Anybody had laser hair removal done?

Simple answer is 'it depends'
mostly on your skin type and hair type, works best on those with dark hairs and light skin. Needs to be done a few times as your hair follicles grows in active-rest-hibernation cycles and laser only affects active hairs. There is no guarantee of permanent, total clearance.

There is also a risk of side effects, namely scarring and pigmentary changes

I'm in the process of having my back done.

I have light skin and dark hair and it is working well for me. The entire process will take 5 treatments over the course of a year. I'm 3 treatments in and the results are very good.

The greater the contrast between your skin color and your hair color, the better the results will be. The laser will not zap light colored or gray hairs.

For my money, this is the best method for hair removal. Much better than waxing. After the treatments, I won't have those periods when the hair is growing back in and getting long enough to wax again. More important, the problem with ingrown hairs and bumps after waxing will not exist. Also, in the long run, laser treatment is much, much cheaper.

There are horror stories about people who have had problems with lasers. Make sure you pick a place were the staff is well trained. The place I go also uses nurses as the technicians. The only problems I've ever had is razor burn from when they shave my back before the procedure.

The second treatment hurt like a mother. In that treatment, they had cranked up the laser intensity and the hair on my back was still fairly dense. The first and third treatments weren't too bad. I'm expecting that the remaining treatments won't be too bad as there is so much less hair. In terms of absolute pain, it's probably no worse than waxing, but it's more sustained. Understand that the laser is actually burning the hairs under your skin, so it's like getting a bunch of tiny intense little burns. It also smells like burning hair during the treatment which is a bit disconcerting.

Different laser centers will provide different levels of "guarantee". The place I'm going originally provided 50% off subsequent treatments after the standard course. They are now offering a better guarantee, but I don't remember what the details are. In comparing different facilities, you may want to consider the robustness of their guarantees.

In short, I'm very happy I went the laser route.

I've had my shoulders/chest and neck done. The shoulders didn't hurt, the neck and chest/abs were . I've always used the Lightsheer Diode laser which gives you a permanent reduction each time you do it. There's no guarantee that you'll have complete clearance though. Hair comes back thinner and lighter, I really like it and recommend it.

Good post. Your experience mirrors mine.

I also did back/shoulders, and as I have light skin and dark hair, the laser was very effective. In fact, it took so long for new hairs to appear, i was always misled into thinking that future treatments weren't needed. But eventually, hairs that were previously made their appearance.

At high intensity, it's a bit painful. But no big deal. A routine visit to a dentist can be far more painful and scary. Laser hair removal is more like your little brother snapping you with a rubber band -- it stings but it's instantly over and the second the treatment ends, there's no further pain.

As for the smell of incinerated hair, I kinda liked it.

I have a really hairy back, it sucks big time. So you would say the laser technique is the most recommended?

And how often do you have to do it?

I was thinking about getting this done on my back and shoulders and lower neck... How much does the total cost over a year get up to? And after those 5 treatments, the hair never grows back, right? I have very light skin and my hair on those areas is black so thats encouraging.

What kind of costs are we talking about, roughly?

I believe they are several hundred dollars a treatment. I was reading studies on it that said, in some cases the lasers actually make you grow hair like crazy, but this was only observed with people having black hair.

I just got back from a place called Pure Med, this is what they told me. First I asked about a full body treatment, everything from the collar down, she says $20k, but then says we're having a Christmas in July special this month and everything is 50% off, in the store 90 seconds and the price was cut in half. Then she looks at a few places and says I'm not that hairy and maybe she could give me a bigger discount, she leaves the room and comes back with a clipboard and says since my back isn't that hairy, she can offer me a price of $7500, then I say I don't want my arms done and she looks up a price sheet and says she can discount another $1000, so now I'm looking at $6500 for a full body laser treatment, six treatments per body part over the next year. I say I'm not ready commit to that much just yet I'll get back to her. As I was turning around to leave another woman was walking in and she turned out to be the manager, the manager and the women that was helping me got together and came back with a coupon for 20% off, the said they could use the coupon towards the $6500 I was quoted and the total would only be $5200. hhhhmmm I say, and wonder if I should take the deal.

Thoughts?

Find out how much is REALLY costs first (by shopping around). Then go back for the deal if necessary.

I had it done on my back and shoulders, and after a period of time it does grow back, though much lighter than before. Overall, I'm glad I had it done. I was fortunate a friend owned the clinic, so I received a substantial discount.

One thing she mentioned, however, is to be consistent. She said if you wait too long between sessions, the overall results may suffer. Something to do with repeatedly hitting the follicle before it can rejuvenate.

based on a few other shops I don't think $5k is all that bad

The avatar is self explanatory, too.