Question
Hi,
I found this forum and i have been reading a bit on it... I am tired of having hair on my back... really tired, I am a 40 y/old, light skin and dark hair... My girlfriend shaves it every time we go to the pool or beach.. (which I try to avoid as much as possible due to this).. I need to fix it!!!
I am reading that I should avoid IPL and go for laser, I found place near my home that does LightSheer™ Treatment, is this good?, am I getting a good result on this treatment or should i look for something else...?
They offer each treatment for 600.00 or a package of 5 sessions for 2700.00, they said it will be 4-6 weeks apart depending on how my back is... I need to schedule an appointment first.. is this a normal price or should I look for more sessions or better price?
Does anyone know about another place I can select on this area, Maryland/Rockville/ Bethesda /Gaithersburg.. I dont like Alease tho..
thanks so much for your time... (this is embarrassing)...

Answer
Hi,
I found this forum and i have been reading a bit on it... I am tired of having hair on my back... really tired, I am a 40 y/old, light skin and dark hair... My girlfriend shaves it every time we go to the pool or beach.. (which I try to avoid as much as possible due to this).. I need to fix it!!!
I am reading that I should avoid IPL and go for laser, I found place near my home that does LightSheer™ Treatment, is this good?, am I getting a good result on this treatment or should i look for something else...?
They offer each treatment for 600.00 or a package of 5 sessions for 2700.00, they said it will be 4-6 weeks apart depending on how my back is... I need to schedule an appointment first.. is this a normal price or should I look for more sessions or better price?
Does anyone know about another place I can select on this area, Maryland/Rockville/ Bethesda /Gaithersburg.. I dont like Alease tho..
thanks so much for your time... (this is embarrassing)...

Answer
you should have at least 3-4 more consultations to compare. LightSheer is a good laser for you, it's a diode, but that price is a bit on the higher end for just your back. Have you read the FAQs? Also, I provide ways to find more clinics. Either a diode or alexandrite laser is good for you. Please do a LOT of research before you committ to anything. This isn't a simple solution and you should be aware of all nuances before you start. Also, 4-6 weeks is too soon for effective treatments. you'll find this information and more in the FAQs I wrote here:
There are several things you can try to find a clinic near you. You can run a search on any of the laser hair removal forums using the search box for your city name or state to read about experiences of previous consumers at the clinics in your area. You can also try running a provider search on the laser manufacturer websites:
Lumenis LightSheer Diode:
Candela GentleLASE Alexandrite or GentleYag Yag:
Cutera Coolglide Yag:
Finally, you can check your local Yellow Pages or for listings in your area.

Answer
Thank you, this is very informative, I will roead on that before I take a decision, this way I know what to ask regarding to what kind of laser they are using.
I'll be back for some more reading and info..
Thanks again...
aa2k

Answer
aak2
I live in Towson (about 45 mintues north of you). I'm also about the same age. I started off with upper and lower back Lightsheer treament at A-L-C in Towson. Price was just OK. Treatment by an RN went satisfactory as well. Did chest and abs there as well.
I'm looking for reduction not elimination.
I tried a different place for my next treatment. Legs & butt. A doctor in Towson uses Gentlelase. I also had him do my back. Standard price is Upper back $200. Lower back 160. Since I don't have hair on much of the shoulder blades, he just did lower back and upper spinal area. Special price was $200. I'll be going back in the fall.
You don't say if they are also doing your shoulders. They would be $185.
Since I am not doing repeated treaments, it is very important that the operator does not miss patches. While not perfect, he did very very well.
His name is Dr. Richard D'Antonio. He is also a practicing internal medicine doc. The website is rdantonio.com. Either use this info to negotiate a better price convenient to you or drive on up here and save. I think he offer the 5th session free if you do a package. I'm not a fan of prepaying for packages. Just to compare... 2,700 vs. 1,440. Depending on your goals, two or three treatments may be sufficient.
Hope this helps.
p.s.
Machine settings should be as high as you can tolerate painwise without burning.

Answer
Thanks towsonmale, I really appreciate the tip, I called other 3 places around here and they all change the same more or less, 5 sessions about 3,000 or package of 5 for 2700. so it comes out to around 600 each session, it seems like the whole DC area goes for high prices.
I do have some hair on my shoulders that I want to clear as well to make it look even, when I called they only give me full back price (I dont think it includes shoulders), I was planning to set a consultation on at least to places (Rockville and Germantown) and see how it is; both places use Lightsheer laser (or laser that works!!) (I dont want to do IPL). I was a bit disappointed that they charge so much, I was hoping to get it less expensive and do some more like shulders and a reduction on chest later on depending on results.
Is Gentlelase better that Lighsheer? my skin is light, but not white (not milky white ) Its fair, hair is dark but not really thik. Are these 2 lasers the same so it will make a difference?
If I have to drive 45 to Towson is ok, it will worth it, do you recommend Dr. Richard D'Antonio as a good option or the first place you went to? (not sure what A-L-C means).
Thanks!
Talking about this issue is very difficult for me, I feel embarrassed...

