Nggggggghhhhhhh.
That’s the sound of me procrastinating over the writing of this post. I am one of those annoying oversharers by nature, but there are some things in life that are easier to share than others right? I’ll show you my pretty nails, you show me your hairy chins? Or maybe not. But… it’s been a year since my last update.
OK, I’ll show you my hairy chin and scare off any poor site visitor who doesn’t know the back story.
You see, I have PCOS – which stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It’s quite a common thing to have and affects around 1in10 women in the UK. To over-simplify it a bit (a lot), it means that your hormones are whack… which brings about all sorts of rubbish symptoms including: infertility, acne, weight gain, hirsutism (excess hair). Those are the playful symptoms, some of the more serious ones (heart disease & diabetes being two of them) are yet to be fully understood as the syndrome was only officially recognised as affecting more than just a woman’s ability to procreate a mere 30 years ago.
Not everyone gets every symptom. Personally, I experience: infertility *looks at Leila with wonder etc. etc.*, weight-gain (well, I might aswell blame it on something?), hirsutism, and insulin resistance (which is where your body fails to react to the release of insulin in a normal manner – may or may not be a precursor to diabetes).
Still being fairly young and vain, my biggest hatred of the syndrome when I was first diagnosed was directed toward the hirsutism. No girl in their teens wants to wake up and see a member of ZZ Top looking back at them in the mirror.
Devastating is the most accurate word I can use to describe how something like this can make you feel. Masculine would be the other.
This is how my chin looks today. Take note that this is almost TWO weeks of hair growth, not two days as shown above.
Two freakin’ weeks people.
I’m actually inclined to believe that the top lip is generic old-lady (getting there) moustache growth rather than hormone related. It’s fine and downy (which you can probably see), my old hair-growth in this area was coarse and stubbly. Which basically means that I’ve just shown you my ‘tache and I have no “hormonal” excuse for it. Cringe.
To say that my life has been changed by laser hair removal is an understatement. You only need to look at the pictures to understand the daily struggle I had with excess hair.
Let me clarify exactly what I’ve had done…
In the summer of 2010 – I had 6 laser sessions at my local sk:n clinic in Southampton (I received this treatment gratis, so that I could review the service). It was fantastic and I can’t recommend them enough – I vlogged about most of my sessions, you can find the posts by reading my laser hair removal adventures tag. I followed this up in the Summer of 2011 with 5 IPL (intense pulsed light) sessions that I purchased via Groupon at another local salon. This ‘topped up’ my original treatment and kept things gradually improving.
We’re now approaching Summer 2012 and I’ve just booked in for 6 IPL sessions at another local salon, again via Groupon. The cost for the 6 sessions is in the region of £100. A small yearly price to pay in order to remain almost completely hair-free.
There’s a common misconception about laser hair removal and IPL. It’s not permanent hair removal and if you ever see it advertised as such, call bullshit on the provider. It’s permanent hair reduction and salons are not actually legally entitled to use any other words to describe it. As you can see from my experiences, it’s pretty full-on (fan-frickin-tastic) permanent hair reduction. I would say that my hair growth has been reduced by at least 70% and shaving only once a week (once a fortnight sometimes) instead of twice a day has ensured that I will forever advocate the use of laser hair removal for PCOS sufferers.
Feel free to email me if you have any more sensitive questions you think I might be able to help with about the process. Let me know how you guys are doing with the PCOS crap, I know that many of you have it (and it’s how you found the blog in the first place!)
OK, you can all stop looking at my chin now.
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Sk:n Clinic – Consultation, Test Patch & Video!
Posted by Lipglossiping On May - 17 - 2010
So, last Friday (14th May) I had my first consultation and test patch for facial laser hair removal at the sk:n clinic in Southampton.
I had previously shared my concerns and nerves about this first meeting… but I needn’t have worried too much. The staff and therapists at the clinic were very friendly and I was put completely at ease in their care.
When I arrived, I was given a few forms to fill out… general contact stuff like name, address, next of kin… and I was also given a consent form.
I asked if I could have a copy of the consent form and they were happy to oblige. I really recommend you do this and infact, it would be great if they did it as standard. It’s a well written document that summarises many of the important concerns about laser hair removal and if you’re signing your name on the dotted line… it’s good to have a reminder of exactly what you’re giving your consent to right?
