topical anesthetic. Marco 9/12/2008 6:25:56 AM Pacific thought i would ponder back on this site, and interestingly seems like you guys over in the states use some painful laser system! i recently got moved to be treated with a more powerful, yet less painful machine and its a lot less painful believe me. not to say i look forward to my treatments, cuz it still burns, but obviously i am given ice packs to numb the face before and after one portion of the face is treated. i have to admit now, im maybe on my 18th treatments and i really am noticing a differnece. hair grows back slow and its very dotty around the cheeks. the chin area is a bitch!! hair groth there is SUPER TOUGH, so "double passing" has been introduced to my treatment. its simply going over the same area twice with the laser. as painful as it sounds... well, it really is painful! lol but i think its worth it, i want the effect to actually take place so it has to be done! my clinic treats me good, but just like anybody else on here looking to get it, you have to think of whether you are gonna be dedicated to actually want to go through all this to get rid of your facial hair. be prepared to pay a lot of money for this - but be serious about it!! NL 9/12/2008 9:51:48 AM Pacific what do you mean by dotty around the cheeks? after 18 treatmen u just noticed a defference in the time of groing back or in the amount of hair? will 9/14/2008 9:15:52 PM Pacific Jerry, I'd be interested to hear how your treatment(s) turned out. Were you happy with the results? Any side effects? Marco 9/17/2008 1:40:02 PM Pacific dotty in the sense of hair growth is sparse. it grows back pretty slow, and quite fine now and like i said sparse. thing is, i naturally have tough hair due to my heritage and mix so each person will have their own length of required treatments to get the result NL 9/18/2008 2:14:51 PM Pacific hmm but ur at your 18...which number you thing u will have to go untill the hair desappear? more than 30? john 10/4/2008 11:04:30 PM Pacific jerry it was nice to read ur experiencen hope u have become a good lookin person. m 21 now. m plannin to have laser removal of hair n m asian... i just hate to shave my hair... do u have any idea how much il it cost n do u think its worth doin...if yes write to me on my email..... NL 10/6/2008 3:40:28 PM Pacific dude the trut about laser hair removal is that it will NEVER be permanent...it will last for about a month of sometimes more but ur hair will in any case grow back(talking about facial hair) just because they dipend on hormons...!!! the only good thing is that u can for a month me smooth but it cost a lot! pls if anyone hase experienced permanent beard chin,chiks or moustach hair removal post us!!! NL 10/6/2008 4:00:56 PM Pacific i realy think that man beard can never be removed at least with laser !! does anyone got total PERMANENT beard removal? no!! i think this tells us everything! thomas 10/6/2008 4:06:04 PM Pacific i realy believe that laser hair remval is a fake product! can anyone say the contrary having a proof? no!! all we can say is that i might not be permanent but its reduce the hair for about a month (as far as it consern the beard) joe 10/12/2008 11:49:08 AM Pacific just had treatment #6 two days ago i have noticed that the regrowth at the neck & sides has been considerably less dense - in both the amount of hair and the thickness of the hair she did a great job on the chin area too, for the most part - very heavy, dense area, but she really has done quite a job on that too i asked what kind of power setting she uses on me, its quite high - 40jls - i think i read somewhere on a previous post that someone was getting treated with 18 jls i think i believe that the power setting is a little high for my skin, next time i am going to ask that the setting is around 35 i am quite amazed with the difference in the hair regrowth - i had the permanent 5o'clock shadow - that is no longer there Luke 10/14/2008 2:22:09 AM Pacific I have been getting treatment for over a year now and i am still going. I had him do my beard and it reduced the hairs where it seems less dence. I had him hit my neck like 4 to 5 times now it it has gron back spotchy.Now i dont let him touch my beard just my upper cheaks. I have been getting my arms and full back and chest done for over a year now and those areas are greatly reduced but all the hair isnt gone so i am yet to see the hair completely gone and I started end of last summer. Have any questions for me my E-mail address is steelswar@yahoo.com I also recommend that if you get say your back done dont shave your whole back just have your g/f shave the dark brown to black hairs or you will get darker brown growth in other areas of the back. thomas 10/14/2008 12:39:20 PM Pacific does the treatment on the upper cheaks works? how many tratment have u done there? please answer ass soon as posible! Will 11/1/2008 2:22:42 PM Pacific Joe - I'm encouraged to hear that they've gotten rid of your permanent shadow. That's what I'd like to have done. Have you had any problems with patchiness? Is your facial hair growing back pretty evenly? Thomas - Yes, see my post on 9/10/08. Just be careful with how you want your remaining beard line to look when the treatment is done. It's not an exact science and it's tough to get a natural look with the "laser beard sculpting." Also, I'd advise you to be conservative. Don't let them zap you too on the face if you want to preserve part of your beard. 'Cause once it's gone, it's pretty much gone for good aside from very thin scattered hairs. Will 11/1/2008 2:26:57 PM Pacific I meant to say: don't let them zap you too low on the face if you want to keep part of your beard. Pocha_Dot 11/3/2008 7:59:37 AM Pacific I Started Laser Hair Removal In August Of 2007, It's Now November 2008. My Beard Is Patchy And Striped. I Bought 2 Full Packets Of Three Treatments Each, Which Equal Six Treatments. The Guarentee Was "If The Hair Is Not Completely Gone By The Sixth Treatment You Get 36 Months Of Treatment Without Charge. THE GOOD: My Hair Is Definatley Alot Finer And Softer Than It Was Prior To Treatment. I Do Have Areas That Are Smooth. I No-longer Have Ingrown Hairs. THE BAD: I've Been Getting Treated Every 4 Weeks Since August 2007, It's Now November 2008 And I'm Still Patchy. I'm Always Breaking Out After Treatments, I Have Blemishes From Pimples And White Heads Post Treatment. I'm Also Experiencing Hyperpigmentation Around My Mouth, Sideburns And Cheeks. My Skin Complexion Is Uneven And Scaley. It's Annoying And Frustrating How Long The Process Is Taking, It's Ridiculous. THE UGLY: The More And More I Get Treated And Still See Hair Growth And Need To Shave I Get Aggrivated And Stressed, My Hopes Were So High Prior To Treatment And This Laser Hair Removal Is Taking Me On An Emotional Rollercoaster With The Skin Condition Along With Hair Still Sprouting. Reading Others Experiences With It Only Get Me More Depressed Because I Feel Like I'm Wasting My Time. The More I look In The Mirror And See My Skins Condition I Get Depressed, But I Still Go For Treatments Because I Keep telling Myself One Day It Will Be Completely Gone. joe 11/3/2008 6:13:46 PM Pacific Will i am actually amazed at how well the treatment is coming together for me - although it is not perfect my cheeks are almost completely void of hair - there is one large patch that has been giving me some trouble - its a 1/2" x 1&1/2" strip from the corner of my mouth to my chin (on one side) - its isnt bad, but it still has a little of the dark appearance after i shave - i notice it, but i dont think it is really obvious - there are also a few small spots that are not perfect, but not really eye catchers either - all in all, its going very well - i have another appointment in about 3 weeks - i'm sure that at that time i will see the less than perfect spots start to stick out a little more man, i dont know if i would have tried the laser sculpting, not with the thickness of my beard (its way too late for that at this point) - i can just imagine how it would have looked if she would have tried something like that - i'm scared that i would have had something really funky looking i have noticed that i can take my razor and just lightly run it down my cheeks - just to get a very few hairs that come up pocha_dot when i first started