Question
I had a very interesting experience on my first treatment yesterday. I negotiated a package with the controversial American to have my back, chest, abs and upper arms done (the "T-shirt" as it's apparently called). I wrote all about my selection process on this board about a month ago, so I won't go into it again.
Anyways, I showed up yesterday expecting to get treated with the Aurora ELOS system that was explained to me in my consultation. Needless to say, I was quite surprised when I laid down next to the device and saw that it said "Lightsheer Diode Laser". I asked the technician what happened to the Aurora, and she pointed to it in the corner of the room. She then proceeded to tell me that their office had recently acquired the Lightsheer and that they now had two lasers to choose from, depending on the needs and characteristics of the client. Apparently when I took my shirt off and she saw that I was lighter skinned with dark hair, she decided that I was a great candidate for the Lightsheer and that it would give me the best, quickest results. She also said one of the reasons they got the Lightsheer was because they had several male customers who were two years into their treatments with the Aurora, and that they had stubborn back hair that wouldn't go away. The company felt the Lightsheer would help these patients complete their program faster. She said they use the Aurora on people with dark skin or light hair, but that I would probably get most, if not all of my treatments with the Lightsheer. Once I got over my surprise, I was actually very happy about this. I had always felt that the Lightsheer was probably the best choice for my skin/hair type, but I chose American because of their great guarantee, competitive price, and newer technology. Now I get to use the laser that I originally wanted to use, and I get the great guarantee period. This makes my package with American way better than the other places I checked into it.
Now, onto the actual treatment. It took 2 hours to finish. Let me tell you, people are right when they say it feels like an elastic band smacking against your skin. The problem is it's not just one elastic band. It's hundreds, maybe even a thousand (at least it was for me). I was so glad when it was over. Some parts were worse than others. It's definately true that it hurts more in the spots with thick hair growth. My upper chest was the worst. The back of my neck was pretty painful too. Most of my back, my arms and my lower abs weren't that bad, but my chest - ouch!!! For a second there I thought about actually keeping my chest hair! After the treatment I looked like a plucked chicken. I was covered in puffy red spots. There was no burning or scaring, so I think the technician probably did a good job - maximum effectiveness without causing physical damage. It was kind of neat because some of the hairs would actually fall out while she was doing it. She explained to me that these hairs absord so much energy from the laser that they sort of explode out of your skin. I hope those hairs are gone forever. It's been about 36 hours since my treatment and the pink spots are fading. I expect they'll probably be gone by tomorrow night.
I'm pleased so far, although it's very, very early in the process. I knew it would hurt some, so I just sucked it up and dealt with it. Thank goodness I only have to do it once every 10 weeks. I'm happy with American because they went out and spent more money on another laser to make sure they have satisfied customers. They want to get you done with your program so that you don't have to keep seeing them during the guarantee period. That's the main reason I selected them - I wanted a provider that had a vested interest in giving me good results in a reasonable amount of time.
One thing that cracked me up was the "Post Laser Lotion" that they sold me. It seems like a normal bottle of moisturizing lotion, except it costs about $30 a bottle. I'm sure they make a hell of a margin on that stuff. I guess it's no big deal when compared to the overall cost of my treatment, but I'm sure it's a scam just like most of the overpriced stuff that hair salons sell. The bottle should easily last me 6 treatments, so I'll just think of it as really, really special moisturizer.
My next appointment isn't until early November. We'll see how the shedding process goes after this first treatment. I'll write back in several weeks with an update.