So after these formalities, I was greeted by my therapist Hayley and led into a treatment room. The laser device was the indimidating looking machine lurking in the corner looking a lot like a big photocopier with a hoover attachment. It’s true… look…
Hayley went through a checklist of contraindications which included things like asking me if I were pregnant, suntanned (yeah right) and whether I was on any medication including steroids (I was assured that steroid inhalers didn’t count!). We discussed which body areas were going to be treated and at this point I asked if it would be ok for me to pay to have a small patch on my chest included in the treatment area. She grabbed a price list and gave me a quote for 6 sessions (just under £300) which I agreed to.
I was asked what I do to currently control the hair growth and I explained that I shave the areas daily. She was pleased with this as it meant that the hair follicles would be intact and undamaged by the plucking or waxing process. If you want to know more about why this would be important and how laser hair removal actually works (along with a video demonstration), check out this page on the sk:n clinic website.
The last thing we discussed was after care. At this point, I was offered the option to purchase a ‘starter pack’. What this basically includes is three products that are recommended for you to use after treatment to help soothe and protect your skin.
It’s obviously another string to sk:n’s money-making bow to offer you the option to purchase products directly from them at the time of treatment. I don’t think they’re particularly marked up (although the seperate purchase price of £15 for a SPF30 Sunblock seems quite expensive).
Anyway, here’s the “Starter Pack”:
- Aloe Vera Gel
- Spray Water
- SPF 30 Sunblock
If you already have these… you don’t HAVE to purchase them. For me, it was a convenient time to pick them up. I’ve already been through a lot of the Aloe Vera gel and I’ll be buying another tube (albeit from Holland & Barratts!).
You’re advised not to use your normal skincare for a few days… simply because you don’t want to expose your skin to any lotions and potions that could cause extra sensitivity on an already sensitized area. However, I made sure to check that wearing makeup wasn’t a problem!
The single most important aspect of aftercare however, (and Hayley drummed into me!) is sunblock. Do not leave the house unless you’re protected from the sun. To be blunt… don’t risk a tan whilst you’re undergoing treatment. The whole premise of laser hair removal is that it targets melanin, the areas of pigmentation (i.e. dark hair and the follicle under the skin). You start getting tanned bits and you lose the contrast making the treatment less effective and more likely to burn the skin.
Dun, dun, dun! It was time to hop up on the couch and get on with the test patch… my mouth went a bit dry at this point…
I was handeed a pair of sunbed goggles… you know, the ones that kinda fit the shape of your eyeballs and don’t extend much further… these are total blackout, so it’s immediately a little more unnerving as you can’t see a thing. A side effect of this is that your hearing becomes a touch more acute… so when the machine (which was right by my head) fired up… I’m not ashamed to admit that my heart beat a little faster.
Hayley was constantly talking to me, explaining what she was doing and reassuring me that everything was as it should be. I’m glad she was chatty… it really helped to put me at ease. I’m such a wuss!
As the (I’m not sure what to call it!?) laser head bit was put over a small area on my chin… I felt a slight vacuum-y/cooling sensation before the laser fired and I felt a sharp twang on the surface of my skin. It’s not painful… but the anticipation is uncomfortable for me. It’s a bit like waiting for a balloon to be popped. I think that as I get used to it and into the swing of a full session, this feeling will fade… but I was really aware of anticipating the next laser fire.
What I wasn’t expecting however, was the smell. Burnt hair… really quite unpleasant and thanks to the treatment being carried out around my chin and top lip, right under my nose! I think I’ll breathe through my mouth next time!
Immediately after, Hayley sprayed my skin with thermal water and applied copious amounts of Aloe Vera Gel which I forgot to rub in and spent the next ten minutes looking like I’d sneezed on myself. My skin immediately turned a shade of lobster pink and I was sent on my merry way with an appointment for my first full session (Tues 18th May) and my starter pack of after-care products.
You can see how my skin looked 12 hours later and read my concerns at the time by reading my update here.
It remained hot to the touch ’till Sunday evening (60hrs after treatment) but the redness and swelling have now subsided. There’s still visible signs of irritation, but it doesn’t feel ‘burnt’ anymore. I’m a lot happier that my skin isn’t reacting in some unusual way. It also would have helped if I’d read the aftercare sheet FULLY and not just scanned it thinking I recognised everything I’d already been told:
2. …the treated area may become red and swollen and may remain so for several days after treatment.
Sorted. My skin probably isn’t going to fall off then. I am Norman normal, just perhaps a teeny bit more sensitive than hardier types!