the treatments, my dr wasnt overlapping as well as i wanted, i asked her to over lap 50% minimum, really took care of the striping effect the blemmishes are a pain - i think i was getting them because of the power setting - they usually pop up a few days after the treatment - the white heads are nasty, but they dont last that long - i play them off as bad razor burn are you staying out of the sun? that might affect the skin - i dont think you should get any exposure over a few minutes for at least a week before and after the treatment - the less the better also, it sounds like you may have gone to one of those underhanded operations, like american laser center ( i forget the exact name of the place - they are a national chain - kind of like fast food) they do less than perfect work - unskilled workers - my person is an MD, and she has a very small operation, i have a great relationship with her and her assistant, very personal - i dont feel like just another wallet good luck!!! keep positive!!!! angel 11/28/2008 12:41:07 AM Pacific I had 7 treatments done at SK:N in glasgow ( they have clinics all over uk) over the course of about 18 months & am delighted with the results! I do still get a few light hairs coming in occasionally but get those zapped with electrolysis. Ive always hated shaving & I too wished there was a pill to stop hair growing! I still cant understand guys who grow these ridiculous " goatees" or do the "designer stubble" thing, surely if you cant be bothered shaving then fine, grow a real beard like captain Birdseye! Me & my girl? we like the smooth look, the cave man look was over in the 80's! Jay 11/28/2008 8:05:13 AM Pacific I had 8 treatments with no side effects and it looks great! I left the Goatee on. My advice to you is to shop around and do your research. Find out what type of laser equipment they are using. Facilities with better laser equipment and competent people will cost you! It’s your face so it is worth it tim 11/30/2008 3:58:07 PM Pacific do u guys believe that beard can be trated like any other area with the same positive effects? do not forget that beard is kinda diferent of other areas with hair . i mean that beard can grow realy long like hair...there is not any other area with hair that can grow long. plus beard is about hormons... ven 11/30/2008 11:15:40 PM Pacific my friend had 7 treatments and 100 percent of his facial hair is gone He took me to the place that does it for a 100 dollars us every 6 weeks. I did 2 treatments so far n stopped in august due to being burnt on the chin and the immense pain of the laser.But still seein him everyday im in deep jealousy how he doesnt have to shave a year later with NO REGROWTH just oiccasional fine strands here n there anyways im goin back december 8th for treatment # 3 The girl who does it is very friendly and its a small operation very personal and i feel at home she said by 4th -5th i shouold see better results but after just those 2 alot of hair is denser n finer and some spots just didnt grow back i just really want my neck n beard gone forever!! the sideburns and face also but that seems to be easier to get rid of than the beard n moustache anyways iim scared of the pain and this is just thinkin of it a week in advance good luck guys and ill update you on the progress but i have seen real results from a close friend and laser does really work! joe 12/4/2008 3:12:32 PM Pacific i had treatment # 7 last week it does not get any easier - i only had to lightly pull a razor down my cheeks & neck, wasnt much to see, but the treatments still hurt like hell in those areas, I guess there are still some tiny, fine hairs there the doctor said that my face is more sensitive because of the treatments the dead hairs are finally pushing out – it takes a while – if you can let them fall out naturally, do it – as anybody that is going through these treatments, the hair usually isn’t symmetrical or even, so I pretty much have to shave it everyday, the dead hairs don’t shave very well – they are thicker, and rubbery, you cannot get a close shave with them for some reason, but it only lasts about a week or so in the next couple of days, the dead hairs should be completely gone, and I can really evaluate how it is progressing when I shave in the morning, there isn’t much there – the longest stubble is from the white hairs that don’t get affected by the laser Pocha Dot – why are your treatments so close together? My doctor was concerned that my next treatment will only have a 5 week interval – normally 6 weeks – I wonder if that has anything to do with your hyperpigmentation – I notice it on my face for about 2 weeks or so, then it fades, I wonder if you may just need more of a break between treatments so your face can heal – I hope you are feeling better about your treatments Ven – I hope your treatments work out well for you – I’m not sure how thick your hair is, but mine was very, very thick – after my third treatment (I think), I started having the striping & patchiness, it was a real pain, but the doctor was able to get rid of it, so don’t get too discouraged if it doesn’t look perfect right away, be sure to tell the person to over lap, or you might get the stripes Best of luck to all joe 12/5/2008 7:50:46 PM Pacific i tried something different aft the treatment this time, i kept the lotion down to a minimum - the result was much, much less blemishes. i did put a little on my face, but not very often. I think that it helped with the break outs, zero white heads - i did have one or two red blemishes, but nothing to really bitch about Tom L 12/9/2008 10:50:37 AM Pacific Interesting link. I am thinking about getting my neck done, I can tolerate shaving my face, but with my neck it is hard to get a close shave cause the "grain" is all criss-cross. Good info! Rob 12/11/2008 7:45:06 AM Pacific I also had a laser hair removal on my seemingly permanant beard. About two weeks after the hair grew back in blotches and i felt like a zebra. I did not experience any reddening or significant pain, but the "zebra" looked was very upsetting. I went for another treatment to remove some of the dark blotches. That was about a year ago. Thankfully, my facial hair is slowly growing back and becoming more even. Phew! What a mess. I wish i read more about the process before. I am trying to just live with my permanent beard. I guess it could be worse. However, if any does know of a better way to get a clean look after shaving or for hair removal i am surely interested. John 12/11/2008 2:09:21 PM Pacific @ Rob... I also had the beard done several times with IPL, its now very uneven, and there is almost nothing there anymore in a large area directly under my chin! So basically there is a big hole there, and the chin hair is just all messed up overall, with some patches darker than others. Every day I regret my foolishness of having this done to myself. Its been 5 months since my last treatment, should i give up hope at this point of more growing in? All I see are tiny blond hairs in the bald patches. Very frustrated.... John 12/11/2008 2:16:34 PM Pacific @ Rob... I also had the beard done several times with IPL, its now very uneven, and there is almost nothing there anymore in a large area directly under my chin! So basically there is a big hole there, and the chin hair is just all messed up overall, with some patches darker than others. Every day I regret my foolishness of having this done to myself. Its been 5 months since my last treatment, should i give up hope at this point of more growing in? All I see are tiny blond hairs in the bald patches. Very frustrated.... Rob 12/15/2008 1:18:39 PM Pacific John... I only had 1 full treatment and then 1 treatment for some blotchy areas.. i stopped after that because was fearfull of messing up my face permanantly. I don't know how many treatment you had. However, I found that after about one year my facial hair looks much more even. It is still not 100 percent... Good Luck Marco 12/18/2008 1:30:34 PM Pacific I've noticed a lot of people complaining about damaging their face and skin... whilst i can see this can worry some of you, i am now almost 2 years into my treatment and to be honest, my hair still grows, but NEVER have i experienced skin problems. Follow instructions and you should never experience a problem. i.e. dont wash ur