| I have wanted to try laser hair removal, but haven't. From my understanding you are a best candidant if there is a big difference in your skin color and hair color. Like pale to med-light skin color with dark hairs. Doesn't work as well for someone pale with light colored hairs or somone dark with dark or light hairs. It's the same whether you are naturally darker toned or are usually light but have a tan from sun exposure or sunless tanning products. Also, your hair grows in 12-week cycles where it is dormant for 10 weeks (approx) and actively growing for 2 weeks. Only the hair follicles currently active will be killed in any one treatment. I don't think 100% of the active hair follicles are killed, but I don't know what percentage are. I know that it takes about 6 treatment sessions to get about 70-80% of all the hair follicles. That being said, being the cheap-o that I am, I am trying the Igia Finally Gone. It only claims to kill 50% of the active follicles in any one session. So, if only 2/12's of the hairs are active and it only kills 1/2 of them, that is 1/12 of the total hairs per session, so I can expect to be hair-free in about 12 sessions ? I have only done about 4 (maybe 5) sessions over the last couple years. It is very very time-consuming even with the pads that cover more area at a time because I am doing my lower legs ... a lot of area to cover there. I can see some reduction in the number of hairs that grow on my legs and both legs have areas that are almost completely bald on the lower half of the lower legs towards the front and the inside. These are the areas that are the least "meaty". Don't know if that has anything to do with it ? For what it's worth, I have very hairy very coarse very dark hair on my lower legs and I am able to tell a difference already. When I "treat" my lower legs, I shave and then let the hairs grow for about 1-1/2 to 2 weeks, then I spend a saturday morning zapping my legs, and a few days after I have my legs waxed. Igia says you are to pull out each hair after the treatment, and waxing is the fastest way to get all of those hairs out ! I have also heard the "infomercial" for Nad's and they say after you wax a number of times that eventually the hairs stop growing. Not sure how true that is but don't try Nad's ... it does not work ... it is painful and it does not remove all of the hairs. If you want to wax, buy Gigi Honee All Purpose Hair Removal Microwave Formula from Sally's. It's also painful, but at least it removes all of the hairs ! You can also buy a Numbing Spray by Gigi that helps a lot. http://www.sallybeauty.com/ I don't have the guts to rip the waxing strips off myself, so I have someone else do the ripping. |
