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It looks like the shedding is done for the láser i had on 11/8. for the first time, i think i could get away without wearing beard cover to conceal the blue/green tint that always showed through. 9 sessions down,
but the first 3 or so the power was not high enough to kill significant follicles and cause shedding. I have 3 more sessions in this 6 pack, then time to evaluate. i think i might switch to electro to start working on the strays and grays! it will have been around 15 months of laser.
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Oh my word. Facial hair is just the WORST of everything. And I just pray for a procedure and treatment that will remove this horrible growth forever, and which is not expensive.
Can hormone treatment not cause beard to stop growing and dissappear?
I have inquired about laser hair removal and it is just insanely expensive, and takes forever.
I'm so bummed out. 😔
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Hi Joanna, I hate to bum you out further but... uh yeah it sucks and there is no easy answer. If there were we would be doing it.
Let me answer your questions. I am pretty sure most will agree and believe me if they don't agree they will let us know :D
1. Hormone treatment does not stop your beard growing. At best it will grow more slowly and maybe slightly less dense but even that is iffy. Mine does grow a little more slowly and I have been on hormones 2 1/2 years. Short answer. Hormones will do very little for a beard. Hormones do reduce or diminish body hair.
I have had 80 hours of electro and am on hormones. I still have to shave. My beard is less than before from the combination of electro and hormones.
2. Laser is cheaper than electrolysis and is also faster. Laser only works on dark hair. Laser is less effective than electro but results vary from person to person. Some people can have great results with laser. Laser = expensive and long time. Electro = Very expensive and very long time but it's more lethal to your beard.
3. Those are your only options. SORRY. We all are, for ourselves LOL.
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Initial consultation done today and a patch test, it did sting a little, I'm going back next week for my first full session.
I'm impressed with the clinic, which is registered as a private hospital and is bound by the same regulations; clean, well maintained and with pleasant, knowledgeable staff.
As far as hormones go they don't stop your current facial hair from growing, nor will they stop any other facial hair from growing, the latter is achieved with the blockers that go hand in hand with hormones. But neither will stop established facial hair from growing, it has to be removed with one of the established methods. But I won't get hormones for at least another 11-14 months unfortunately.
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Well my first session is over and done with, as predicted not a huge amount appears to have changed but then again tough androgen driven facial hair takes some breaking down. It wasn't excessively painful for the most part, the worst bit was just around the hair line and on my chin when the hair is densest (meaning more heat), I was braced for severe pain on the top lip but barely felt it, I have never been able to grow much of a 'tache anyway. Next one is the first week in January - onwards and upwards.
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Thanks for keeping us up to date Melissa, I think there will be a few people following this thread :)
I had session 5 (6?) of electrolysis today, an hour every Saturday. It still hurts but not as much. I think because (a) I'm getting used to it and (b) I've started taking paracetamol/acetaminophen about half an hour beforehand. I don't know if that actually helps but it makes me feel better to have done whatever I can to take the edge off it. Plus I talk non-stop all the way through the session to distract myself.
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Well, that's encouraging, Melissa. I mean your account that treating the upper lip area was relatively painless. My electrologist has been saving the circumoral area for last in this first round of clearing, I'm guessing because it will be so much fun. :sad:
Then again, I fall asleep during about half my sessions so maybe it won't be so bad.
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Just had my upper lip re-cleared Nth time yesterday during electrolysis. It is hard to believe where all this hair is growing from. My electrologist says - it will be the last place completely cleared on your face. I can go more than a week without shaving my cheeks and there is zero shadow there.
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My next appointment is on Friday - yikes it has been a month already!
The clinician told me not to expect much after the first session but to be frank I am rather impressed, I have gone from having a blue shadow to a patchwork, I really should have done a before and after.
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Due to the image size restrictions (and my phones selfie camera not being that good) it's a little difficult to tell, the first picture is around a year and a half old, but it does show the extent of my facial hair coverage.Attachment 299956
As you can see it is pretty complete, not massively dense compared to some but it is very dark. The next one was taken a short time ago:
Attachment 299957
More hair on top of my head (literally a years growth) but less on my face. I have my second session of Laser hair removal on Friday - woop.
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Well here's the lunar landscape that is my chest at the moment, ongoing electrolysis. I shaved it on the 23rd I think and you can see the "normal" regrowth in the bottom half. The treated upper part is a bit red with very attractive spots scattered in, but that'll all fade. The important part is there's very little regrowth on it, and it used to go right up my neck and join the bottom of my beard line, poking out of my shirt. We're getting there. Next round tomorrow.
Attachment 300087
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Fun, ain't it?
You're right. The redness is only temporary, and the permanent results so, so worth it.
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It has been four weeks since my last laser session and I am heading for session number three tomorrow afternoon. This is what my (what's left of it) 5 o'clock shadow looks like after two sessions:
Attachment 301022
I have found that nothing changes for about two weeks after the laser does its thing, then, BOOM, hairs start to disappear - marvelous.