face, spray aftershave on your face, exfoliate, treat ur face on the same day of treatment. stay out of heat, sun and anything that would make you hot e.g. working out, running. apply aloe vera gel generously all over your face repeatedly to cool the area down if it does feel too hot. i know i sound like a representative and avid fan of laser hair removal, but far from it. as an experienced client, i can tell you - hygiene has to be at its highest in these cases and just stick to a good health regime and stay clean!! if you are getting burnt then clearly your laser hair removal technician is not listening to you, or even knowing this until you tell them! i am patch tested before i go any higher. atm im on 70% i believe which is high, but everyone has their own limits. whilst i know its painful, and even i wonder why im still doing this, its something ive signed up for! in all, i will probably stop after this year as i think i know it wont get any better or worse so if i cant see any change anytime sooner, why waste more money?? joe 1/8/2009 3:47:06 PM Pacific I finished treatment number 8, just over a week ago, I really am amazed at what the difference. I am hoping to not have to return for a while, I will try for 2 months, hopefully the regrowth will be minimal. my number one concern is when it does decide to grow back, how will it look. I had the 8 treatments in the span of one year, i know that i will have to retreat my face every once in a while, hopefully it is not very often. hopefully the regrowth will not come in as dark as it was before i started the treatments, but I still have to shave the small % of dark hairs, and the unaffected white hairs, so I fear that the daily shaving will encourage the hairs to come back thick again - we will see as it is right now, i just lightly run the razor over my face, where in the past it was a battle Marco, please continue the posts, I am very interested in hearing how your face turns out after you stop the treatments - I am very concerned with patchy or striped regrowth John 1/8/2009 8:02:48 PM Pacific joe, I know you are amazed at the difference in the density of your beard right now, but if you were to stop treatments for good now, eventually you will experience the patchy and striped effect that many of us have. I decided to stop treatments last summer, and I had about the same number as you, over a longer period. My hair is really dark also, btw. I have seen improvements from month to month, but it is a very slow process when you are talking about regrowth following IPL/laser. Nobody can keep these treatments up forever, I couldnt. The downtime following each one is excruciating. It is just not worth it. The second half of 2008 was simply the worst time of my life, I could not leave the house on days where I didnt shave. It looked that bad. Now things are improving, and I predict hopefully by the end of summer, my beard will have blended enough to not have to worry about anymore. That is putting a positive spin on it anyway. Stop treatments now. You'll be grateful for this advice in two years time. Having beard shadow is a lot prettier than having your face look like a checkerboard, I wish I had the wealth of info that is now available on the net when I first started treatments. Youtube has several videos of a guy who had a disastrous result with laser, even at high settings and many treatments. joe, you're saying all the things I thought to myself during the treatments, ie trying to 'stay away' for two months from treatments (it starts to feel like a constant spectre is hanging over you). You will never be close to hair free as a man, hormones will make sure of that, so stop giving these places your money, and grin and bear the next year or so. After that, you'll be ok, and free from the pain of having to endure being blasted by something that should not be used on the face anyway. As well as the cost. Free of downtime also. It makes sense. When you're 60 years old, wouldnt you want the option of growing a nice beard to hide the wrinkles? lol... I want a beard now, but it doesnt look quite right yet, and I will still have to wait many months to see if it will be possible. joe 1/11/2009 6:01:08 AM Pacific John I appreciate you input, but I am going to continue down the path. I am at the point where I have very little downtime after treatment, I looked normal the next day. when i first started, it looked pretty ugly for well over a week, maybe 10 days or so, i am past that. there is so very little hair to worry about, most of what i have to worry about is "invisible" white whiskers, instead of a permanent 5 o'clock shadow I saw the guy on youtube, looked ugly, but i wonder if he gave up too quick - I think he also went to something like ALC, with their minimum wage technicians - i see an MD, does it make a difference? who knows, but i hope so. as of right now, i dont have a problem with putting up with getting zapped a few times a year - now in a year from now, if i feel that i have made a mistake, then i will have noone to blame but myself - i went through a lot of doubt in the early treatments, with so much facial hair the results were initailly less than expected. but i am happy with what i see right now Shady 1/12/2009 8:33:26 AM Pacific I once had bald spot on my beard area (probably caused by stress or something) doctor called is alopecia. He injected the area with cortizone and the grews back within months. That said, i'm thinking that corizone injections will help grow back hair much much faster for those who want! The Cortizone confuses the hormones making it grow. Any thoughts? comments?? This is a good thread, i'm glad i came upon on it Ven 1/12/2009 1:23:24 PM Pacific Okay im back again i just finished treatment # 4 today monday the 12th of january,after my last treatment 5 weeks ago i finally saw a huge difference the neck and face barely grew back the moustache area seemed stunted in growth and patches of the chin was completely smooth the only bad thing was a few patches on the chin didnt shed or fall out so today when i went back i voiced my concerns about it she did over lap those areas and the pain today wasnt as intense as the last 3 treatments mayb because the hair is gettin weaker or that the majority of hair has fallen out . Plus i coated my face with emla lol and took a strong pain killer.Besides that i may have 3 more treatments to go she said 7 and thats it with the occasional touch ups once a year ill keep u guys updated but i LOVE my results so far!! 25 yo male queens ny with thick beard facial neck and mostache. cowboytroy 1/18/2009 10:24:09 AM Pacific @joe i have had about 7 treatments on my beard starting in july....most of my treatments have been between 2-4 weeks spread apart. my beard is patchy all over, with very dark patches in the chin area, on each side below the corners of my mouth. the technician i have has referred me to the medical board, and they voiced concerns that my treatments need to be at least 6 weeks apart to see better results, and i should wait 12 weeks from my last treatment to my next to get me back on schedule.... before i started i had a very dark shadow, could not tell i had shaved.....my neck is clear of all hair. cheeks and chin on the other hand are patchy. i am very worried that i made a mistake, but i see you are being patient, maybe you could give me encouraging words to continue on. have spent a lot of money and agony dealing with the patches. i am in medical school so seeing patients everyday presents a challenge, since the week after treatments it looks like hell. i want to continue on, but maybe i shouldnt........thanks. John 1/19/2009 9:40:09 AM Pacific @ cowboytroy Dont continue treatments, stop now. I wish I had stopped sooner... it will grow back, but it may just take longer for some areas. there is no need for all the stressing about downtime and having to show your face when you're in recovery from laser. It has been liberating for me to know i never have to go hrough that again. ven 1/23/2009 8:26:22 PM Pacific @ cowboytroy it should be every 6 weeks when the hair is in its growing phase if i were u i would try a higher setting on the laser or try a new place my results are coming along wonderfully neck havent grown back or cheeks just 2 patches in the chin but by ur 10th treatment it should be all gone u came