I have wanted to try laser hair removal, but haven't. From my understanding you are a best candidant if there is a big difference in your skin color and hair color. Like pale to med-light skin color with dark hairs. Doesn't work as well for someone pale with light colored hairs or somone dark with dark or light hairs. It's the same whether you are naturally darker toned or are usually light but have a tan from sun exposure or sunless tanning products. Also, your hair grows in 12-week cycles where it is dormant for 10 weeks (approx) and actively growing for 2 weeks. Only the hair follicles currently active will be killed in any one treatment. I don't think 100% of the active hair follicles are killed, but I don't know what percentage are. I know that it takes about 6 treatment sessions to get about 70-80% of all the hair follicles. That being said, being the cheap-o that I am, I am trying the Igia Finally Gone. It only claims to kill 50% of the active follicles in any one session. So, if only 2/12's of the hairs are active and it only kills 1/2 of them, that is 1/12 of the total hairs per session, so I can expect to be hair-free in about 12 sessions ? I have only done about 4 (maybe 5) sessions over the last couple years. It is very very time-consuming even with the pads that cover more area at a time because I am doing my lower legs ... a lot of area to cover there. I can see some reduction in the number of hairs that grow on my legs and both legs have areas that are almost completely bald on the lower half of the lower legs towards the front and the inside. These are the areas that are the least "meaty". Don't know if that has anything to do with it ? For what it's worth, I have very hairy very coarse very dark hair on my lower legs and I am able to tell a difference already. When I "treat" my lower legs, I shave and then let the hairs grow for about 1-1/2 to 2 weeks, then I spend a saturday morning zapping my legs, and a few days after I have my legs waxed. Igia says you are to pull out each hair after the treatment, and waxing is the fastest way to get all of those hairs out ! I have also heard the "infomercial" for Nad's and they say after you wax a number of times that eventually the hairs stop growing. Not sure how true that is but don't try Nad's ... it does not work ... it is painful and it does not remove all of the hairs. If you want to wax, buy Gigi Honee All Purpose Hair Removal Microwave Formula from Sally's. It's also painful, but at least it removes all of the hairs ! You can also buy a Numbing Spray by Gigi that helps a lot. http://www.sallybeauty.com/ I don't have the guts to rip the waxing strips off myself, so I have someone else do the ripping.

You may be past the point of decision, but I thought I'd chime in just in case. I am also growing out my hair, and I was a hairdresser for twenty years. Growing out is almost always a pain. My suggestion is if you have gone this far, hang in there. You can always cut it later if you decide it isn't what you thought it would be. About style. I've done the short bob thing like you are doing in the past and this time I have been keeping it in long layers as the top grows out. I have found this MUCH easier to deal with that a really short bob, and as soon as I had a little ponytail I started clipping it up. For awhile I flipped it out and now it is long enought to flip or go under. This is in part due to the fact that I look rotten in a short bob and much better with layering. I just want to say I will never have short hair again. I'll be a little old lady with a bun :-) You can get a short look with putting it up especially if you have layers around the front...well, not quite the same, but I love the practicallity of putting it up. About those bangs... A small amount left long and swept to the side is in. No POOFY bangs. I add that because of your age. I am 44 and had "big" hair and it was hard getting away from it :-) All that being said...there are some people that just look great with short hair, and if you are one of them and it makes you happy go for it. I have to say I love feeling more girrly with it a little longer though. Everyone always told me my short hair looked great too, but I like it longer! As far as flattness, some of that may have to do with your style in the past and what you are use to. Kind of like when you stop getting perms! I have found that as my hair grows out I really like using velcro rollers and a heat set spray. After spraying get the velcros really hot with the hairdryer and then let them cool completely. This will give you MUCH more volume and may even be too big at first. You just have to play with the roller size and placement and see what works for you. This works great for me at this point, and lasts all day if I use a little Paul Mitchell Freeze and Shine in it (it holds but you can still run your fingers through it when dry to break up the frozen hair look. Heat sets sprays are different and you may have to experiment with your hair to find the best one for your style. Remember that when you set hair do it in a similar manner that you dry...for example if you hold the hair up in the crown, or pull the top forward set it the same. This will give you the fullness.

I just asked my dermatologist at an annual check up if laser treatment can help with a scar left after having a basal skin cell cancer removed. Another derm did the removal; I had let it go for quite awhile so dr ended up scraping quite a bit deeper and wider than the usual small lesion, resulting in basically a patch of white skin about the size of a penny. It's directly above one eyebrow and while not a yuck/OMG/what happened to YOU type appearance, because the scar is so white it's a distinctly different color compared to the rest of my face and very noticeable. Anyway, has anyone tried laser treatments for something like this? Again, the scar isn't keloidal or raised, it's just the skin color that is 'off'. Dermatologist gave me a list of doctors he'd recommend, but as always the gardenweb community is probably the best source of real life feedback :).

Regarding mayo, the ingredients used to make this condiment are veggie oil (any type will do), egg yolks and acids such as vinegar and lemon juice. Egg yolks are often used in home hair treatments to strengthen and moisturize hair. It is thought that the combination of oil, egg yolk and acid (as found in mayo) work together to condition and restore moisture to the hair. I tried it many years ago, and while it left my hair shiny and silky, it also took many shampooings to get it out and left my hair feeling kind of limp and oily. How well it works probably depends on what type of hair each individual has. Eggs used alone as hair treatments are broken down like this - egg whites treat oily hair, yolks moisturize dry, brittle hair and using the entire egg is used as a general conditioner. To use a yolk or a whole egg, whisk and apply to wet hair and leave in for 1 - 3 minutes. Rinse well with cool water. To use whites, separate from yolk, mix with a couple of tablespoons of oil and beat until foamy. Apply to damp hair. Use your fingers or a comb to distribute thoroughly thru hair and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse with cool water. WalnutCreek, I hope you are feeling better every day and that, among these many good ideas, you find a solution that restores your hair to it's original condition. Best of luck!