I know it's not a topic that women like to talk about out loud - but I'm typing it, so we're not talking.
When I went through puberty, I started to grow hair in places women don't want it - sideburns, face, chin, upper lip. I have thick dark hair, so the hairs that did grow... they showed up A LOT. Obviously, as a high schooler this was mortifying to me. So I talked with my parents and we decided to go talk to someone about laser hair removal. I've been doing some sort of hair removal ever since (11+ years).
I've also been poked and prodded and put on several types of birth control to try and figure out why laser hadn't stopped the hair from coming back. I'm healthy and I test within normal ranges, but for some reason hair just wants to grow. Everyone has an opinion; poly-cystic ovaries (which they still haven't completely ruled out but my blood doesn't point to it), thyroid issues (all test normal), etc. To me, it's disgusting.
Several years ago I finally got to a point where the hairs were few enough to try electrolysis - which is where they insert a needle into the hair follicle, try to zap the root, and pull it out. That is finally starting to diminish in how often I have to go.
My hormones are out of whack - that's the conclusion I've drawn. So while I am having all these treatments on a schedule so that we can get the hair in it's proper growth stage, they aren't growing in their proper stages therefore not being hit by the laser. I've know laser to work for many people, completely and after only a handful of treatments. While I'd never compare myself to Kim Kardashian, her heritage is Armenian and she gets laser on her legs, I'm guessing it's an ongoing battle for her as well - those dark hairs are sons-a-bitches!
So, for me, it's taken years and thousands of dollars - but I do feel like it's finally working. I'm only one person of many who have done it.
The one thing that was an absolute for me right off the bat was the appearance of the hairs growing - they were thinner and lighter pretty much right away. So when I had the chance to buy one of those coupons and use it on my bikini line, I thought the very worse that could happen was that I'd have as much hair but it'd be finer and lighter - which in my book was good enough.
Either way - I think laser is a positive thing for most people. It's obviously not cheap, so if you're doing it for vanity reasons and you're broke, you may want to rethink it. If you have out of control hair in places that it shouldn't be - go see a doctor first, THEN see about laser hair removal.
