Question
Well, I started out with oh about 6 chin hairs on each side of my chin...and a few upper lip ones on the corners.
My experience after 5 Laser zaps, I look like a 15 year boy starting facial hair. Sparse growth...you know what I am talking about....sparse but a heck of a lot more than before I went. I guess I am part of the unfortuante 5% who would get more growth..now I have man size hair...course and dark.
But I have another complaint..my last visit she burned my skin awful. Or did something to the follicle...as afterwards there was a small pinhead size blister above my upper lip. Then the next day, a bit bigger it was the diameter of a quarter. Blister like, oozing...my sister thought it was herpes cold sore...humm. 45 years never had one.
I went back to the dermatogolist's office in Sammamish, WA (hint) who fried my face...had a scraping done..nothing. Negative herpes...inflammed follicle, so they said.
Now I have a red blotch scar, the size of that quarter above my upper lip...it has been 18 months so I think it is here to stay.

Answer
Well, I started out with oh about 6 chin hairs on each side of my chin...and a few upper lip ones on the corners.
My experience after 5 Laser zaps, I look like a 15 year boy starting facial hair. Sparse growth...you know what I am talking about....sparse but a heck of a lot more than before I went. I guess I am part of the unfortuante 5% who would get more growth..now I have man size hair...course and dark.
But I have another complaint..my last visit she burned my skin awful. Or did something to the follicle...as afterwards there was a small pinhead size blister above my upper lip. Then the next day, a bit bigger it was the diameter of a quarter. Blister like, oozing...my sister thought it was herpes cold sore...humm. 45 years never had one.
I went back to the dermatogolist's office in Sammamish, WA (hint) who fried my face...had a scraping done..nothing. Negative herpes...inflammed follicle, so they said.
Now I have a red blotch scar, the size of that quarter above my upper lip...it has been 18 months so I think it is here to stay.

Answer
I'm really sorry this happened to you. Laser should not have been performed on 6 hairs. Electrolysis is the best scenario for that. Laser treatments on the face should be done with substantial amount of hair and it's it's somewhat dark and coarse. Why target a large area when you only need to kill a few hairs?

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Oh that is terrible, I am sorry for you. I heard that before on this board, like Blink says about a few hairs not being the best for laser. It's strange tho, a hair is a hair...?
I am doing my upper lip and I had 2 treatments so far. I am lucky I am having good results. I was scared because I couldn't wax between treatments and thought I would walk around with a mustache but it's been almost clear and not really visible for the few hair that make it out.
You probably won't want to have laser ever again, but I hear that it can be great for scar (with a competent dermatologist, the right laster etc. of course)...
Good luck.

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Aww..Thank you two for your condolences. It was an awful experience.
Blink, If only I new about the few hair rule. I did research both electrolysis and laser and opt for laser. It never mentioned anything about how big of a patch...
Since it is now a mass, oh I estimate...twelve, fifteen hairs on each corner..the chin and lip , total perhaps 50 and coarse like horse hair...laser again or do you think I will be in line for the job at the county fair exhibit.."The Bearded Lady" if I did?
Currently, I tweeze...pull...ouch..pull..ouch...
Zawie, not to rain on your parade...mine was looking good too, with the exception of the last treatment that made my lip a potato chip.
The extras surge in growth wasn't immediate as I recall...it was at bay for a few months.
My body is very finicky...it doesn't like much though my mind does. It does its own thing and I don't have a say in it...So, if it was going to happen to anyone it would have happened to me....not a pessimist, just my body's reality.

Answer
"Since it is now a mass, oh I estimate...twelve, fifteen hairs on each corner..the chin and lip , total perhaps 50 and coarse like horse hair...laser again or do you think I will be in line for the job at the county fair exhibit.."The Bearded Lady" if I did? "
With only 50 hairs in an area, I think that I'd go electrolysis. If an electrolgist can do 5 hairs per minute (which, I believe may be done faster, depending on the experience and equipment used), that would take about 25 minutes. At the rate of $60 per hour, it would probably cost no more than $30. Sure, it may take longer than a few zaps with a laser, but laser would cost much more.

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if your skin is very light and the hair is really dark and coarse, I would go with a laser like GentleLASE (alexandrite type) at high settings for at least one treatment. Laser works very well on dark coarse hair, just need a good experienced tech. After that, if you're not satisfied, finish with electrolysis on the finer hairs.

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Thanks...
My skin is olive tone...as I am French and Finnish..yellow olive. Tan very easy but haven't in oh about 5 years. I have been called redbone on the east coast and high yellow on the west when tanned..but I would say now I am like medium to light olive...
The 50 plus hairs are very coarse and dark. The LHR also activated my peach fuzz. It is no longer at fuzz level, it is longer ...1/2 inch but still fine and blonde.
Anyone fall victim to nerve damage or scarring from electrolysis?

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Sorry about what happened to you. I live in your area and thinking about doing laser hair removal done. Can you tell me to whom you went and who is good.
Thanks

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Viv,
I can tell you who not to go to...Dr. Victor Michalak of Issaquah, WA gave me the droppy eyelids from Botox..and has since seen another Dr...and I no longer have droppy eyes. For his aesthetic services, he had a woman..lovely, who did those services, i.e. LHR, DERMA. She was from South Africa..name...hummm...ugh forgotten..but anyway she is the one who burned me.....

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yes, i have had many patients, here in the middle east scarred badly by electrolysis...it looks like bad acne scarring, so be careful who you go to..these people had darker olive skin also!!!