Laser hair removal

[C~Q]

I am contemplating laser hair removal on my bikini line and I was wondering if anyone else has done this? Did it hurt...was it expensive?

I wear short shorts to the gym alot and as it's coming up to summer i'll be in swimmers and lately shaving has given me a rash

Please don't say waxing - I can't cope with the pain!

Thanks for your help

[AnyDream]

I too would love to get this done (it's PERMANENT!) so I'll be following the thread with interest. I understand you often have to have several treatments in order to catch all the strays, and also apparently it works better on darker hairs than lighter hairs.

[Antheia]

I read about this at my local day spa yesterday. they said it kinda feels like having an elastic band snapped on your skin. Depending on how big the area your getting done is the pain will either last a few minutes or a few hours.

Marydean is right, they said you'd probably have to get a few sessions for it to all be gone because of the different hair growths.

[C~Q]

Depending on how big the area your getting done is the pain will either last a few minutes or a few hours.

Hee hee, well, it's not down to my knees or anything so hopefully it wouldn't be a few hours!!!

[Jodie259]

If you think laser is painless.... then I can dispell that! It is very painful to get done. It's like hundreds of elastic bands being "flicked" onto you.

But if you get the right laser machine/operator - and have a number of treatments - it can be permanent hair removal.

It takes many treatments on the same area to be effective. Some people think it's just one treatment and it's done. Nahhhhh....
Should be about 6 treatments.... but I've known people to have 20 treatments and their hair is still growing back!

So if you do consider getting it done - make sure that you do so by recommendation of someone who has got effective results.

There are a lot of beauty salons getting machines which are really not effective.
There are a lot of 'laser clinics' that are not effective either.

I can't recommend any particular centre - so just do lots of research and get a personal recommendation before going anywhere.

[Bathsheba]

I've heard that it is more effective if you have very dark hair and pale skin (as opposed to blonde hair and tanned skin). Is this true? I'm thinking that if I ever had it done it could work really well as i have near-black hair and pale skin. I've heard that this is because the lazer can distinguish the dark hair and "zone in" on it better.

[krisp]

I had this done on my bikini line about 7 years ago. Yes it does hurt and yes it does take a few treatments to work, I think I had 4 treatments and they were around $200 each from memory.

Some things to keep in mind: make sure you don't do it in the lead up to summer as it is not recommended to have sun on the area for a few months as scarring can develop. Also fair skin works better than olive skin in terms of scarring. Olive skin can leave tiny scars behind as each hair is kind of burnt with the laser. And the most important thing is don't pick or scratch at the area after you have it done or it will scar.

I thinks it's the best thing ever, I'm still totally hair free and can jump into a cossie at a moments notice, no need to woory about waxing or shaving or the dreaded ingrowns that you always seem to get "down there"!

[C~Q]

Woo Hoo! I have dark brown hair and pale skin (well, that area is )

I can't wait, sounds like it's the perfect time to do it then before summer. $200 though, I didn't realise it would be that much Oh well, when you think of all the money you spend on razors over the years!

Is anyone from the Gold Coast or Brissy? I need a recomendation

[castle]

My SIL had it done under her arms about 8 years ago. She is Italian & had masses of hair. She had, from memory, about 5 treatments. There is still a very small amount which grows back, but she said overall it's brilliant, in winter she doesn't bother about it, in summer a quick razor swipe.
Yes, it is better if you have pale skin & dark hair.
What about the ELOS treatment which is supposed to be different from laser? Anyone know?

[Jodie259]

I had 4 treatments and they were around $200 each .

make sure you don't do it in the lead up to summer as it is not recommended to have sun on the area for a few months

Rachel - Krisp has given you some good advice: DON'T do it before Summer.
And it was $200 EACH treatment... so that's at least $800. and that is quite cheap for a bikini area.

[C~Q]

$800

Oh well, I can cope with $800 broken up over a few months.

So if I do it now I should be ok for summer right? If not I just won't go out in the sun, I really need it for the gym, I seriously limiting skorts time!

[Smoke Jaguar]

I had it done about 4 years ago at the Australian Laser Clinic and it was so professionally done. I had three treatments on my bikini and at the last one was told that another one would be needed to kill the last lot of follicles, but that it wasn't imperative to come back in a time frame because the hard work had been done. I had loads of hair, but it's dark against lighter skin (not white, but not completely olive either, cos I'd just come out of winter!). Treatments were about $230 each and they did the whole general area, leaving what would be called a normal map of tassie - great compared to what it was! Now I can leave it for months before getting a wax done to tidy up, but unlike the bad old days, I know I can jump into a swimsuit and go to the pool with hairy legs and armpits, but no bush growing from my bikini bottoms!
My sister had the whole lot done. The idea of a lasered brazilian doesn't appeal to me at all, and even less so to DP, so I'm glad I chose to keep hair, cos I did it before I met DP!
I do still want to get my underarms done, as well as that last treatment.

[C~Q]

I'll see if there is an Aus Laser Clinic near me if you recommend them

[Smoke Jaguar]

I had gone to Minoo's, in the CBD, to get an initial assessment done (it was free), and I went to the ALC cos Minoo's seemed far too costly. ALC charges something like $40 (this WAS about 5 years ago, though) for the initial consult, but because I said I'd had one somewhere else, they waived the fee. The initial consult includes a test patch, which Minoo's didn't, so I got a free test! Good for them, though, cos I went with them in the end. I had my first one in the CBD and the next two at Endeavour Hills, but I could easily have gone to their Blackburn clinic, too. They like their technicians to have science type degrees, so they're actually not beauticians - they are operating a laser, so you'd want them to be pretty specialised.
ETA: Just realised you're in a different state! I'm sure there would be a few clinics around your neck of the woods to choose from. Still, check the prices of other places that do it so that when you go to the ALC you can compare prices and also question them on their staff, qualification and techniques.