I am almost at 30lbs gone!!!!! And I want to reward my self with something... non food. And i hate to shave my pits... but the hair is also not pleasent. So I am considering laser hair removal. Does it hurt? Does it work??? Any other great nonfood rewards you can think of?

I've personally never had it, but I wanna reward myself the same way, when I get closer to goal. Not under my arms, although they really are a nusiance, especially now that they're caving in a bit. It makes it too easy to miss bits of it.

I also wanna reward myself with a spray-tan...

I did have laser hair removal on my bikini (not arm pits). I gotta say that it hurt beyond belief.....to the point that I wanted to vomit. I did it about 8 or 9 times and I still wouldn't say the results are miraculous. I think your success depends on your skin color. I'm not very hairy as is but it still wasn't that great and I have an olive skin tone. If you do decide to do this, I'd recommend going with a place that gave you some sort of a guarantee.....that they would continue treatments till you get the right result. One of my friends got such a deal so she was able to keep going. My place gave me a discount after about 6 or 7 treatments (I don't recall) but I still had to pay. I finally stopped going because I couldn't tolerate the pain.

I'd treat myself to a massage maybe?

I had a reasonably successful set of treatments on my moustach/chin (the joys of aging!). The treatments took care of the hairs reasonably well. I occasionally see one pop up but it is easy to deal with. Overall I was happy, but I am light skinned and the hair was dark.

Ha ha, I'm only 18 and I have hair on my chin...Makes me happy to know that treatment worked well for you.

Can't tell you if it will be permanent, but I have lighter skin (asian), and dark hair. I've finished my second laser treatment of underarms and full brazillian. The pain is the worst for the brazillian. I have a high limit for pain, but (sorry for TMI) as soon as the laser is near the center of your "area", oh good Lord, the pain... I think a few tears sprang from my eyes. The underarms were much less painful.

Worth it for me so far, as I've noticed probably 30-40% reduction in hair (and I'm quite hairy, lol) after two treatments. My package was for unlimited hair removal for a year, so I'm covered until next June. My esthetician is very pleased with my rate of hair loss. I'm hoping that by 4-5 treatments, the majority will be gone.

Cheers.

I'm on treatment number 2 right now (#3 this Wednesday). I'm seeing some mild results, but they say it typically takes 6 sessions (varies by individual). A friend of mine said she really started noticing after treatment #5. I can't wait to get it all done. I get HORRIBLE razer burn and ingrown hairs that take weeks to heal each time I shave.

ETA- Oh, and yes, it hurts (I did brazillian) but the treatment is REALLY fast, which makes is bearable. To save money, look for Groupons or Living Social deals. I wouldn't be able to afford it overwise.

I had good results with laser. Unfortunately your hair will grow back if the androgen levels in your body is out of control . So I would suggest getting checked out by a reproductive endocrinologist to make sure that your hormones are in balance before getting laser.

I would also suggest that you check and see if a the dermatology department in a hospital near you offers laser treatments. I would feel better getting it done by a registered nurse or doctor than an esthetician.

I had my legs, underarms and traditional bikini line done (multiple treatments each) and a single treatment on the hairline on the back of my neck (to give it a less shaggy look when I wear a ponytail) and it is collectively one of the best things I've ever done! It's amazing to never have to worry about shaving and stubble. I always used a numbing cream which definitely made the treatments tolerable - you feel something like being zapped with teeny tiny hot rubberbands when the laser hits a hair follicle. Totally worth it - 100% for me. And I had mine done over 10 years ago and no regrowth but maybe I'm just lucky. Let me know if you have any questions!

Results vary with this procedure. My sister lasered everything (chin, upper lip, under arms, arms, legs, and brazillian-zone) and it didn't come back at all after her treatments. She looks great. Of course, she's a fan of all the cosmetic upgrades and salon treatments and does them regularly. I, however, am a lot more lax about everything. When I tried to get the laser treatments done, I ended up with burns on my chin and and underarms and they took a long time to heal. Plus, the hair was worse afterwards than before. My weight problem seemed to have caused some hirsuitism and it didn't resolve itself by lasers.

I'd suggest saving yourself the pain, the money, and the time and, instead, finding a good salon where you can get some waxing done. Set up a monthly appointment for yourself for as long as the would-be laser treatment cost will stretch you. And, if you don't grow to enjoy the waxing, you can always treat yourself to a hot stone aromatherapy massage afterward instead; those are awesome!

I had laser hair removal done on my upper lip and underarms. I didn't see much of a change on my lip but did notice a 30% reduction with my underarms. After 5 treatments my armpit hair was reduced by 75%. I was told that everyone is different. Make sure you research and find a reputable place.

I had laser hair removal done all over my face - neck, sides, above lip, and chin. I paid $1000 for 8 treatments. It helped for a while, the most successful area was above my lip (also the MOST painful!). My neck and chin are back fully, though. I would not spend the money again, not worth it for me.

I have been having laser treatments on my legs and underarms. The pain on my legs is minimal, and they use a numbing creme on my underarms before the procedure, so no discomfort there either. Make sure you research the different lasers to find the best one for your skin tone, some are better than others I don't know about long term reduction yet, but so far am happy with my results, I have had about 5 treatments and have about 50% reduction on my underarms and 75% on my legs. As for other food free rewards... manicures, fancy skin creme, trip to amusement parks or whatever you enjoy, magazines, books, shoes....

thanks ladies for all your insight!!!
i ended up cancelling on my apointment.. my husband and i are saving for a downpayment on a home and even though he was ok with the spending of a few hundered i couldnt do it.. i really want to get out of this **** of an apartment!!!! so i will continue to shave (or not)lol
i have decided things like going to the gym and having a little me time doing simple things that i love like drawing scrapbooking and getting pedicures are all great nonfood rewards for myself and i have been garage saleing and have purchased some great clothes for mere quartes a peice!! i have gone from a 16/18 to a 10/12 and i just had to have clothes that at least kinda fit and this was a great cheap way to do it.
mabey in the future when we have a home i will rerviset this idea, but honestly i am a wussy and the fear of the pain mentioned above scares the piss out if me. i cant tolerate even minimal pain