Blasting My Face With Laser Beams

There seems to be a lot of interest in laser hair removal right now, and as I recently had my first session, I thought I would describe it.

I decided on Laser Lovers in Gulfport, Florida. The decision was an easy one for me; I've known Jennifer (co-owner with her partner, Sandra) for some time now. Most of the people I know who have had laser have had it done there, and they all give the place high marks. I like the fact that they have a lot of experience with transgendered clients, and the idea of supporting a TG owned business appeals to me.

I began with a free consultation in which Sandra took a brief history and did a few test spots just below my jaw line to see how my skin would tolerate different power settings, and to give me an idea of what it was going to feel like. We discussed prices and a schedule, and I left anxious to get started.

It really wasn't all that uncomfortable, similar to having a rubber band snapped against your face. I never saw any redness, and there was never any peeling or blistering. I think this was due to two facts: their laser sends out a jet of cooling gas onto the skin immediately after the laser pulse, and Sandra knows what she's doing!

The plan we arrived at was to alternate between doing the whole face & neck and doing just the goatee area. The lip and chin are apparently the most stubborn area for most people, and doubling up there would make for faster progress. The cost was to be $100 for just the goatee, and $250 for the full face and neck (this included a "family" discount; see, there really is an advantage to using a TG business!). Alternating sessions would be scheduled 4 to 5 weeks apart.

A few weeks later there was still no sign of any adverse reaction to the tests, and the area tested was completely free of any hair. I scheduled my first session.

I decided to start with the goatee area only, mainly because I had just paid off a few things and money was tight (isn't it always?). I arrived Saturday at 10 am, and we began just a few minutes later.

I was warned that this session would probably be one of the worst, as the lip and the area immediately below the nose is extremely sensitive. I donned the protective goggles and we got started.

It was worse than the test spots we had done before, but it wasn't horrible. The cooling blast from the laser dissipated the heat almost immediately, and by the time it started to get really uncomfortable, the lip was done. Sandra handed me a frozen water balloon to roll around on my face, and it felt really good. A few minutes later, we started on the chin.

It wasn't as bad as the lip, but there was more of it to do. Again, by the time it started to get a bit much, it was done. A few more passes of the balloon and all was well.

The whole thing was over in about 15 minutes. I paid the bill and was reminded to wear a 30 SPF sunscreen on the area for a few days to prevent hyperpigmentation; with some people, the area is extremely sensitive to sun for a while, and it can darken with too much exposure.

Once again, any redness there might have been was gone by the time I got home, and the only lingering effect was that I felt like I had a mild sunburn for a couple of days, especially right along the jawline under the chin.

Within a week, the hairs had begun falling off my face, and by the end of two weeks there was almost nothing left. Now, almost 4 weeks later, there are only a few hairs growing on my chin, and none on my lip. I can only hope that the next session works as well!

There really is a noticable difference, especially along the lip. Even shaving as closely as possible, there are always the dark ends of hairs visible in the pores, but now there is nothing. The skin looks and feels smoother. It's an odd and wonderful feeling to touch your lip after not shaving for 24 hours and feel nothing! I can't wait for the whole face to be like that.

My next session is in a week and a half.