Laser Hair Removal

Ever since I started having kids I've also had the pleasure of "whiskers" on my chin. With each lovely addition to our family came more additions to my face. And I already had plenty of hair to spare on my upper lip. So every year for the past few years when Jared asks what I want for Christmas/birthday my answer is always the same...laser hair removal. And every year he tells me to do it...and every year I don't because I know that it is too expensive. I finally decided this year that I didn't care, I was going for it. I found a really nice place in South Jordan called Elase Medical Spa that was very reasonably priced. They were doing a sale so I did both the armpits and the chin/lip combo for about $900. Very expensive, yes. But more than worth it. At my consultation back in May they asked if I was breastfeeding, which I said yes to. The girl told me that I wouldn't be able to get any of the numbing cream until I was done, but that it really didn't hurt too badly, kind of like a rubber band hitting your skin. I wasn't too concerned. What I was really concerned about was what else she told me...no tweezing, plucking, or waxing for 2 1/2 weeks, when my first appointment would be. The only thing I would be allowed to do was...SHAVE!!! Yes, shave my lip and chin. Go ahead...picture it and laugh. Ha ha ha. I'm glad that you can all have a good time at my expense. Those 19 days were awful. I felt like the bearded lady at the circus. I was so looking forward to my first appointment. I went in and she gave me my safety glasses and told me to remember to take deep breaths. "Why" I asked..."is it that bad"? She was obviously more honest than the first girl I met with. She told me that it can be quite...intense. And intense it was. It HURT! The laser stung much more than a rubber band ever could. And I could smell the burning hair too. The whole process was over in about 10-15 minutes. It would have gone much quicker if I hadn't tried so hard to make small talk and stall after she did my face, and before my armpits. I was scared! I remember thinking as she was doing it that I would rather deliver another baby than do this again. Of course, if I was delivering a baby I'm sure I would have felt differently. She told me to exfoliate really well and the hair that had been killed would eventually fall out over the next few days and weeks. My face never really had any problems. I could see results within a few days. There were a few really dark "friends" on my chin that would always come back after tweezing and I was able to squeeze them like a zit and the hair would just come out. And 2 1/2 months later they are still gone. LOVE IT!! My armpits were another story. They got really, really sore. About 2 or 3 nights after the lasering I developed the worst case of ingrown hairs. My whole armpits were just covered in bumps. The cool thing was I could squeeze them and get little hairs to pop out. The bad things was it was more than a little awkward to try and reach with both hands. I have a friend from Jr. high named Mandy, who absolutely loves things like popping zits. I mean, she really, REALLY likes these sort of things. I haven't spoken to her in over a decade, except through our blogs, and she lives in Vernal, but besides these facts I really wanted to call her to see if she would come assist me with my armpits. And I gotta tell you, if she had been able to help me, she would have died happy after that. It was that bad (or good, depending on how you look at it). Once the ingrown hairs worked their way out my armpits were so nice. I didn't have to shave for 3 weeks, and even then it was just for a few hairs. I went in for my second visit (the package covers 6 treatments spaced about 4-5 weeks apart and then 4 touch ups in the next two years) in July. The pain all over again! At the end of the treatment she asked if I was still breastfeeding and I told her I was pretty much done. She said that she could give me the numbing cream for the next time and that I was supposed to apply it an hour BEFORE coming in. I had assumed that the cream was to be rubbed on after to help soothe, not before to help the pain. I was so mad that I hadn't been able to use it before!! It was probably good that I didn't know about this before, or I may have been tempted to quit breastfeeding earlier. I was really looking forward to my third visit a couple of weeks ago. I figured that this miracle cream was going to make all the difference. I had a different tech this time and she offered my an ice pack, something I hadn't been offered before. I really didn't think I'd need it since I was so confident in the numbing cream. She said she'd start with my upper lip since that area is the most sensitive. Before starting she applied the ice pack for several seconds to help numb the area more. I was COMPLETELY unprepared for the amount of pain that I was about to experience. Literally, there were tears. Not the kind that come from crying, but the kind that come from something so shocking. It was horrible, and it seemed to take a lot longer than normal. I was starting to wonder if this nice lady knew what she was doing. Once we got that over with I told her that I couldn't believe how pathetic I was. She then told me that they turn it up each time we come in and that's why it was hurting so much more. The stronger the laser, the more effective. When they turn it up they also have to use a smaller laser, which explained why it was taking longer. (Really, the lip was done in probably 15 seconds, but that was still a VERY LONG time to me.) She told me on my first visit they had it set at 14, and on the second it was set at 16. In my mind I'm thinking that hurt so bad they must have set it to at least 20, maybe 22 this time. Then I heard her tell me that it was at 34 this time. 34!!! That was more than double my last visit. No wonder I was being such a baby. This new tech was so great. She went over areas twice for me to make sure she got things, and even when up my jawline. She told me I was a perfect candidate for the hair removal since I had dark hair with "porcelain" skin. What?! Am I really that white now? She asked if used lots of sunscreen to keep my skin so nice. Then she decided that my kids must keep me inside and out of the sun. That's it...I'm going tanning. This was the first time that I've left with a red face. Good thing I had my handy new ice pack. The next morning I woke up with at least 20-30 zits all over my upper lip. I popped them and that afternoon there were more. I looked like a teenager with a really bad case of acne. I was so glad that Sunday was Stake conference. I really wasn't looking forward to going out in public like that. It took about a week for my face to clear up, but now that it is I am so happy again with the results. I hope that I haven't scared any of you away from doing laser hair removal because really, it is so worth it! I think that I am addicted...someday when I am rich I will do my legs.