I've been following this thread and a few posts as a lurker, but wanted to share my experience so far with laser hair removal on the scalp.
Why laser?First, I see the "ritual" comment about shaving all the time and it drives me insane. For those of us with coarse, thick hair, my shaving "ritual" is going through a $3 cartridge with one shave. Being forced to put a hand towel over my pillow at night to keep the blood at vaseline or cortisone ointment from getting on my pillow. Dealing with pimples, redness, ingrown hairs, and other blemishes all over the side and back of my head. I didn't give a crap about my "shadow". I wanted to be free from embarrassment and not being only able to shave my head once per week or deal with the above consequences.
Next, the whole "go with the grain" comment is hilarious. If I go with the grain on thick, coarse hair, it is no different than combing it. It will not come out unless I go against the grain, no matter what I do.
For these reasons, I chose to get laser. I admittedly did not do my research, but as I am typing the above parargaphs, I don't regret it. I just want it to be over soon.
Which lasers?I finished treatment 4 exactly one week ago. I went to two different clinics. My primary uses a "Gentle" something and my secondary uses a Soprano diode. I feel like the most recent treatment was the most effective. She was on 18/25 on the Gentle laser and did two passes over my main area. The Soprano (treatment 3) didn't seem to be effective on setting 8/10 with a new Sapphire. The "painless" ones are B.S. You feel extreme heat hitting your scalp like it is on fire. I prefer the snapping of the Gentle and she takes more time with it (50 minutes), versus the wham bam 15 minutes of the Sporano.
PainUnrelated, but I have had agonizing TMJ and cluster headaches for years. Comparatively, I don't find this to be painful at all, although I admittedly pop a Percocet 10 before going in and have numbing cream. My technician says I am the only person to get this far into scalp treatments. Most men walk after or during the first treatment. I want my technician to go to a 20/25 or 22/25 next time, but want to avoid scarring.
ResultsHere is where I have had problems. After treatment 2, my sides were 100% gone. The base of my neck gone. Top gone. I have been left with a bizarre horseshoe on the back of my head that looks like a crazy tattoo almost. It has been embarrassing to go in public with it. I can't wear a hat to work, so I use concealer makeup to mitigate some of the "design". My technicial assures me that it will go away, but the shadow is just so dark.
The good news is that all of my ingrowns and problems were on the sides of my head and on the rear where the hair is gone. Primary issue gone, but now I am stuck shaving EVERY day. I now wake up extra early in the morning to shave and shower, let the scalp have time to "calm down, and then apply makeup. If I don't shave it every day, it is obvious.
After treatments, I'm stuck wearing a hat for 5 days. The follicles are so raised that shaving is completely ineffective. Makeup helps, but it loos funny with all of the bumps. I have to wear a hat, so I work my schedule around my ability to miss 2 days of work due to treatment and then be able to wear a hat for 5+ days after that.
Advice/summary1. Do your research and be prepared for an extended period of time looking weird. I am in a profession that this isn't really an option, which has hurt.
2. Don't sweat the pain. It hasn't been an issue yet. My vasectomy hurt more and guys always say how easy that was.
3. Don't do this if you are only dealing with shadow, but are able to shave regularly. My skin was getting shredded by razors.
4. Don't be ashamed to use makeup and try different types. I've gotten good at the art of cover up.
5. Be patient. I suspect I am going to need 10 treatments total. At ever 6 weeks, this is going to take time. The end result will be great, but being self conscious about people staring at your head isn't fun.
Pics attached to describe what I have left. These are both 24 hours of regrowth. I need to stay on top of it and shave in the AM to make it through the day.