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Melissa,
As you have noticed it seems to take a couple weeks after your treatment before hair disappears, that is because it takes that long for your body to expel the treated hair. If you keep up with your sessions, the time for the treated hair to fall out will get shorter.
Keep in mind only a portion, approx 30%, of your hair follicles are active at any one time. Because of this you should ideally wait a minimum of ten weeks between sessions. If your sessions are scheduled too close together, you run the risk of using them up treating just the first 30%.
My skin tone is similar to yours, though my beard was not as heavy. Still it has taken nearly four years to get rid of all of my dark facial hair. Four years sounds like a long time, but in terms of the actual number of sessions, it has only been 20.
I was due to have another session this coming Saturday, but I stopped in after work earlier this week so my tech could evaluate things. It had been 12 hours since I shaved and she could barely find any dark hair. The end result was we decided to postpone working on my face as there isn't enough dark hair left to justify the time or the cost. BTW, this was the third time we have postponed work on my face. The last actual treatment on it was in mid October. Nearly four months ago!
Please don't get discouraged by the thought of how much time it will take, as it will be worth it in the long run. My current avatar photo was taken four days ago. My make up for that photo consists solely of Revlon Photo Ready primer, eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara, and lipstick. No concealer, no foundation, and no powder. It took me all of twenty minutes to do.
Finally, if your tech hasn't mentioned it, to minimize getting ingrown hairs use an exfoliating facial cleanser every night. I use Olay, a tube costs about $6 at the grocery store where I shop and will last about a month. It is money well spent.
Keep going, it will be worth the pain and expense.
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To be honest it doesn't hurt that much now, it really stung the first time due to the density of the hairs but now, third time around it really didn't hurt too much. There are a few denser patches that nipped a bit but other than that it's not too bad now. I'd say about 3/5 of the hair is still left after two sessions but because it has thinned out there is very little 5 o'clock shadow left, hopefully that will improve after the third has done its job.
I think once this current laser session has done its job the only place I will need the darker concealer is on my top lip as that is slower to clear but that is normal according to the clinician running the sessions, and getting shut of that step (whole beard area) takes about 20 minutes out of the makeup routine and means I can use a cooler coloured foundation :)
I will probably start spacing the sessions out more once the bulk of the hair has gone, I should be on HRT in about 6-8 months so that will slow the rate of growth and stop any new hairs forming (obviously it will not stop the original hairs from growing nor make them drop out).
The time it will take is not discouraging in the slightest, I knew from the off it was going to be a slow process!
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I might as well post a chest update then :)
Attachment 301228
Not a great picture but you can see the contrast between the treated V in the middle and the untreated bottom corners.
A lot of the hair is gray so it's hard to see how much there is on that part, but you get the idea.
Starting to move up the neck now...
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Laser has worked miracles on my face but the white hairs will be there until some scientific entrepreneur invents a laser that can kill light colored hair, or my insurance starts to cover electrolysis, the latter of which is a decade away. A quick shave and a very light coat of foundation and no one can see anything at all - and that's after only 4 laser treatments. it works! and the pain is fleeting....
e.a.
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Elizabeth canning ask how much is the cost of those sessions? And how much extension of hair has been removed?
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Vanessa, They were $80 for a full face session, I had 4 of these, then it's $40 for a touch up session, and it looks like maybe I'll have 3 or so of those....
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Thanks Elizabeth, for what I understand now, laser treatment reduce the hair to a minimum but needs after a while some maintenance to avoid it regrow. Am I right?
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Vanessa, in a nut shell, laser works on hair that is not grey nor red, and limited effect on blonde. If your hair is dark, you would need about 6 sessions and maybe as many as a dozen (everyone is different). Laser can be about 70% effective for permanent hair removal. Ymmv.
Electrolysis is permanent for about 95%. Still about six sessions or more, because hair grows in three stages and not all of your follicles are active at the same time.
Later on, you may need some touch ups with either. There are dormant follicles that can become active years later due to body changes, chemistry changes, or just because those follicle 'feel like it' ;)
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I'm glad this thread is still alive and replenished from the different members and methods...
I do have a question in regards of the laser treatments... As in which method or type do you use? Especially now that there are so many types... As listed below:
Popular Types of Laser Hair Removal Machines In The Industry Are:
Ruby Laser. The Ruby laser is the original and first system of laser hair removal. ...
Alexandrite Laser. ...
IPL Laser. ...
Nd YAG Laser. ...
Diode Laser.
I'm waiting on my 2nd 1st appointment and from what I've read IPL seems to be one of the better ones...
Thanks for the input and opinions! :)
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I'm finally reaping the benefit... I was out tonight and didn't have to do anything with my chest, it was just fine as-is :D
Attachment 301961
Before I started electrolysis it would have looked like I had a V-shaped piece of bear fur in between the leopard print.
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This is what my face looks like before my fourth laser session (sorry for being able to see up my nose):
Attachment 301990
As you can see it is nicely thinned out and I think the average estimate of 12 sessions for it to be almost clear is about right.
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Did they tell you if after finish the treatment additional or later laser sessions will be needed?