Hopefully you have read my last blog about my experience with excessive facial hair. My experience with laser hair removal at Touch MedSpa has been a very successful, and positive experience. I have gone through three treatments and I have already experienced about 80% hair removal. Like I said before I was very hesitant to do hair removal again because I did not have success at the last office I visited. So far this has been a way better experience.
It started with my consultation with the aesthetician, she was very thorough about asking questions to get to know my issues and understand my needs. The first treatment was way better than I had experienced prior. She walked me through everything she was doing and warned me of when it would hurt a little. She also iced my face as she went along which made the process more comforting. The removal process lasted about 30 minutes. I had my neck, chin and face done, so this is why it took a good amount of time. She was very thorough with the after treatment process and what I should expect hours and days after the treatment.  I left feeling encouraged and excited for my next visit instead of miserable.  After my visit my face was red for a few hours, but subsided as the day progressed. I iced my face and also used cortisone cream.  Some of the hair started to fall out, while some also grew back.
My next treatment was three weeks later. We did less laser hair removal pulses, but used a stronger pulse.  The reaction after the treatment was a little worse than the first time. When I left the aesthetician told me I should be prepared for some slight scabbing and brown skin. The first few days I was a little concerned because my face did not look that great. So I was able to call her and ask if it was normal. She assured me that it was and the worst was over. She told me to give it a few days, and a process to follow to continue the healing. After about a week my face looked way better and I was so surprised at the results. Literally the hair was just gone. I can’t even express how happy I was that I had found something that finally worked! I really only had hair growing back in a few small places.
My third treatment went much like the first with just some redness afterwards. More of the hair that was growing was gone. I am looking forward to the next few treatments and I can’t wait to finally be hair free. Believe me I have had my hesitations, and I can relate with anyone else that has hesitations, but this time around has been worth it. Not only was it worth it but also it was an uplifting, positive experience! I would recommend this laser and facility to anyone.

 

I am a 24-year-old Caucasian female, and I have been struggling with Hirsutism since I was 16. Hirsutism is excessive hair growth in women, or a male like hair growth pattern. It can range from mild to severe and any skin type can experience this. I remember clearly when I first noticed that I had this problem. I was getting my makeup done for a school dance and the makeup artist pointed it out to my mom. As high school went on it got slightly worse. I had a lot of blood work done to determine that the hair was not from a medical problem like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or a hormonal issue. I learned how to deal with it over the years using a variety of methods from waxing, bleaching, and plucking to even paying thousands of dollars for laser hair removal.
When I first started laser hair removal it was about 7 years ago. I went to a place in Northwest Ohio, where I was living, that was well advertised on the radio. It was a “fad” facility that after a variety of complaints closed down. My experience at this facility was less than favorable. I went once a month for about a year with little results. The technicians kept telling me that we had to catch my hair in the growing phase and this is why I was seeing little results.
First, when I got to the facility they would shave my face because there was always a decent amount of hair growth. After this, they put clear gel on my face, the same gel they use for ultra sounds, before the removal. Then they conducted the laser hair removal on my cheeks, chin, and neck. Every time I left I felt horrible. First the treatment was painful and then I felt like it was not working, and it was so expensive. It was just an overall frustrating and stressful visit. I finally decided to stop going. After I stopped going I tried bleaching the hair, which worked fine, because I have very light skin. It made the hair more unnoticeable than prior. So, I did this about once a week for several years.  It seemed like the best, least expensive method. Nonetheless, the hair was still noticeable, and I still had to wax and tweeze sometimes.
Recently, I learned about Touch Medspa. I started with chiropractic care, which was very beneficial for my minor back aches. I then spoke with a staff member about starting laser hair removal again. At first I was very hesitant, as I have been down that road before and had no results. After they told me about their new laser and some of it’s features, I decided that this technology had probably improved since the last time I did it. I also felt more comfortable with the staff that works here, and they made my decision to proceed easier. Read my next blog on my experience with laser hair removal at Touch MedSpa.

Laser hair removal depends on a laser light to remove unwanted hair from the body. Hair removal will minimize the need to shave, wax, or pluck unwanted hairs. The laser uses intense heat to move through the skin to target the root, which is the hair follicle, below the skin to remove the unwanted hair. The hair follicle will be unable to grow new hairs once permanently destroyed. The average hair growth rate is about a half an inch per month. Typically hair grows in cycles between 8-10 weeks. The face normally grows in 4-week cycles, whereas the legs go through a longer cycle of new hair growth every 8-10 weeks. Which is why it is necessary to continue hair removal for several sessions and months.

Hair Growth Cycles
The hair must be in the growing (Anagen) stage for the laser treatments to work. This cycle is where the hair is visible on the surface of the skin. The laser will grab ahold of the live hair and move through it into the hair follicle making it the best time for successful laser hair removal.
The Catagen cycle is the stage of the hair before it falls out naturally. This stage is not because of the laser hair removal treatment, but a natural stage hair goes through before falling out.
The Telogen cycle is the final stage of the hair growth process. This is known as the resting stage where the hair is not growing or developing under the skin. The hair is not normally showing above the surface of the skin at this stage and therefor can’t be treated by laser hair removal.
These cycles vary on the age of the person, hormones, and natural hair growth processes, resulting in individual differences. Each individual hair may be in a different hair growth cycle. Not all hairs beside each other will be in the same cycle making it important to target areas with the laser more than once.

After the laser hair removal session, the hair bulb will start to come out over a 7-30-day period. This can cause redness and bumps like ingrown hairs, as your body will push the hair out of the follicle. Sometimes the hair is trapped under the skin, which is what causes the redness or bumps. It is common to think that the hair is growing, when it is really the body pushing the hair to the skins surface to remove. If hair growth does occur do not tweeze the hairs because then the hair will not be there to remove the next time.  It is best to use cortisone on any red areas. The dead hairs can be manually exfoliated using a soft cotton and a circular buffing motion. If hairs still do not fall out it is best to wait until they are naturally expelled from the body, or you will cause further irritation. If you have any questions or concerns about the hair growth or falling out process please ask our aestheticians, as they are very knowledgeable in this area. The best suggestion is to be patient!