a long way why give u and think it through what choice do u have > lol pathes or wait years for it to grow back thats if it does or just finish the job. im very happy with my results i had 5 treatments so far they said by the 7th i should be good buit ithink i may have till 8 or 9 to have every single hair off lol update me! Ven Jerry Kindall 1/23/2009 8:50:49 PM Pacific Just FYI, because John asked me for an update elsewhere, I had three treatments total. I developed a hellacious ingrown hair after the third one, the aftermath of which took a while to completely heal. My dark whiskers are not all gone, but they are significantly thinned out, and my beard is more manageable now. It is pretty even (there are a couple of small patchy areas but they are not noticeable if I keep it trimmed short). I'm not planning to have any more treatments. John 1/24/2009 6:34:48 PM Pacific Good for you Jerry, I must say you got very lucky though. For me, a large area around the chin is almost devoid of hair, while no matter how many treatments I had on other areas, the hair came back just as strong as before, if not stronger. And patchy, of course. How I wish I had left it at three or less treatments, I would not be in this position of waiting and waiting for regrowth in the sparse areas. I think it will get there, but it will probably need boosting, maybe by cortisone, as suggested by Shady above. cowboytroy 1/25/2009 6:48:17 PM Pacific i tried to get another treatment from AML this last week, since i have been told six weeks between treatments is the least amount i should wait....they did not let me go through with it since i had had 2 and 4 wk intervals in the past, they want me to wait 12 this time. the laser they use on me is a syneron elight....i take it this is a legitimate laser? i am thinking about going to a smaller clinic run by a doctor for my face, and just letting AML do the back of my neck. i put in a lot of money to AML though. hopefully i can get a decent price with this next doctor. i am going to continue on i have decided. every six weeks. lets do work.... John 1/25/2009 7:55:18 PM Pacific I am doing my best to warn people against this, and many won't listen. Believe you me, you will miss having the option to grow a beard at some point down the line. Because the only option you will be left with is to shave every day to try and hide the patches. Do you really think ten years down the line you will be wanting to cough up more money for maintenance treatments when you may have a wife and kids? You're in medical school cowboytroy right? So I presume you're in the same age bracket as me, early-mid twenties. I went about 10 times or more myself, and the visits at the end made me physically sick from looking at the smug faces of those technicians and staff that had ruined my life at that point. I am far from an isolated case, I presume you've seen the youtube video. If someone gets a 'good' result from this, they still regret it! I've talked to many people who have undergone treatments, and they all say the same thing: 'if I could go back, I would not have had it done.' Cowboytroy... to name but one poster here: Stop now, put up with the embarrassment and mental discomfort for a year or so, and your beard will be filling in all the time. OR make these laser people think they have you by the balls forever, and hand them your money to prolong the agony. Laser is NOT for beards if you are a young man especially. Jerry Kindall had a better result as he is in his forties I believe, and the hormones have slowed. Plus, grey whiskers will balance out patchiness, as they cant be removed by laser. At our age, there is constant regeneration of the cells due to the high levels of hormone activity. This means patchiness. If you still want to go ahead with more laser, then you are throwing away the next few years. It will ALWAYS be on your mind, whether people are looking at it weird, or you see a photo of yourself where u havent shaved for a few days, and you're like: "shit!' I'm not trying to be harsh here, this is a wake up call from someone who has experienced the horrors and low emotional depths of this terrible situation. The onus is on YOU to get out while you still have a shot at long-term regrowth. cowboytroy 1/26/2009 8:13:22 PM Pacific i am thinking about what you said john.....and i am looking at pictures of me with a dark shadow, pictures where i look like a cartoon character with a shadow so bad it looks like i just stepped out of a coal mine, and remembering i had shaved minutes prior to taking the picture. i hate that, pisses me off. it's almost as if shaving the few patches everyday just so i won't have a shadow anymore would be worth it. shaving is not the problem. having a dark shadow even after i shave is. John 1/27/2009 8:18:57 AM Pacific Well, that is the reason why I had it done also... the dark shadow. Mine was confined to the moustache and chin region, elsewhere I shaved clean. I understand exactly your feelings, but with a beard as dense as yours, the result simply will not be good. Genetics are genetics man.... personally when I see a guy with really strong shadow, I always think I'd trade places with him in a second now. Patchiness, even the word, has become a strong stigma in my life, and only when my beard somewhat evens out will I be remotely free of that stigma. If you simply must continue with these treatments, make sure you are doing it with reputable people who have experience with beard treatments. POSITIVE experience, not like my practitioner, where only after a number of treatments on me was I told that the only result seen in other patients was patchiness. You can imagine that in that moment a murderous mist descended on me, lol. Seriously, laser treatment just disgusts me at this point. Good luck to you in what you decide to do. cowboytroy 1/27/2009 7:15:48 PM Pacific i am not going to go through with it. i am just going to get touch ups on my neck and upper cheek area, above where any normal beard would stop. and also the back of my neck. as hairy as i am and as much testosterone as i have, i think i had better stop now to get back to normal anytime soon. you got me thinking about the maintenance treatments years down the road.....and if i got tired of the maintenance, would it grow back uniform? probably not according to you, it would grow back patchy as it is now. at the moment my goatee region is darker than the cheeks, but maybe i can manage. the cheeks are somewhat patchy however. my last treatment was dec. 12. it all started out with me wanting to do my neck, and then upper cheeks. but one of the damn technicians decided to go right down the middle of my cheeks one day, below where i told her, and screwed everything up, so i decided to just do a full beard to hide her foolishness. now i am going to stop. i have seen too many bad testimonials about doing a mens beard, and i am a very hairy man with a dark shadow, so i don't see why i could have a snowballs chance in hell of coming out with a thinner, lighter beard that is not patchy.....i have a low self esteem already with this shadow, and now patchiness, so i am going for something in the middle. just a beard with normal beard line (not high on the cheeks). we sleep in the bed we make. lets try and focus on the good if we can. John 1/28/2009 6:44:41 AM Pacific Yeah, the reason why I did laser was because I was under the impression that it would thin in out. Never had I imagined that the results would be patchy. And like you, I had to keep getting more areas done to hide the idiocy of the stupid women who performed it on me. I mean, one of them was yabbering on at me about her plans for the future, working in Dubai, and if I had any vacation plans for that summer, all the while just throwing the laserhead in random spots without looking. The next day I came out in hideous red blotches caused from being burned by the laser. Wow, am I glad those days are behind me. You will be too. I used to get really nervous the night before treatments, because I knew that I would have to walk around looking like a freak for the next two weeks, every time. I look back, and simply can't understand why I put myself through it. It took that Youtube video and the follow-up comments to make my decision for me. Rest assured, you will look back on this period in time to