Treatment 1

And so it began. Saturday was the day. How funny that I spent the day before searching the internet for "first day experiences" and didn't come up with squat. So I vow to be as descriptive as possible, so you newbies know what to expect on your first visit.

I'll admit it, I didn't sleep so well the night before. I had a few nightmares and couldn't get the thought of pain out of my head. Browsing through internet forums I would find statements like "If the treatment isn't painful, then they aren't doing it right." Crap. My free consultation did not mention any intense pain. Yes, the tride and true statement of a rubber band snap pain repeating itself in my mind. This won't be bad Dawn. I mean, they would warn you if the pain was unbearable, right?

I walk into the office and check in. After a few minutes of signing my contract and going over privacy policies, the numbing cream is mentioned. I gathered that the cream they use it specific to the company and is bought ahead of treatment time. I didn't ask about price as I was firmly confident I would not need any type of numbing cream - I am no wimp, and I also took a hydrocodone ahead of time :)

It's my time and I am called into the treatment room. My lady doing my zapping introduces herself and goes over the basics. She reads my chart, and she tells me to disrobe from the waist down after she walks out of the room. No problem, I've done this process with waxing my pink parts all the time. I am no amateur and have no shame at showing my nether areas to qualified professionals. She walks in and begins to mark the area in sections, with a white grease pencil. Pictures are taken of the pre-treated area and here is where the fun begins. Sunglasses are handed to me and stress balls. She smiles, and tells me to use them to squeeze when the pain is bad. Wait, i wonder, it's going to be bad? Like to the point I need to distract myself? I ask her if it's going to hurt and she says yes. Oh great. I also get the wonderful news that as my first treatment, the laser will be set on the lowest setting. As the treatments progress and my hair lightens and thins, the laser will need to be at a higher level to zap the remaining hairs and the pain will be more intense. Shit.

Zap, zap, zap, zap....I squeeze those balls till I feel I may rip them apart. The pain, oh my God the pain. And where did my hydrocodone high go to?!!!?!? I think the laser zapped it all away. She finishes the section and asks how I'm doing. Rubber band snap my ass. It's more like a small group of needles quickly poking your skin. I nod my head and start the small talk to keep my mind occupied. It's kinda hard to speak when I'm holding my breath and tensing my legs. But miraculously it's over very quickly. The pain subsides and I'm left with a swollen, bright pink mess of an area. She laughs about my checking the "skin is not sensitive" box. I remark that's it is my first time with a laser, so I wasn't sure how I would react. From the looks of it, my skin freaked out and died on me. Covered in red circular blotches, she tells me I shouldn't sweat, or irritate the area for a day since my reaction looks so bad. I'm given hydro-cortisone and aloe and told to reapply 4 times a day until the damage goes down. I put my bottoms back on, schedule my next appointment in July and ask about the numbing cream. I am NOT going through this again without help.

Over the next few days, my pubic area has done quite well. I was not in any sort of pain afterwards, just a little bit shocked and swollen. Within a day, the pinkness had worn off and I was back to normal. Now I have the shedding process to look forward to. Within 1-3 weeks, the majority of hair will fall out and by mid July, I'll be ready for my next treatment.

So far, so good. I'm happy and just anxious to see how much hair comes back in the next few weeks. Updates to follow!

My Adventures in Laser Hair Removal

Well well well kids, it's time to document my newest endeavor - the world of laser hair removal. I've always dreamed of being hair-free, and have spent countless dollars on "guy razors", and waxing. Could you even begin to imagine the amount of time you spend in the shower removing all that hair every year? For me that's a plethora of hours. Coming from a Spanish/Mexican background, I have been blessed with pale skin and dark hair. Lucky me.

Due to the price of the procedure I would never consider myself a candidate until my husband suggested it to me a few weeks ago. Personally, I didn't know about the radio spot that continuously plays on a local radio station. (I'm hooked on Sirius, so I rarely listen to radio.) He mentioned I should go in for a free consultation and see what the price would be. Well now, if hubby says it's alright I'm going to run with it!

I go online and fill out the form to request a consult. I receive a nice email tooting the personal experience from my contact - and a time to come in. Fast forward to my consult, I meet a very nice and confident saleslady. She gives me a brief tour and discusses the benefits of the company. (Right now I'm going to keep this information under wraps until the procedures are underway.) The staff are all certified RNs and the laser is one of the best in the country. Weeks before I had scanned the interwebs for information on specific lasers and whatnot. I did recall the name she mentioned and felt more secure. Then we sat down and discussed the money aspect. A discount was offered on the full package - only good till the end of the day. Drat! Reminded me of apartment hunting in my younger days - I hated those look and lease offers. I did get payment options on 2 areas - bikini and brazilian. I have to say the most affordable option was splitting up the entire package on a monthly payment schedule with Chase. Interest -free for 18 months doesn't seem that bad.

My lifetime membership includes 9 sessions - spaced between a year and a half. All the hair is guaranteed to be gone by the last treatment or more treatment(s) is available. Also, during the span of my life, I can go in to any location (if the hair returns due to hormones or other life changing incidents) and get treated for $40. Not too bad - I like the sound of that.

So here I am, my first appointment looming later this week. Stay tuned for the fun ahead! Will it be painful? Will I suffer in silence or cry with joy when my ingrowns disappear? All these questions will be answered!