My Experience with Laser Hair Removal of My Bikini Area at Lifetime Laser

I can’t tell you how hard it is being a girl. First we have the “hormonal” issues, and then we have the standards we have to live by to please our mates. This includes many things, but the main thing I speak of is keeping our skin smooth and hairless. Shaving, waxing, bleaching, and tweezing are many of the methods used. Whatever we must do to get it done, we do it. Unfortunately, this gets rather tedious. No matter how often you do it, the hair just comes back faster and faster. I myself got rather irritated by this and decided to look into laser hair removal. I absolutely hate having any hair in my bikini area. Constant shaving and waxing was time consuming and painful.

I had heard that laser hair removal was permanent and worked quite well in the bikini area. I did my research and decided to go to Lifetime Laser of Texas located in Frisco, Texas. The technician there explained all aspects of laser hair removal and about the particular laser machine that she used.

First I will go over the laser machine that is used. Lifetime Laser in Frisco, Texas uses the Candela GentleLase Plus. The technician lovingly called it “the Rolls-Royce” of laser hair removal machines. It just so happens that Candela is the global leader in medical and anesthetic laser machines. The GentleLase Plus is made with an alexandrite laser that is quicker, safer, and less painful than other laser machines. Alexandrite laser machines have been proven to provide the best results as well. The GentleLase Plus has a high energy pulse that delivers the laser beam at a much faster rate than the more common ruby laser machines. It also has the patented Dynamic Cooling Device that provides less pain and more comfort. This machine has also been approved by the FDA for permanent hair removal.

Now I will explain how the laser works to remove your hair. Laser hair removal works by using a precisely calibrated laser beam. This laser beam targets the melanin (pigment) in a hair follicle. This process is called photothermolysis. It then heats the follicle thus destroying its ability to re-grow hair. The laser beam passes harmlessly through the skin, targeting the follicle, not your skin.

I found myself asking if I really wanted a laser pointing at my bikini area. I mean how safe is it and will it really work? I asked a lot of questions and the technician took a lot of time to explain everything to me in detail.

First off, it is very effective. However, it will take several treatments. It usually takes 5, but it can take several more depending on certain factors. These are: skin color, hair color, hair thickness, hormones, diet, medications and metabolism. An example, if you have particularly thick hair, it will take more treatments to get rid of it permanently. Also, if you have darker skin, it can take more treatments as well. The laser also does not work for light hair. So if you want grey, blonde, or red hair removed, you will have to stick to shaving, waxing, or plucking. Ouch!

There are some other precautions and issues that can inhibit the effectiveness of the laser. Certain antibiotics can cause skin tone changes when used while getting the laser treatment. You have to let the technician know of this or any other medications you may be on. Lucky for me, I am fearful of medication so I had nothing in my system when I got the procedure done. Another issue is you skin tone. You cannot tan the area that is to receive the laser hair removal. The laser targets dark pigmentation of your hair follicle. If your skin is dark, this can inhibit the effectiveness of the treatment. This means no trips to the tanning salons until the entire treatment phase is over.

Before my treatments were to begin, the technician told me that I had to shave the area clean. I was not allowed to wax, tweeze, pluck, or use depilatories until the entire treatment phase was over. This is because these hair removal methods damage the hair follicle itself and would inhibit the growth of the hair follicle, thus rendering the effectiveness of the treatment itself.

Now you may be wondering about the treatment sessions itself. I had my bikini area done. Each visit lasted about 7 minutes. The treatment times will vary depending on what area of the body you are having treated. You can get laser hair removal for your face, legs, back, bikini, or arm pits. The bigger the area is to be treated, the longer each session will take. Each treatment is spaced between 4 and 8 weeks apart. This is because of your hair’s growth. Everyone’s hair grows differently and over different periods of time. This is called the anagen stage or the growth phase.

This is where my favorite part about Lifetime Laser comes in. You see most laser hair removal facilities charge you $250 to $400 a treatment for the bikini area. If you need at least 5 treatments to get rid of most of your hair, this can cost at least $1250 to $2000. Most people need more than 5 treatments so this means it will cost you more. But this is not an issue with lifetime laser. My fee was $1300. I can get as many treatments as needed and I can come back for touch ups for the rest of my life. I have since had 5 treatments that spanned from July to October. I have not seen any hair return, but it has only been a month since my last treatment. But if I see any, I can go back and have the laser remove it. The technician said that my hair is thick so I will probably need at least 2 more treatments. I don’t really mind because it doesn’t cost me anything extra! Lifetime Laser guarantees that the hair will be permanently removed, even if it takes more sessions than normal.

If you are wondering if pain is an issue, well that depends on you. I have a very high tolerance for pain. But as it is, I can’t say that it was very painful to begin with. Again there are various types of laser hair removal machines. The one used at Lifetime Laser is the most painless of them all. I did happen to have a more sensitive area treated. But it was still not very painful. I can describe it as a light burning sensation that quickly passed as the laser moved on. It sort of felt like a rubber band snapping on me or someone flicking me with their fingers. Afterwards, my skin may was red and a bit swollen. But this went away after two days. You can have a mild anesthetic placed on your skin before treatment if you are worried about pain. However, some people (including me) are allergic to it. It is best not to use it, and honestly, you won’t need it. As for the redness and swollen skin afterwards, there is a product that the technician can give you to relieve that sooner. Unfortunately, I happened to be allergic to that as well. But it didn’t matter because it was back to normal in two days!

A few days after the treatment, I noticed little black flecks on my skin. This was just the dead hair in the follicle falling out. The technician said to just massage it out with a wash rag and it should just come right off. It did. In no time at all, I had a bikini area that was as smooth as a babies butt!

I have to say that this was the best $1300 dollars I have ever spent. The results were amazing and I had no unexpected side effects! I feel in the long run, this procedure has saved me a lot of time and money that I would have spent waxing it every 5 seconds. Not to mention, men really appreciate the smooth and clean look of my bikini area!

Lifetime Laser also does facial rejuvenation, sun sot removal, age spot removal, and microdermabrasion.