come and be relieved that you stopped as well. ven 2/1/2009 11:04:44 PM Pacific Back again,had treatment # 5 im much more relieved now the 2 patchy areas on my chin finally shedded out i feel 100 percent better now that its all even.i realize tho that my neck started back growin a little im a bit upset about that its like when one area is smooth one starts back acting up lol i hope by the 7th treatment its all gone,but on a poz note im only shaving once a month which for me makes it all worth while and my skin is amazingly smooth n firm. good luck ill keep u guys updated cowboytroy 2/2/2009 7:40:45 PM Pacific maybe i should keep going! Erik 2/3/2009 5:08:46 AM Pacific I had my first laser beard removal treatment today, at a renowned institute here in Belgium. My God it hurt!!! It was the worst pain I have ever experienced. My eyes were constantly tearing up and I got a shock throughout my body with each laser zap. It was hell. The doctor did say that in my case it hurts a lot because my beard is extremely thick and stubborn. For the second treatment (in 6 weeks) I'm getting skin numbing cream (Emla) and I will take painkillers. Now, about 3 hours after the treatment my face is still a little red, but the doctor ensured me that by the latest tomorrow night my face will be back to normal and no further problems will surface. Will see if she's right! Immediately after the treatment she gave me an icepack that I applied for about 30 minutes and after that I had to apply an anti-inflammatory cream. Of course I do have to stay out of the sun as much as possible until the next treatment. todd 2/6/2009 8:56:32 PM Pacific for me guys is kinda different...i am at my 10th i thin (i actualy lost the count). aw the thing is that the hair regrowth 100% the same as before...i dont have any patchiness...im convinced now that laser cannot remove beard as its control by hormons(testosteron)..so it will be the same for the rest 50 or even 100 laser treatment! John 2/7/2009 4:11:05 PM Pacific It just varies from person to person. I would suspect, todd, that your settings were not up very high, or that your beard is not dark enough to be effectively removed. I did not have very many treatments at all on a part directly underneath my chin, but it is permanently removed now... I've waited two years and the regrowth is barely any. It looks horrible, because the big bald area is contrasted with the very dark hair that surrounds the area. Ven 2/9/2009 12:23:20 PM Pacific @ TODD-by ur tenth treatment u shouldnt have those results i think u shouldve prob gone to another place im on my 6th and no patchiness and no regrowth yet...im hopin by # 8 thats it lol my friend is done with his he had 7 a year and a half ago n hes good nothing just a few strays..so i doubt hormones and testostorone has anything to do wit it Joe 2/10/2009 7:19:53 PM Pacific looks like the board has been busy - I havent checked in a while. after about six weeks, I have very minimal hair regrowth - just a very minor few. I am going to continue the treatments - I have another one scheduled in about 10 days from now. I am very much happy with the lack of shaving that I have to do - and the lack of the permanent shadow on my face for me it is worth it cowboytroy - you need to find a different location - dont go to the "fast food" laser clinics with the "trained technicians" - find an actual MD in your area, it makes a difference Todd - I dont know what the hell they are doing to you, but it sounds like a scam - I had an extremely thick beard, now (after 8 visits) the only stubble that I get on a daily basis is the white whiskers - laser cant touch them. I am starting to get some minor regrowth in the moustache area beware of the scammers guys this stuff is painful to go through - its not for the weak hearted!!! best of luck to all I'll try and report after my next treatment Erik 2/15/2009 2:19:47 PM Pacific Now almost 2 weeks after my 1st treatment, my skin is finally clearing up (it got pretty bad about 5 days after the treatment!). I let my beard grow to cover it up lol. No patchiness. I just shaved and I noticed that shaving is easier now than before, my beard has gotten a bit thinner already, yay! Next treatment is scheduled in about 4 weeks. I'm not looking forward to it because it's so terribly painful :( ... I also noticed that I have quite a few "red" hairs in my beard. Can the laser kill them too? Maybe not, I will ask at my next treatment. Erik 2/15/2009 2:21:57 PM Pacific @ John: why did you have the treatment done only on a part directly under your chin? John 2/16/2009 4:54:03 PM Pacific No, I had the whole goatee area hit. Its just that everything grew back except a large part right underneath the chin. I then kept getting the remainder of the goatee hit, but it couldn't really be reduced further, so I gave up. But I am left with a large bare area right underneath the chin now. Its gotten slightly better over the last few months, so I live in hope I guess. Erik, the thing to bear in mind is that this is a serious time and money investment, and it is almost certainly not worth it. It made me way too self-conscious about what people thought of my patchiness, or in the weeks directly after treatments when the hair was shedding and my face was swelled/red. I am glad I have put that part of my life to bed, and I'm trying to focus on recovery now. If someone is really that desperate to get rid of their beard, and this process works for them, and they don't mind having to hide away for months on end, then fair play to them. But you will only know it has worked by waiting up to a year after your final treatment. What I found out very early on, is that I was totally not prepared to look so patchy and horrible. I kept going to the clinic to sort out the patchiness, but it only became worse the more I went. So last summer I raised hell about why the results were so dreadful, and ever since, they've been doing research into how to help me recover my 'patchy' areas, and offering as many free cellular stimulating treatments as I want in order to enable better conditions for hair to grow. Ok, this has become long-winded, take care all. Erik 2/17/2009 4:24:06 PM Pacific Hey John, I think I understand you... But I don't have any patchiness at all (yet) and my face was only swollen and red for 1.5 day. Ok, the days after I got some zits and crappy overall skin, but I didn't feel self conscious about it at all. Two weeks later my skin was back to normal and after only 1 treatment I already feel some difference. If the patchiness stays away after the next (few) treatment(s), I will just quit and be happy that my beard is thinner and easier to shave and just be happy :-) John 2/19/2009 7:49:07 AM Pacific To each their own Erik. But I was astounded with how my beard looked two weeks after my first treatment. All the hair had gone, I looked about 15 again! But then a couple of months down the line, the problems began. A dark patch here, a dark patch there... islands of beard growth basically. I went for many touch-ups, and every time after two weeks I would be totally smooth faced. It also psychologically messes you up after a while when after you shave, you simply don't know where the next dark growth will pop up, there was no consistency or uniformity of the hair growth patterns in my case. The clinic simply said 'you will just have to keep going with it' thereby extracting money from me, and I bought it. I also originally wanted to stop after maybe 3 treatments like you are thinking, but due to the bad result that was showing up, I felt I I HAD to continue. So don't jump to conclusions after one treatment. Hair WILL grow back in the areas that you have had hit, it is just a question of how much. The real problem with laser is that it cannot kill/damage hair in a symmetrical fashion, so your result could be bad. It could also be a lot better than mine though! Hopefully for your sake it will. Its your face, so do as you wish, I'm just sharing my experience as an example of what is quite a common result for male beards. ven 2/20/2009 10:41:17 PM Pacific Well guys im back again treatment # 6 today had a new practicioner since the last girl quit ,this one actually was better than the last she took her time!! lol and got every single hair, so far progress has been coming along great,many compliments on