Answer
what is your skin type? If it's I-III, alex laser like GentleLASE is most powerful. If you're III-IV, LightSheer diode is probably best, especially if hair is not very thick and coarse. If you're darker than a type IV, only Yag laser is safe. This is all in the FAQs btw.
Did you see my recent post about a recommendation of a doctor in DC that someone else recommended? It was sometime this week. Please run a search on the forum using the search feature to find it. Get a quote there. Someone else had good results from those doctors.
I also provide provider searches to find places near you:
There are several things you can try to find a clinic near you. You can run a search on any of the laser hair removal forums using the search box for your city name or state to read about experiences of previous consumers at the clinics in your area. You can also try running a provider search on the laser manufacturer websites:
Lumenis LightSheer Diode:
Candela GentleLASE Alexandrite or GentleYag Yag:
Cutera Coolglide Yag:
Lastly, if your hair on your shoulders is sparse, I would leave it for electrolysis. Some have reported more hair after laser on that area when treating sparse hairs.

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Wow, you're right about DC being EXPENSIVE! I am using Laser Perfect in the Dallas area and full back is $360/ea or $1255/4 treatment package, but they list DC as $600 and $2040 for same! I do like them, however, so you may want to add them to your list. The prices are posted online, they have a doc using a good Diode laser, they provide a 1 yr follow-up "guarantee". And, I am seeing positive results. Plus, the doc here has been flexible about getting specific areas focused on...

Answer
I believe I am III, when I am taing sun I get red and then I get tan (if not careful then I turn into a SHRIP), it takes time to go back to pale. I not tan in looooong time (2-3 years)
I just got a quote from Dr. Richard D'Antonio, for a full back price (this includes, lower and uper back, neck and shoulders):
each session is 655.00 (it requires 5 sessions most likely)
or get a package paying 4 (655x4=2,620.00) and the 5th is free.
this will be divided 2620.00 by 5 = 524.00 each.
It can take up to 6 weeks between sessions.
I called again the place in from Germantown to get a more detailed information:
full back price (this includes, lower and upper back, neck and shoulders).
for 5 treatments (btw I got the number from your listed manufacturer’s site for Lightsheer):
600 each (same 5 sessions more or less)
if package of 5 (2700.00) and the 6th is free if needed. so the difference is not to much.
either 2700/5 = 540.00
or 2700/6 = 450.00 if I take/need the 6th.
They told me it can take up to 8 weeks between treatments, depending on how fast the hair grows.
Germantown is 10 minutes from me. I set up an appointment for tomorrow and see how it goes and what they say... I'll post the result on this...
So, if I am type III then either type of laser would work...

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please read the FAQs. time between treatments, especially for those areas, shouldn't be spaced more often than 8 weeks apart, and more like 12 weeks after a few treatments. $540 is not bad for all those areas, ALTHOUGH like I said before, you might want to avoid treating upper arms and shoulders if hair is not coarse and dense to avoid having MORE hair on those areas as some have reported.
recommendation from another forum worth checking out:
"The Dr.s are Dr. Battle and Dr. Harris of CulturaMed in Washington dc (northwest)
Their website (with before and after pictures) can be found at:
"


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Retracted

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Thanks, I contacted CulturaMed yesterday afternoon, they told me 5000.00 for 5 sessions... woow!! they are in downtown DC.. a bit expensive for my wallet...
I will see what the doctor say tomorrow, I wont make a decision or commit to it yet, I'll ask question about shoulders..
Thanks!

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If they seem to have good answers to your questions, try the place close to you. Where ever you go, I suggest doing one treatment before buying a package from anyone. Did they do a good job? Did the hair shed? Why didn't someone tell me how much it hurts? No pain, no gain. Have a goal. Take several pictures of the area before treatment starts. You spend a couple of months hairless after a treament. You get used to seeing yourself like that. When hair has grown back in after a few months, its can seem like not much happened even when you had a 20% reduction.
Lightsheer vs Gentlelase. Both are good machines. I'm skin type II. It come down to machine settings and ability of the machine operator.
FYI
A-L-C is an abbreviation of a national chain. Amercn Lasr Cntr.
Fully typed out, it tends to get deleted by the message board.