Answer
I had a very interesting experience on my first treatment yesterday. I negotiated a package with the controversial American to have my back, chest, abs and upper arms done (the "T-shirt" as it's apparently called). I wrote all about my selection process on this board about a month ago, so I won't go into it again.
Anyways, I showed up yesterday expecting to get treated with the Aurora ELOS system that was explained to me in my consultation. Needless to say, I was quite surprised when I laid down next to the device and saw that it said "Lightsheer Diode Laser". I asked the technician what happened to the Aurora, and she pointed to it in the corner of the room. She then proceeded to tell me that their office had recently acquired the Lightsheer and that they now had two lasers to choose from, depending on the needs and characteristics of the client. Apparently when I took my shirt off and she saw that I was lighter skinned with dark hair, she decided that I was a great candidate for the Lightsheer and that it would give me the best, quickest results. She also said one of the reasons they got the Lightsheer was because they had several male customers who were two years into their treatments with the Aurora, and that they had stubborn back hair that wouldn't go away. The company felt the Lightsheer would help these patients complete their program faster. She said they use the Aurora on people with dark skin or light hair, but that I would probably get most, if not all of my treatments with the Lightsheer. Once I got over my surprise, I was actually very happy about this. I had always felt that the Lightsheer was probably the best choice for my skin/hair type, but I chose American because of their great guarantee, competitive price, and newer technology. Now I get to use the laser that I originally wanted to use, and I get the great guarantee period. This makes my package with American way better than the other places I checked into it.
Now, onto the actual treatment. It took 2 hours to finish. Let me tell you, people are right when they say it feels like an elastic band smacking against your skin. The problem is it's not just one elastic band. It's hundreds, maybe even a thousand (at least it was for me). I was so glad when it was over. Some parts were worse than others. It's definately true that it hurts more in the spots with thick hair growth. My upper chest was the worst. The back of my neck was pretty painful too. Most of my back, my arms and my lower abs weren't that bad, but my chest - ouch!!! For a second there I thought about actually keeping my chest hair! After the treatment I looked like a plucked chicken. I was covered in puffy red spots. There was no burning or scaring, so I think the technician probably did a good job - maximum effectiveness without causing physical damage. It was kind of neat because some of the hairs would actually fall out while she was doing it. She explained to me that these hairs absord so much energy from the laser that they sort of explode out of your skin. I hope those hairs are gone forever. It's been about 36 hours since my treatment and the pink spots are fading. I expect they'll probably be gone by tomorrow night.
I'm pleased so far, although it's very, very early in the process. I knew it would hurt some, so I just sucked it up and dealt with it. Thank goodness I only have to do it once every 10 weeks. I'm happy with American because they went out and spent more money on another laser to make sure they have satisfied customers. They want to get you done with your program so that you don't have to keep seeing them during the guarantee period. That's the main reason I selected them - I wanted a provider that had a vested interest in giving me good results in a reasonable amount of time.
One thing that cracked me up was the "Post Laser Lotion" that they sold me. It seems like a normal bottle of moisturizing lotion, except it costs about $30 a bottle. I'm sure they make a hell of a margin on that stuff. I guess it's no big deal when compared to the overall cost of my treatment, but I'm sure it's a scam just like most of the overpriced stuff that hair salons sell. The bottle should easily last me 6 treatments, so I'll just think of it as really, really special moisturizer.
My next appointment isn't until early November. We'll see how the shedding process goes after this first treatment. I'll write back in several weeks with an update.

Answer
sounds like your treatment went well. please continue updating on your results. and you're right, you'll probably get better faster results with LightSheer. Good luck.

Answer
Oh gosh...I can't imagine how painful that must have been for you! I am just having a little on my face done and I had 116 pulses, and I was never so glad to hear "That's it for today" in my life!
I am also undergoing treatment with the LightSheer. Hopefully we will both be satisfied with the end result.

Answer
the good news is that the first treatment is usually the worst since the hair is the most coarse and dense.

Answer
Thank god your clinic is using the diode on you. You will now get your money's worth.
My favorite part of your story was the line from the tech:
"Oh, we had a few clients with stubborn back hair that just wouldn't go away so we bought the diode."
Riiiiight....AKA "The Aurora is crap and doesn't work, and we've had complaints, so we bought a laser that's proven effective for hair removal!"
Either way, good for you. I would've bet $500 that the Aurora would've done squat for you as far as hair-removal is concerned. Who cares that the Aurora was just recently put on the market? That doesn't make it the most effective laser for your skin type, you know? If I had a choice between the latest/greatest gadget, and the 5-yr-old gadget already proven to work, I'll take the 5-yr-old one EVERY TIME. You're spendong over 3 GRAND on these treatments. You want the right equipment with the best chance of success that money can buy.
P.S. Don't put all your eggs in the "2 yr/10yr/lifetime Guarantee" basket. Some clinics have been known to mysteriously get really busy once you start asking for your free treatments, and some won't even be in business by the time you're ready to collect on that part of the deal. I'm not saying that would've definitely happened, but it HAS occurred and ppl on here have documented these experiences.