my smooth younger looking skin,they sai d 2 more treatments n the rest are touch ups . i guess it varies on each individual. good luck boyz Erik 2/21/2009 5:40:12 PM Pacific Ven, did the 6th time cause as much pain as the 1st time, or does it get easier with each treatment? cowboy troy 2/22/2009 10:18:12 AM Pacific i have had about 8 treatments now, and my last treatment i switched from an American Laser Center to an indepenent MD for treatments, and wow do the results seem better. it may be the difference in the laser. probably 70% of face is without hair, a small part on each side of my chin and mustache is thinning greatly but still present.....however, there are three 1-2 mm wide stripes that are two inches in length on one cheek, about a half inch apart, that just appeared after two weeks of no growth. is this due to the technician not overlapping enough, or just this just happen until the follicles are dead? do i need to tell her to start overlapping, or is this a normal occurance? also, do treatments need to be 6 weeks apart each time? i was told alternate 4,5,6 weeks between treatments because the hair grows in 4,5,6 week cycles....thanks for your help. are "touch ups" going over your whole face again, or does that just mean getting the small spots of hair that are regrowing? ven 2/22/2009 4:48:10 PM Pacific @ erik ummm the pain gets easier because the hair gets lesser n lesser and thinner i bare it well now the moustache still kills like hell lol..but its worth the pain i guess becuz of my smooth skin. @ cowboy-touch ups is like 2 times a year or once a year its the whole face just to make sure the roots are dead or to kill a few strays . and its less $. and the hair only gets killed in the growing stage which is like every 5-6 weeks . cowboy troy 2/23/2009 9:52:08 PM Pacific so what about the stripes on one side of my face? are they because the lady did not overlap good enough? John 2/25/2009 6:38:21 PM Pacific Some areas are more resistant than others cowboy. It varies also from person to person. One man's beard can be composed of much different fibrous characteristics than another's. It could be because of lack of overlap, but the on the youtube video, the guy states that he had 12 treatments, with touch-ups after all of them to try to eliminate stray stripey patterns that were missed. Even with all that, on really high settings, it was a disaster for him. I've stopped with laser, and I'm still left with stripey areas. I simply know through experience that these areas would only be worse if I kept going, and they are gradually blending now. joe 3/7/2009 2:55:24 PM Pacific HI I had my treatment a few weeks ago - she really got me pretty good, damn it hurt!!! at the time I went in, there were maybe a handful of hairs on my cheeks, she found all the stuff that wasnt really growing yet, its funny how she zapps my face and neck, with no visible hairs, and it still hurts. Actually, she uses those jeweler's magnifying glasses that let her see much deeper than we can see with the naked eye. I often weigh the choice I have made - I wish that the laser was accurate enough to just symetrically thin out the beard, unfortunately its all or nothing. I wish that I could have a thin beard, but the beard that I had was so darn thick, and there were no razors that made it disappear, always had that ugly shadow. I still have the white daily whiskers that nedd to be shaved, I hope that the remaining "sleeping" hair will turn white as well. it will eventually happen. for the guys with the stripes, I had them several treatments ago, they really suck ass. with additional treatments, they should go away. I hope the folks that were going to ALC have found new options. if you are going to a doctor, ask about setting up a dental block when you make your appointment - my doctor gives it to me, and it really helps, unfortunately its only the moustache area that gets numbed, but it is completely numb. you can imagine how valuable that is!!! dont expect that your hair will be gone forever after a few treatments, the density of the hair follicles is unlike any other area on your body, there are so many so close togetherthe laser cannot get them all, the laser gets absorbed by dark material (hair), the skin get irritated from the laser, you really cant hit it again in the same spot to try and get the ones it couldnt reach, although I do think there should be overlapping to minimize the stripes. eventually you will get to the point where the overlapping gets everything, just be patient. good luck to all cowboy troy 3/11/2009 4:10:45 PM Pacific @joe i changed from ALC to a doctor 2 treatments ago, after 8 with ALC....with much better results. there are thin stripes now, but the chin area has improved immensely. i had stripes after the first treatment with the new doctor. i told her to overlap, and she said the next treatment would take care of the stripes. well, 6 days has past since my second treatment with the doctor, and i pray that the stripes will dissapate with this treatment, but i can still see them.....i know it takes about 10-14 days for the hairs to push out. if they remain, can i go back to the doc and just have her go over the stripes again to remove them, say in 2 weeks? or do i need to wait 6 weeks before she hits them again....hopefully this is a moot point and they will go away here in the next week.... how many treatments did it take before your stripes disappeared? my beard is as thick as you described yours to be....could not tell i had shaved, very thick, dark shadow..... it is much easier to shave, and i look much better in pictures without the dark shadow, but the stripes and tiny patches just make it look bad..... i am trying to be patient....you are right, this is not for the mentally weak.....just looking for some honest reassurance i guess! John 3/16/2009 7:23:04 PM Pacific ah... you guys are killing me here. laser is not permanent. all this talk of stripes and hoping they dissipate etc... when one stripe goes, another pops up in a different area. its almost written in stone. just go to this long thread, and discover all the people who are desperate to grow back their beards following bad stripy results: http://www.realself.com/review/12-tx-male-beard-laser-hair-removal-disaster?page=17#comments John 3/16/2009 7:24:35 PM Pacific Bear in mind that they would have been just as desperate as you fellas in the first place to reduce/remove shadow etc. VEN 3/20/2009 8:27:54 PM Pacific Guys its me again!! Had treatment # 7 today since the last treatment i had like 4 whiskers on my whole face i was finally some redemption for all the pain n time etc barely anything grew back now they got me on maintainence n the price is way down so its great for me i think this is it for me but ill keep u guys posted when i go in for my maintainence in may... lol yes may barely anythign is growing back so they scheduled me for a much later appt.. so guys i wish i could put up my pics thru here to show my progress from treatment 1 -7 but im happy i did laser on my beard neck moustache n face im like silk!! LOL everyone asks me why n how my skin is so smooth and that i look so much younger im 26 n still gettin carded !!! im so happy.if u guyys got questions let me know alright dont give up hope it really pays off in the long run Erik 3/21/2009 7:17:15 AM Pacific I had my second treatment today. Thank God it was a LOT less painful than the first! It was actually bareable today. The result of the first treatment was already really good. Shaving got a lot easier and I didn't get any rash after shaving anymore. All the ingrown hairs had disappeared too (that's the best part) and I didn't have any patches or stripes at all. John 3/24/2009 4:36:49 PM Pacific Whatever, don't listen to a word I say people. You won't be happy a couple of years down the line when you're still tied to these clinics, bleeding you dry of your cash reserves just so you can temporarily eliminate facial hair stripes and feel able to leave the house. Then a few weeks later, you'll have to go back AGAIN. What a racket these untrained clinicians have going. Miki 3/29/2009 8:58:15 PM Pacific Hi guys, all this info is giving me some faith i guess!!! I have undergone lasertreament over the past 6months for facial hair removal. I have had over 7 sessions and successfully only have a few