You’re gonna have to excuse the hair… I have shaved twice since my test patch on Friday… I guess you can see why I so desperately want this treatment done huh? Anyway, at the risk of stating the bleedin’ obvious… the red bits are irritation and these photos show the affected areas 60hrs after treatment.
Honestly, I’m kinda dreading what I’m going to look like on Wednesday morning after my first full session. I’m thinking Freddy Krueger. Don’t forget I’m practically having the whole of my lower face lasered… I’m not sure I’ll be able to leave the house for a few days if the test patch was anything to go by. I guess it’s something I didn’t consider. Oh well, I think it’s time to stop worrying and wait and see what greets me in the mirror on Wednesday morning.
So that’s it really… a full on update. In total, I’ll be having six sessions and although I won’t be updating with as much detail as this after my subsequent treatments, I’ll still be doing progress reports and posting photos when appropriate.
I guess that if I’ve got something worth sharing, I’ll be letting you guys know about it.
Here’s a vid that Mr. L shot when we went for a cup of tea afterwards, please excuse the sillyness at the end. Apparently, I’m boring, unlike the dude that walks behind me with a giant red erection… no, really (40 seconds in).
sk:n consultation and test patch from lipglossiping on Vimeo.
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Bodycare Laser Hair Removal Adventures sk:n Treatments Video
10 COMMENTS
Quick sk:n laser hair removal test patch update!
Posted by Lipglossiping On May - 15 - 2010
Ok, so I have another video update on the way…. it needs a little bit of editing and I’m totally new to this video lark so still learning how to do all that stuff! I’m happy to overshare… but not look like a total moron, hence the need for editing.
I thought I’d give an impromptu update on the test patch I had at the sk:n clinic today in preparation for my course of laser hair removal. More of what actually happened during the consultation will be revealed in the vid, but as of a quarter to one in the morning following my consultation and test patch, I just wanna say…
Owwie! (please excuse the hint of boob-age)
The technician lady/laser thingy operator said that the redness (and any swelling) usually fades after an hour or so… but this is still going strong 12 hours later. It feels hot to the touch and slightly stingy but not too bad. I’m guessing it’s laser burn.
You can see that the hairs in that area *blush* are unshaved and I think this is the cause. She said that it’s best if I shave on the morning of treatment as the skin can suffer from burning if there’s much hair above the actual skin surface.
The lady was very nice and explained everything very well… but I kinda wish I’d known about this before hand. Or that they had disposable razors onsite that they could have offered me to quickly remove the surface hair and avoid this discomfort. I’ve been applying Aloe Vera like it’s going out of business ever since.
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Laser Hair Removal Adventures sk:n Treatments
19 COMMENTS
A somewhat personal journey…
Posted by Lipglossiping On May - 13 - 2010
My first video… eek, no edits! Video queen I ain’t…
If you have any questions (no matter how silly you think they may be) about professional IPL treatment at a clinic, please ask and I’ll either be able to answer them through my own experiences or find out on your behalf.
If you don’t feel comfortable asking questions in the comment box, feel free to email me privately.
To find out more about the sk:n clinic and the treatments they offer, visit their website here.
I wanted to quickly update to say…
Firstly, thank you SO much for being supportive and generous in wishing me the best of luck with the treatment, it’s really appreciated and very good of you.
But I also want to clarify something…
I don’t feel brave and I don’t think you should think me brave either. Save that for someone who writes openly about something like this without being rewarded with many many pounds worth of free treatments in an attempt to fix it.
Honestly? I wouldn’t be discussing this on my blog if it weren’t for that fact. I’m certainly no martyr to the cause of hirsutism!
I seriously contemplated limiting my experiences, review and photographs to my upper lip. It’s the least ‘freaky’ area to suffer from excess hair and the place where most people would be able to relate. But the simple fact is that receiving this free treatment puts me in a privileged position. I’m not a bonafide beauty writer… I’m a lucky girl dedicated to her blog and I think I can suffer a little bit of indignity if it:
a). helps highlight the more embarrassing aspects of excess hair in a sympathetic way.
b). brings a small amount of comfort to even one person who may read this and realise that there’s literally loads of women with the same problems.
c). (if the treatment works) bring hope that there is an effective solution to the problem.
d). (if the treatment doesn’t work) potentially save someone a good deal of money, or encourage them to explore other options first.
Regardless, from now on… if I see any of you checking out my FOTDs with a magnifying glass… you’re off my Christmas Card list FOR GOOD!
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