Nervous.. I bought a Groupon..

Hey ya'll,

I looked around for where this would belong and didn't really find a section it fit in so I figured, the general area would be best. Feel free to move this, if need be.

As the title says, I bought a Groupon about a week ago for laser hair removal. My primary care doctor suggested it to me and said that the hair suppression creams don't really work long term and the best is to do laser hair removal. I was quite nervous about doing it in the past, but figured if someone I trust is recommending it I should go and have it done. 

I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) which can cause facial hair on women. Mine comes under my chin and I either shave it daily or wax it every few weeks. I'm so sick and tired of having to constantly remove it! Since the insurance companies consider it a cosmetic problem, the creams are so freaking expensive like 100 per tube per month. Yikes! 

Anyway, I've checked the place out, it has great yelp ratings and it's under a doctor and nurses supervision. Everyone is licensed as well.. so I'm going to go for it tomorrow. 

Anyone had this done? Does it hurt? What does it feel like during? After? Will I be all red? Do I put anything on it afterwards? Is it worth it? I just don't want to be one of those old ladies who can't see very well and ends up having facial hair. 

I had laser hair removal on my body and my face so I think I can answer some of your questions. You will feel something but since it's under your chin it probably won't hurt much. It will feel very warm though and the light will be quite bright (it's possible the doctor will blindfold you to protect your eyes). You might smell burning hair, which will be alarming, but don't worry, it's normal. You will be red but they might have some aloe vera gel there for that. The place I went to did. Stay away from the sun. Sunlight after laser hair removal is very damaging. Keep the area moisturized with something gentle and soothing and you'll be ok /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

hth!
 

Thanks, what you described is almost exactly how it went. They didn't have me blindfolded for the laser but I did have eye protection on. It did hurt but I could handle it. Honestly, if it wasn't a hormonal problem I wouldn't choose to do it ever again, but since it wasn't that bad and it is hormonal hair growth (and I paid for 6 sessions) I will go back and finish up the services. 

At least the hair should be gone forever afterwards and I'll never have to deal with it again. I practically squeezed my husbands hand to death during the treatment.

I found the smell to be quite alarming but yes considering your burning the hair follicle it did make sense as to why it smelled so gross. They put some aloe vera cream on right after and I bought some from the store when I got home, just because it still is a little sore and I am going to be having 5 more treatments. For someone who NEVER lets themselves get a sunburn .. this brings back memories of being a little girl at camp. 

I had laser hair removal done on my legs. Personally, I don't think laser hair removal was too bad, especially if you compare it to what waxing can feel like. Each pulse kind of feels like a light tingling feeling, but in more sensitive spots it can feel a little bit like being snapped by a rubber band, but not as painful. The good thing is that some (or most, I think) laser systems have a cooling device which helps eliminate pain. Think of that as how it feels after you ice your ankle when you sprain it- it just relieves the pain instantly, or at least makes it more tolerable. If you're nervous about any pain or discomfort, take something like Advil or Tylenol before going. That should take the edge off.

Your skin might be a little bit red afterwards. I have really white skin (Scottish and Irish heritage haha), so my legs had some red spots afterwards. Fortunately the red faded pretty quickly, so you shouldn't have to worry about that for long. Afterwards, your skin might be a little dry; aloe vera helps this a lot.

I hope this helped! Good luck and don't be nervous /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />