This is a good post! Glad to have ya here!

I don't know if you have an interest in horror, but I just watched Talk to Me last night and it was fantastic. Very well made and thoughtfully written. Not what I would call "fun," but a very good movie.

Regarding those alternatives and the possibility of them being more powerful, I think when it comes to darker skin tones the devices actually have to turn their power down, to avoid burning you. On areas of my skin which are more tan than others, I can see the power indicator lights on my particular IPL device go down.

I wish there was an easy way to compare the power of prospective devices. They never seen to give solid specs on like joules of energy they output or whatnot. I think your best bet is just to read reviews by people that have used them, and see what devices people have had the most success with!

Whoa! That's great you have such a robust network of people who support you. Roller derby always looked cool as hell. Must feel awesome to fly across the floor like that. Thank you for sharing!

Yeah. I am using the Braun Silk Pro 5, which has worked amazingly well from my shoulders down because I have dark hair and pale skin. I tried it on my facial and neck hair, which they do not recommend, and sure enough it is not powerful enough for that and did very little. Overall I am quite happy with it, though. My legs stay very smooth.

That's awesome! I am also very jealous you are getting electrolysis. Can't imagine what it feels like though, I have been doing IPL and that stings enough lol