[jamixoxo]

Why couldn't I have been born a girl?

Clara
[/quote]


My feelings exactly! I remember in middle school I would go to bed at night and wish with all my might that I would somehow wake up as a girl, or wake up and realize being a boy was just a bad dream.

-A
[/quote]

I've had a few ingrown hairs over the years, the kind that become zits,...

Amanda, I, too, VERY often wished I'd been born a girl or would become one over night. Why won't wishing from the universe cause THAT to happen??

Don't disagree with the sentiment, but you'd still have to shave, epilate, wax, pluck, or burn off (chemically or otherwise) some areas of your body - just less

("I wish I'd been born a girl, with no need to shave anywhere, aging like Cindy Crawford, eat what I want, and have a nice rack,... oh and stuff those crampy things!")

I've had good luck using AHA and BHA products (e.g. Paula's Choice lotions) after hair removal... These are topical exfoliants, AHA works on the surface layer, BHA will help clear pores and follicles.
Unless you're a masochist, I don't recommend using either immediately after hair removal, it stings (a lot, and a long time) - let your skin recover first, say a day.
Apply immediately after shower; follow with a regular lotion.
Since I started using it (alternate BHA and AHA each day), I don't get ingrown hairs, shaving bumps, or blemishes. It's not perfect, it didn't cure my keratosis pilans, but it did reduce it quite a bit, and my skin is smoother for longer, and takes lotion and moisturizers better.
I also stopped using menthol, astringents, and "cooling sensation" lotions... Not good for your skin.

No idea if AHA / BHA is OK for post-laser... Please ask your clinic first!
-j

[AmandaBust]

[/quote]

Don't disagree with the sentiment, but you'd still have to shave, epilate, wax, pluck, or burn off (chemically or otherwise) some areas of your body - just less

("I wish I'd been born a girl, with no need to shave anywhere, aging like Cindy Crawford, eat what I want, and have a nice rack,... oh and stuff those crampy things!")

-j
[/quote]

I would still gladly take it! I really feel in my soul that I should have been a Woman!

Anyway, thanks for the Tips! I have never used any lotion, perhaps it is time to start? Especially if it stops the bumps and burns!

-A

[Marina Kits]

...However, I've been on PM and minor herbs for almost a year now and I've noticed my hair is not as robust as it used to be.
...I guess what I'm trying to say is the herbs and drugs I'm taking, while not eliminating my hair, are moving me in the right direction.

That is awesome! I wish I could take them too!

-A

Sorry, I didn't mean to rub it in. There are so many new folks here lately that I haven't got to know very well! I just assume everyone is able to take herbs and tell their significant others whatever they want. I'm feeling like an old grandma who keeps asking, "which one of the grand-kids are you again?" ...Better check to see if my breasts are sagging too.

[AmandaBust]

...However, I've been on PM and minor herbs for almost a year now and I've noticed my hair is not as robust as it used to be.
...I guess what I'm trying to say is the herbs and drugs I'm taking, while not eliminating my hair, are moving me in the right direction.

That is awesome! I wish I could take them too!

-A

Sorry, I didn't mean to rub it in. There are so many new folks here lately that I haven't got to know very well! I just assume everyone is able to take herbs and tell their significant others whatever they want. I'm feeling like an old grandma who keeps asking, "which one of the grand-kids are you again?" ...Better check to see if my breasts are sagging too.

No worries hun!

-A

[Jessica Leigh]

I've been shaving my legs... And arms... And well every where for almost half my life now. Here are my tips and regimen.

Legs and arms: Use shaving cream. In a pinch hair conditioner will work. Do not use soap or shampoo. Use top notch razor blades. I use Gilette Fusion, but I use it on my my face first for a few weeks. The hair on your legs and arms is softer then your face. The blade doesnt need to be as sharp AND by using a duller blade you will get less nicks. Use an electric razor on your forearms or for a quick touch up.

Under arms and privates: shaving cream (or hair conditioner in a pinch) use a fresh blade and change every 2-4 weeks. Don't throw away as the blade is now perfect for your legs and arms.

Chest and Abs: Electric razor. I used to use razor blades but always got ingrown hairs. I get much less with the electric razor.

I lather in aloe gel after my shower (the sunburn stuff). The alcohol in it will kill off a lot of the bacteria that also add to ingrown hair infections. Then I use Aveeno lotion to give my legs and arms a nice soft glow.

Note: laser work on my chest, abs, and bikini Brazilian have made those places much easier to maintain.

[AmandaBust]

Thank you for the tips Jessica, I like the conditioner idea!

-A

[GoneGirl]

I received my Tria 4X hair removal laser the other day. It has the look and feel of a quality instrument. I decided to cough up the $450 to buy it because of the difficulty I'm experiencing using an epilator.

First, the epilator works fine at pulling hairs out by the roots, but afterward, my skin swells up, forming red bumps that itch like crazy. The only relief I get is putting an ice pack on the epilated areas. The itching is particularly intense in the evening and while I'm trying to sleep. I figured it was just a matter of my skin getting used to this hair removal method, but it wasn't letting up.

