More about my early experiences with the Epila Laser Hair Remover.  Learn from my mistakes and triumphs.

First, here is a helpful tip learned from the few professional laser treatments I was able to afford in the past:  before shaving, use a marker (I used a green, permanent CD marker) and dab the skin at the base of each hair you want to remove.  Carefully dry shave the area so the ink spot remains.  Wipe the area with a slightly damp tissue so that most of the ink wipes away.  The pore out of which the hair was growing should be slightly stained, making it easier to know precisely where to aim the laser.  After zapping, wash the area gently to remove the rest of the ink.  Taadaa!

I am finding my eyebrows difficult to work with.  I borrowed my husband's multi-purpose trimmer (moustache, beard, sideburns, etc.) and used the smallest tip to trim the eyebrow hairs that I wanted to zap.

Taking great care in aiming so that I was certain not to point the laser into my eye, I treated several hairs.  However, since there was a small length of hair left by the trimmer, a few hairs smoldered and burned my skin.  In once location, a tiny blister formed and popped, leaving a tiny, open sore just under my left eyebrow.

I'm not sure how I'm going to resolve this issue in the future.  I can't imagine using a razor blade on my eyebrows and I can't seem to get a close enough cut with the trimmer.  Perhaps small, sharp scissors are the answer.  I'll post an update when I tackle the eyebrows again in a few weeks.

On a more positive note, my husband has been very helpful in working on my left underarm.  (If you have skipped earlier segments of this guide, I am treating only one underarm at the moment, to compare results after several zaps.)  I lay on my side with my arm over my head while hubby zapped.  He did a much better job than I would have been able to of aiming the laser in the right direction to create the "snapping" feeling.  If I didn't feel the snap, I told him and he would adjust his aim slightly.

If your partner isn't as accomodating as mine, I would very strongly suggest you enlist someone who is willing to help with tricky areas such as underarms, bikini area, backs of legs, etc.  If you do not have a direct line of sight on the area you are treating, it is nearly impossible to aim the laser correctly.

Perhaps I should heed my own advice and enlist the help of hubby when working on my eyebrows.  A different perspective might reduce my risk of injury to both skin and eye.

Stay tuned for more successes, failures, tips, tricks, results and anecdotes.  Happy zapping!