Question
I have a couple of questions about laser hair romoval, as I'm hoping to get it done on my face area.
I currently bleach the hair on the sides of my face and it takes over 4/6 wks for the bleach to come out, Im wondering can I still get it done even though the hair is bleached?
I normally wax my upper lip, do I need for the hair to grow back before I get the laser done?
I have alot of other questions and would appreciate some answer, thanks in advance

Answer
I have a couple of questions about laser hair romoval, as I'm hoping to get it done on my face area.
I currently bleach the hair on the sides of my face and it takes over 4/6 wks for the bleach to come out, Im wondering can I still get it done even though the hair is bleached?
I normally wax my upper lip, do I need for the hair to grow back before I get the laser done?
I have alot of other questions and would appreciate some answer, thanks in advance

Answer
yes, you need to wait at least 6 weeks for the hair to grow back after waxing. the roots need to be there in order for laser to target them. only shaving is allowed during treatments. it's advisable to stay away from bleaching for about 6 weeks as well because of the chemicals used on the skin.
what is your skin/hair type? how many hairs would you say you have on each area and are they coarse and dark or fine? for a woman's face, sometimes electrolysis is a better option. that's why i'm asking. laser on a woman's face is usually only good for very light skin and dark coarse hair (that feels more like a man's beard if shaved consistently)

Answer
Thanks for your reply, I have light Olive/yellow skin and the hair is darkish on my upper lip that's why I wanted to know if the laser could still be done if the area is waxed/plucked, letting the area grow is quite embaressing for that amount of time as it becomes quite visible are there any other alternatives?
The sides of my face are not that visible, fine hairs as I have only ever bleached the area.
How effective is electrolysis? I've only ever used waxing and bleaching methods.

Answer
Elecrolysis is very effective and may be a good option, especially if you've got a small area (such as an upper lip) to do. However, it will probably be more uncomfortable than a few zaps from a laser.

Answer
be careful about having laser done on your face, especially if you don't really have that much to remove and many hairs are very light in colour. Laser doesn't work well on very light coloured hair, it doesn't work at all on blond, red or grey hair for example. There have also been reports about new unexplained growth following laser treatment, you can probably find posts here about it or on consumer beware dot com. Laser is great for large areas but for small areas electrolysis may be better

Answer
in your situation, electrolysis is definitely a MUCH better option. i wouldn't even consider laser. you can end up with more growth in your situation. hair that you have is easily killed with electrolysis. electrolysis works very well on finer hair, and especially hair that hasn't been waxed or plucked (a bit faster on those). for such small areas, it would also probably be cheaper. find a good electrologist and get started. i had my upper lip done with electrolysis as well and it worked out great. i've only bleached before there. electrolysis costs around $60/hr and about 5-6 hairs a minute can be done by a good electrologist with thermolysis method. make sure to find someone reputable of course to avoid any scars or complications.

Answer
Thank u all for the replies, It's helped alot.
I think I'll approach the electrolysis method, that might be the best option for me. finding a good one is the task.
Now would the same thing apply for electrolysis? that I have to wait for the bleach to come out entirely and for the upper lips hair to grow before I can get it done?
I'm willing to give anything a try and I hope electrolysis works for me I'm just sick of the current methods of hair removal.

Answer
electrolysis remove hair by hair. so bleach is fine, but yes, you need to stop waxing. shaving is fine. for any permanent removal method, the root needs to be there to get killed. but the same applies with # of treatments. each hair will need to be zapped a few times and you will see hair seemingly 'come back', but it will actually be the dormant hair coming out. so you see results in about 9 months, meanwhile though the area will be clear since you will be going in and taking care of the hair on schedule.

Answer
there are a few different types of electrolysis, the one blink mentioned, galvanic and another i think. Do a little research first as i've heard some methods are better than others, i don't honestly know though. There's a forum on the consumer beware dot com site that deals with electrolysis issues, you should be able to find some good info there, good luck !

Answer
You'll have to stop all waxing and tweezing with electrolysis. You don't need to wait 6 weeks before going in. If there is hair growing, have a treatment. You're charged by treatment time, not area, so it doesn't matter if it's 10 hairs or 100, you need to get them out. If you are used to tweezing/waxing, it will drive you crazy waiting that long. Most electrologists like to put a week in between bleaching and electrolysis treatments, just to make sure the skin is in good shape. So you can bleach on week one, have electrolysis 7 days later, and then bleach another 7 days later. But if you've been waxing/tweezing regulary, then you'll probably start w/weekly electrolysis treatments and won't need to bleach at all. And you can always shave or clip between treatments if necessary. The electrologist needs 24-48 hours worth of growth to treat.