patches left of corse dark hair around the chin area thats showing. I dont however want my whole face to be completely bare after all hair is evenly lasered, meaning, perfectly clean shaven looking - i do want my hair to grow back everywhere, maybe a 5o'clock shadow look? Will my hair ever grow back to that effect? or is my facial hair lost forever? Iam 24 years old so my testosterone levels are high, i do have a chance for hair regrowth? Please let me know what i can expect in years to come with my hair regrowth? I do at the moment have blonde hairs growing back, will this be the only hair regrowth, as i want my dark hairs to obviously grow back. I started laser treatment because of my bad ingrown and pimple rashes I use to get with shaving... my skins sensitivity did not gel with my strong beard! Cheers John 4/4/2009 6:53:59 PM Pacific Have a look at my posts Miki, although they may seem pessimistic, they represent a bit of a reality check from all these other guys who are so pleased with laser beard reduction in the weeks after treatment, before it quickly comes back in small streaks. If you wait a couple of years, there is a good chance you will get a lot of the hair back. I'm 25 myself, and have waited about a year since my last treatment, and have seen a lot come back. Like you, I didn't want to be barefaced, but unfortunately I have a large patch under my chin and on the sides of my goatee that seems to be refusing to grow back at all. I can only hope given more time that I will experience that area getting filled in. ven 4/4/2009 11:18:53 PM Pacific Guys its me again just another update i have treatment # 8 coming up soon not even sure i should even go in considering im smooth like baby not one strand of hair on my face lol my friend hasnt been back in almost 2 years n just a few strays here n there on him i think i may or may not go in for # 8 but if by may anythin grows back ill let u guys know then i may go in for a touch up i just love the fact that i never have to shave or nothing just get up wash my face n go !! good luck u all keep strong Miki 4/5/2009 4:12:40 PM Pacific Thanks John for the advise - the first few treatments when i started, i was getting zapped once every 2 weeks- i guess its because of my beards corsness that the clinicians determined the time frame! i now going once a month, and next week is my next treatment.... i have however over this month seen some improvement interms of growth around my cheek region - BUT only on one side of my face, the other is bare???!!! is that normal? does one side react quicker than the other side of the face...? I was thinking next week that i will advise my clinic that im happy with my reduction, and just see through time if my hair growth will respond.... @JOHN - what laser did you use? John - keep me posted with your updates mate, best of luck! Don'tDOLaser 4/10/2009 10:22:11 AM Pacific I must admit that laser is temporary. It's almost like a waxing but just lasts longer. The hair will regrow at some point. Typically it starts 6 months after your last treatment. Then your in the same bucket since hair grows in stages. This is even listed on the FDA website. I highly recomened stopping treatment and just letting what mother nature gave us, BEARDS! Many say that the beard growth cycle is 2 years. I noticed regrowth about 6 months after my last treatment. So i count 2 years from when the regrowth started for my 2 years. I'm going on my 1 year reunion from when the hair started growing back and now I have a gotee! I figure another 6 months and I will be almost back to original. However, I do have the patchiness. I see other hairs cycling in very quickly though. It's like one day I will look in the mirror and the next day a shadow filled in in one area. I try not to think about it and just continue on with my life as it's not nearly noticeable unless I look closely or let my beard grow out for a day or so. Yes my haor grows that quick! I highly recomend NOT doing laser though. I wish I was informed of this before I started. However, I do find humor when I can and tell my brother not even laser can stop my hair growth. It must be in my blood but my brothers are hairy, quick regrowth, etc. My sisters have the same issue. Shave their legs and next day need to be shaved again. I get a haircut and 2 days later it's grown back. Just my .02 John 4/23/2009 5:05:32 PM Pacific DontDOLaser, I think you mentioned on another thread something about testosterone shots being an option for us. Have you tried this? Joe 4/24/2009 8:19:32 AM Pacific its a matter of personal choice....... I choose to continue seeing a Dr for my treatments. I went in yesterday, after two months, i wanted to hit the tiny, stubborn spots at the corners of my mouth - she also hit a few spots that I couldnt really see (she uses magnifying glasses) - maybe 5 minutes of zapping, and today I really dont have any noticeable marks. I imagine that I will go back in about 8-10 weeks for another touch up as well. I dont mind it, it keeps my face smooth, I dont have a permanent shadow, I dont have the stripes or large patches - thats stuff all goes away..........but I cannot say for how long. what I do know is that it was tough for a while. I dont have a problem with going in once in a while for a touch up - the time between visits gets bigger and bigger - eventually I would say that the need will go away. david 5/14/2009 3:46:17 PM Pacific My beard used to grow high so i wanted my 5'o clock shadow reduced, but after my 3rd appiontment the girl working there bent one side up so i had to go lower on both sides to make it look even, she then did the same thing on the 4th session. so i had to go lower again. Now my beard looks unatural and to low. Also i am getting patchy spots in areas i had hit. I've had 5 sessions now. Its been 5 months since my last session and the results still look bad. I regret ever having done this! Does anyone have any hope of my beard going back to normal, i've been reading about hormonial changes, so as i am 24 i hope this will regenerate growth! patches 5/18/2009 7:25:37 PM Pacific i have had about 13 total treatments.....tired of the lines that just wont go away, so i am going to stop treatments.... @john.... how is your regrowth to this point? how many total treatments did you have before you decided to quit? and how long before i should start to see some regrowth? are you sure things will start to look normal after a year, or have the follicles been damaged too much in some cases? John 5/23/2009 1:08:04 PM Pacific @ patches: You will need to give it time to assess how much regrowth is possible. It will be a rough ride in all likelihood, and there is simply no way to tell what patterns of regrowth will start coming in. 18 months. I mean, I stopped almost a year ago, but I'm nowhere near happy with how it has regrown. Its heavy above the chin, and theres a big gap right underneath. But things are still a lot better than last year. I used to hate, despise going to the clinic after about the 4th time, because it was torture for 2 weeks afterward every time. No matter how often you go, it will return in ugly stripes, so there's no point in continuing is there? I plan on having a treatment of electrolysis to blend what has returned, just to make me more comfortable with it. Here is a link to a very informative discussion from people who've been there, like us: http://www.realself.com/review/12-tx-male-beard-laser-hair-removal-disaster patches 5/25/2009 11:06:54 AM Pacific @john are you only getting one electrolysis treatment? or do you think you will need multiple treatments? that is a good idea, i have heard a lot about the reblending, but dont know how many treatments it takes or how expensive it is, or if it hurts worse for goodness sakes.... and april 16 was my last treatment day...should i wait before i start with the electrolysis, just to assess how much regrowth i have? already a lot has grown back in the chin area, and mustache is fine, but the cheeks are stripey and i am begging that to fill in, really embarassing. are your cheeks not stripey? will the cheeks fill in before the gotee/chin area in your opinion? thanks for your input. John 5/25/2009 3:49:15 PM Pacific Its gonna be different for everyone. For me, there is a part of my beard directly under the chin line, which has remained