My Brazilian - Part 3

As promised, I am updating you all on my third laser treatment. So far I have been very pleased with my progress. I went to the beach and had not shaved for 3 weeks. This morning I finally shaved and the only thing is that my hair is growing back VERY fine and very slowly. I am still noticing patches of hair that are not growing back but they may be growing at a slower rate than the rest. Either way, so far so good. I cannot wait to see the progress after this third treatment. 

Like I mentioned earlier, I just got back from the beach and was a bit worried what my laser technician would have to say about it. People with darker skin are not good candidates for laser treatments. Darker skin tends to burn easier with a laser and the setting has to be a bit lower. Although my bikini area never saw the sun, my bikini line definitely did. I was very careful at the beach and put sunscreen in the entire area every day. It didn’t block out the sun completely though and of course I did get a tan on my bikini line. I was very worried what she would have to say.  

 
There was no hiding I just got back from the beach – I am super tan now. So I talked to her about it  and she had to turn down the setting a tiny bit due to my color but said I should be fine and will definitely still notice results. After I was done I noticed a bit of redness and bumps, which is normal. Although it was not as obvious last time.
All in all it was a great session. I decided that it really is not too bad at all - you just can’t get scared away after the first time. You have to push yourself to keep going and get through the slight sting from the laser. Now that is has been my third time, it is a breeze!

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My Brazilian – Part 2

As promised, I said I would update you on all of my laser hair removal appointments so that you could hear the progress. My original appointment was scheduled for last week but when I showed up at the office they told me that my appointment was accidentally canceled and they couldn’t squeeze me in - I was very annoyed. They scheduled my new appointment for yesterday. This time I met with Carey. She was super nice and I immediately felt comfortable. She asked how I was doing and if I noticed any results yet. I told her I am so happy with the results already, it already started to work after only my first appointment. There are some spots where my hair follicles are completely dead. However, there are patches where it is growing back – this is normal. She said that I am right on track and it sounds like I am having great results so far. It was sort of the same routine this time except this time I did not have to wear tight goggles; I just wore these green sunglasses – very stylish. She said that she doesn’t make anyone wear the tight goggles unless she is doing hair removal around their face.

So before we got started she told me to let her know the pain level on a scale of 1 to 10… 10 being the worst. Much to my surprise the first jolt was not bad at all – I scored it at a 5. It hurt much worse the first appointment. She said she adjusts the laser setting to at least make the pain at a 5. When Toni did it last time, I remember the faint smell of burning hair, I didn’t really smell it this time. The room was a little bigger, so maybe that is why? The woman said that if the laser is on too high of a setting they can actually burn people – she then showed me a scar on her arm. I then wondered, did Toni have it on too high of a setting last time? Toni told me she looked for a pink color of the skin and the smell of burning hair. This time I didn’t experience either and Carey made no mention of it. I am just hoping that it works this time and that the laser was not set on too low of a setting to do its job. Carey said that people don’t understand that the laser will still work on a lower setting, it just all depends on the person’s skin type and how they have to adjust it. Since I have darker skin, she said she could burn me more easily than someone with lighter skin. Sounds kind of weird but it is true. We will see if it works at all – if not I will have to see if Carey can put the setting a notch or two higher. For the money I spent, I want to make sure it is working and although she said that the laser being a lower setting doesn’t matter, I assume it was higher when Toni did it and it seemed to work great the first time! We shall see. By the way, Carey said that I got 110 jolts this time - she usually only gives people about 90 but said she wanted to go over a few areas to make sure she got them. Now, this doesn't mean she zapped me 110 times. Overall, the appointment only took 15 minutes total, from the time I got into the room with Carey, til I got dressed and was out the door. It is a fast process - so far I reccomend it 100%! More updates next month to let you know if the second treatment worked!

Has anyone gotten laser hair removal? How was your pain level? I am just really hoping that it works this time since I had a little different of an experience.

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The Brazilian – Part 1

If you read my last post about my Groupon addiction you would know that I recently purchased a deal for laser hair removal. I bought this deal on sort of a whim. I had been going back and forth trying to decide if I wanted to wax but when I saw this I clicked purchase on an impulse. Yes, it was stupid of me but I heard some of my friends say they got their underarms done and didn’t think much more of it. The deal was for small, medium and large areas, each tiered at different price points. I purchased a medium size area so that I could get a Brazilian. A Brazilian is valued at $1,375 – the Groupon was $249. For laser hair removal you have to get at least 5 to 6 treatments. The Groupon I purchased gives me 6 treatments at the discount cost. I thought it was a great deal. The catch is that all of my treatments must be complete by October 31. The spa is conveniently up the road from where I work so I figured I’d have time during lunch.

Anyway, for those of you questioning if you should get laser hair removal or not, I figured I would tell you about my experience and give you updates. I did my research online after making my purchase and quickly became terrified; I read that it hurt so bad after the first treatment people would not go back. I kept reading other posts, hoping they had better experiences and a common thing I was reading was that it felt like a rubber band snapping your skin. A rubber band, that couldn’t be so bad, right? I was less nervous.

My first appointment was this past Tuesday. I was not really sure what to expect, everyone’s pain threshold is different. When I walked in I felt a mix of emotions, excitement and nervousness. After filling out the paper work, Toni (female) greeted me and said she was ready for my treatment. We went back to the room and she talked to me about the procedure: it would take 10-15 minutes and she wanted to make sure that I had shaved two days prior (that is what they recommend). After the pep talk I took off my clothes from the waist down and laid on the table. Toni put a very cold gel on the area and gave me goggles to wear. They are different than tanning goggles as I could not see out of them. She then said that she looks for three things, 1. A reddish/pink color on my skin 2. The smell of burning hair 3. She will use tweezers on one hair and it should easily come out with very little effort. Toni then said she was going to start – eeeeeeeeekkk!

The first zap was not horrible but it surely didn’t feel good. I would compare it to the feeling of a hot curling iron quickly touching my skin. I know that sounds horrific, it sort of was/is but it is very quick. What the heck was I putting myself through? She said, “is that ok?” I told her yes and to just keep on going. When the laser zaps you it stings for only 1 second and then the sting is gone in that area. Time passed by quickly but with each new zap, it was more uncomfortable and I did let out a couple, “OUCH, ok that hurts!” Some areas were more sensitive than others, I couldn’t wait to be done.

When I was finished I was surprised as it did not feel like she got all of the area. The laser is actually about 2 inches long but the zap is only felt in a small, concentrated area so it actually covers more than you think – thankfully! The area was definitely pink in color. Toni said that I should wait three days until I shave and that I should notice hair growing back in patches. Supposedly your hair “sheds” out. I put my clothing back on and was on my merry way. The best part is that there is no down time and no pain afterwards.

If this laser thing works, it will be the most amazing thing ever! If more Groupon deals come through for this sort of thing, I will more than likely make another purchase. I don’t think I could do a large area though, like my legs. 10-15 minutes was just enough time before I was about to tell her to stop. It really is a strange feeling, I don’t know why anyone would compare it to a rubber band snapping your skin. It is a jolt of heat, almost like you’re going to get a burn. However, I am very excited for my second appointment and look forward to seeing the progression. Have any of you gotten laser hair removal? If so, what did it feel like to you? I will keep you guys updated, hopefully this is worth it!

 

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