I used the Tria 4x on a section of my right thigh yesterday, and epilated a section on the left. Last night the itchy occurred on the epilated leg, but not on the lasered leg. That's encouraging.

As to the pain from using the laser, it didn't bother me a bit, even at the highest fluence level (5). My wife, however, found it very painful at level 4. I think it scared her off. It depends on where on the body it's used and your individual tolerance for pain. Evidently, my pain threshold is rather high.

It's going to take months to evaluate the Tria's effectiveness in ridding my body of hair, and, of course, it's not permanent hair removal. Hair will eventually grow back, particularly if you're soaked in DHT. LOL!

It's time consuming to treat an area because you have to pulse the laser 25 times to cover just 1 sq. in. of skin. It's quite easy to use, but I need to come up with a system to keep track of skin already treated. I couldn't tell that an area had been treated by, say, skin redness or anything, however when I treated an area twice it left what looks like sunburned skin.

The treatment seems to be working because, on the shaved areas that I treated, hairs are not spouting up like in the untreated adjacent shaved areas. Hair growth is halted by heating up of the hair shaft and killing of the papilla where hair growth originates. That burning of the hair shaft is where the 'stinging' sensation comes from. You can feel it under the skin, like a tiny needle going in.

A hair has to be in its growth phase (anagen) for the laser to be effective in killing the hair root, so laser treatments have to be repeated every two weeks for months to get rid of all the hair. Even then, hair will grow back, but it won't be as much.

As I learn more about home LHR (laser hair removal) process, I'll report back. So far, I'm hopeful about the ultimate goal of reducing my body hair. Time will tell.

Clara

[AmandaBust]

Thank you Clara for the expert review of the Tria 4X and for your experiment with LHR vs Epilation! I am excited to see the results over time.

Perhaps you could use a straight object like a ruler to mark where you had been? Do you go in vertical lines?

-A

[GoneGirl]

Thank you Clara for the expert review of the Tria 4X and for your experiment with LHR vs Epilation! I am excited to see the results over time.

Perhaps you could use a straight object like a ruler to mark where you had been? Do you go in vertical lines?

-A

I'm finding it helpful to put down thin pieces of masking tape to mark off an area to treat with the laser. Like your ruler idea, Amanda, the tape helps me guide the laser in straight lines. A charge only lasts so long at the maximum 5 fluence level, so I do a relatively small area at one sitting. I'll need help from DW to do the underarms and backs of my thighs. I'm really pleases at how painless it's been for me.

Clara

[AmandaBust]

I received my Tria 4X hair removal laser the other day. It has the look and feel of a quality instrument. I decided to cough up the $450 to buy it because of the difficulty I'm experiencing using an epilator.

First, the epilator works fine at pulling hairs out by the roots, but afterward, my skin swells up, forming red bumps that itch like crazy. The only relief I get is putting an ice pack on the epilated areas. The itching is particularly intense in the evening and while I'm trying to sleep. I figured it was just a matter of my skin getting used to this hair removal method, but it wasn't letting up.

I used the Tria 4x on a section of my right thigh yesterday, and epilated a section on the left. Last night the itchy occurred on the epilated leg, but not on the lasered leg. That's encouraging.

As to the pain from using the laser, it didn't bother me a bit, even at the highest fluence level (5). My wife, however, found it very painful at level 4. I think it scared her off. It depends on where on the body it's used and your individual tolerance for pain. Evidently, my pain threshold is rather high.

It's going to take months to evaluate the Tria's effectiveness in ridding my body of hair, and, of course, it's not permanent hair removal. Hair will eventually grow back, particularly if you're soaked in DHT. LOL!

It's time consuming to treat an area because you have to pulse the laser 25 times to cover just 1 sq. in. of skin. It's quite easy to use, but I need to come up with a system to keep track of skin already treated. I couldn't tell that an area had been treated by, say, skin redness or anything, however when I treated an area twice it left what looks like sunburned skin.

The treatment seems to be working because, on the shaved areas that I treated, hairs are not spouting up like in the untreated adjacent shaved areas. Hair growth is halted by heating up of the hair shaft and killing of the papilla where hair growth originates. That burning of the hair shaft is where the 'stinging' sensation comes from. You can feel it under the skin, like a tiny needle going in.

A hair has to be in its growth phase (anagen) for the laser to be effective in killing the hair root, so laser treatments have to be repeated every two weeks for months to get rid of all the hair. Even then, hair will grow back, but it won't be as much.

As I learn more about home LHR (laser hair removal) process, I'll report back. So far, I'm hopeful about the ultimate goal of reducing my body hair. Time will tell.

Clara

Thank you Clara for offering to be our LHR test subject! I am very interested to see the results. I purchased an epliator over the weekend and it seems quite effective but very painful! It worked nicely on the hair between my breasts on my sternum which has proven notoriously difficult to shave!
I will need to work up the courage to use it on the rest on my body!

-A