sparse for over 2 years and simply will never grow back. Its a large patch too, so its unfortunate. Wait until around April 2010 to get any electrolysis done, so do nothing for the next year. It will feel good not to have go back to those stupid clinics at least. I am going to go in for electrolysis either this week or the next, and I will find out what they will do for me. Go to that forum, and read thru it. It will provide info about what u might expect in the coming months. I tend to check it regularly too, and am registered. patches 5/27/2009 1:04:51 PM Pacific john: would the amount of time of which the treatments were dispersed have anything to do with how fast the hair will regrow to normal? i had 13 over an 8 month span.....would this be different than if i had them over a year span or 2 year span? Joe 6/6/2009 6:11:14 AM Pacific sorry to hear about the bad results - for me, it was very difficult for about 6-8 months, but now I have very little to complain about, I have such a small amount of regrowth. I only have a very few hairs, no more stripes or patches. I have said it over and over - dont go to the "chains" go to an actual MD, if possible. good luck guys Joe 6/6/2009 6:11:42 AM Pacific sorry to hear about the bad results - for me, it was very difficult for about 6-8 months, but now I have very little to complain about, I have such a small amount of regrowth. I only have a very few hairs, no more stripes or patches. I have said it over and over - dont go to the "chains" go to an actual MD, if possible. good luck guys Marco 6/25/2009 11:07:49 AM Pacific Hi Guys... I realised I hadn't posted in a while and felt it was needed having read what a lot of people had to say - and it was from this own board and my friends obvious advice that I should stop. And I have. I completed my last treatment this June. I have now undergone 24 treatments over the space of 2 years consecutively. My beard still fully grows. Sure I noticed a slight slower rate of growth, finer, softer hairs - but the fact remains, I have a fully grown beard growing! I wasted just over £2,000 ($4,000) on laser hair removal. I stop now, and recommend all should as it really is not designed for males. Are hormones are a bit wild. I'm young, 21, and obviously am still growing. Sure if you're a transgender undergoing hormone therapy, this would most definately benefit you - but i'm not! Lesson learnt. Good luck guys... but seriously take on board what the rest are saying. I'm telling you from my own experience, and there really is nothing more to add. Best wishes, Marco. John 7/3/2009 5:14:23 AM Pacific Marco, there is no chance that your practitioner knew what the fuck they were doing. You could not have had 24 treatments(!) and have no real reduction, no matter what age you are. I had around 12, finishing up last summer, and I'm still waiting for growth in a large patch under my chin. The settings could not possibly have been high enough. But you're very lucky... be thankful that you only lost 2 grand, you could have ended up patchy for life, and you can't put a price on that. MJ 7/18/2009 1:11:47 AM Pacific This is such a pleasure to come across an informative discussion board over such a long period of time. However, with all the advancements in Laser technology, I'm still reading mixed results which concerns me a lot. I have hair on my cheek and on my temple (yeah, odd) and would like to do laser only on these parts. I didn't find anyone having done on these parts though. My cheek's hair is fairly thick but the temple is not! Anyone ever suggests me to take laser? if that is going to end up patchy, the temple will look bad, righ? PLEASE let me know what you think, as I need confidence before taking this treatment. Thanks a lot MJ 7/21/2009 3:49:23 PM Pacific @ Joe: Can you please tell us who your MD is? That would be a great help. Miki 8/17/2009 8:28:10 PM Pacific hi - wonder if anyone can help... ive stopped laser treatment for about 4months now. Almost all hair grew back fine. I now am suffering with hair loss on the sides of my face around the cheek and sideburns area. Only few dark hairs are appearing and many blonde hairs. When i grow my beard fully the sides from a distance look as if i dont have facial hair growing as the rest of my face is dark and heavy with facial hair. Are the sides going through some slow grow-cycle which will take time? Or will I be left with small amounts of hair around the side of my face forever? Thanks Suellen Edgar 9/1/2009 11:15:07 AM Pacific I would like to inform you about IPL treatments, Intense Pulse Light. A system called the E-one is a portable professional use only system, which packs a great punch. On average clients need around 3 - 5 treatments. p Its very rare for someone to have more than 5 treatments, as this machine, winner of new product of the year award in Paris 2007, was developed specifically for permanent hair removal. It does not have many attachments, to treat red veins, acne or skin scars, etc it only treats hairs, ideally like you, fair skin with dark hair. It can be used however on most skin types with amazing results. The e-one treatments are available in London and Middlesborough. I am trying to get more machines into salons, gyms, clinics and spas so as to allow more people access to this fabulous technology. Where do you live? average costs for a full beard would be around £45- £65 per treatment. IPL is far safer than Laser, no risks of burns, and treats areas quicker due to the size of the light head and wattage. I do hope that you will continue with your treatments, laser or IPL, as not ever having to shave again is a real godsend. Permanent hair reduction is a real possiblity, I suppose its just finding the right machine to do the right job at the right price. If you would like more info about IPL the E-one system, pls feel free to contact me again. fn 9/19/2009 12:11:09 AM Pacific I was wondering if anyone has had any experiences or have heard of people being injected local anesthesia when performing laser hair removal. I've been going through the same thing you guys have and asked the doctor who was doing the laser if she could inject me with some local anesthesia and she said that it would case the laser to not work. She had that the anesthesia would alter the hair follicles and the laser wouldn't be effective. Is she right? I don't trust her. Any comments? Any thoughts? Heard anything about this? David A 12/18/2009 11:55:11 PM Pacific Hiya I hear you Lad's saying there's no bloody way on the earth to get rid of the facial hair permanently ! which isn't really what iam looking for , how about turning a rough beard in to a soft hair's that could be gone with one razor shaft? i used to love growing my beard at the age of 17-18-19 when it kinda looked like ( 'Heath Ledger)'s beard style growing it was suave and shaving it would have gave me a baby face , now iam 22 but looks like freaking george clooney , when i shave it you can still see the roots which iam sure plenty of you suffers it , its never only a skin anymore , is there anyone who thinks there's away to make the hair grow the way it was growing a couple years ago? i've thought about waxing but iam not sure it will do , Youre opinion will be a massive Favor!! You can post it here or post me through my email which is : dav_mmore:yahoo.com Thank You. Tim 1/10/2010 12:44:38 PM Pacific I'm wondering why no one has discussed Tria, the home laser hair removal device. I was going to order this last year, but it was too expensive. Now it's $595. I think that price makes sense, when you consider what you're saving by doing this at home. It also offers more flexibility, because you can schedule your own treatments. I had most of my beard removed by electrolysis when I was pursuing a sex change back in 2000-2002 (which I stopped). I have a bit left around the goatee area, which is what I'm going to use the Tria to clear. I bought mine this morning. It is currently 3/13/2010 9:23:01 PM Pacific. Name: (required)  E-mail: (optional)  URL: (optional)  Enter your comments below. Leave a blank line between paragraphs. You may use <B>, <I>, and <A> HTML tags for formatting and linking, but you need not use HTML for line and paragraph breaks. Your e-mail address will not be displayed publicly. 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