Burned and Worried!

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hey all, this is my first post one day after getting my first laser treatment. Long story short, I am male and I got burned on my torso and look just like the guy in this post:

Some of them have blistered and have broken open and some just look like discolorations that won’t end up blistering. My laser guy was not really helpful and said that this is a normal reaction for a diode laser (I didn’t believe him so I went to my doctor). She gave me a script for oral antibiotics and bacitracin topical to ward off infection and some steroidal cream. I am also on oral prednisone.

The laser was a lightsheer diode laser pushing 45 joules and he he did my test patch at 38 joules and I had no issues and didn’t notice that he had increased until the end of the procedure. I also think he may have gotten my skin type wrong. He said I was type II but I do tan very easily and thoroughly in the summer and I did get some tan a couple of months ago in the caribbean. I told him that my tan usually starts off as burn but quickly turns bronze and he still said I was a type II. I am not sure but I think I am of eastern european, mediterannean or turkish descent.

I am so worried that this is going to leave permanent scarring or dark spots. I know that the guy in the post above was showing improvements but he never came back later in the game to update so kinda leaves me hanging! What is the general experience out there, am I stuck with spots? Really worried here :frowning:

#2

45J on LightSheer is very high. Any idea why he didn’t stick with 38J? That’s high enough already.

Skin types are approximate. That’s why techs need experience.

These types of burns are superficial and resolve themselves completely. I know it looks bad now, but it will go away. Just follow the same procedure as you would with any burn.

People tend to not come back once the issue is gone. We see this constantly on the forums. People seek out forums for help or to complain :wink:

#3

Thanks for the reply and for your encouraging words LA! Yeah, it looks so horrible right now with all of the deep purple hyperpigmentation, however, I noticed this morning that some of the least hit areas have improved somewhat already so that is good. I really have no idea why he bumped it up but he told me during the procedure that he likes to be as aggressive as possible to make sure it is an effective treatment. He gave me no real after care instructions even though I have some blistered spots so he may just be very careless. If this resolves, I will continue treatment but I will find a more reputable provider.

A couple of questions for you:

  1. How long should this take to resolve? The burning seems minor and while the procedure hurt, it wasn’t as excruciating as what people describe in the internet horror stories involving laser. I have no real pain at all now except that the ones that are open are raw.

  2. What are the odds that the hyperpigmentation will eventually fade to hypopigmentation? My guess is that I am a type III skin type as I do burn but it quickly turns tan and I can become very tan with extended months in the sun.

btw, I am glad that I found this site because some of the areas I had lasered are sparse and I now realize that electrolysis may be more suitable. I may eventually have some questions for you regarding electrolysis since I am for sure going to be doing a lot of research before any additional hair reduction procedures.

#4

I would give it at least 2 months. Everyone’s skin is different. Make sure you’re taking care of it for fast improvement.

I don’t think you’ll have any pigmentation issues once this resolves. It should resolve completely within a few months.

Do stick around on the forum and we’ll try to help as much as possible with both laser and electrolysis. It sounds like you already read the FAQs, which is a great start. Good luck!

#5

Pic of my burns:

How severe do these appear to be and how long will it be before I start to scab? Will all of the areas scab or will some just fade?

#6

since your album is private, no one but you can follow that link

#7

Sorry, just made it public

#8

A couple of years ago, I had a bunch of burn spots after LHR. The treatment I had was more of a touch up kind of thing on my legs as there wasn’t a lot of hair. So, it was more or less, hitting spots. In the end, I think the settings were too high and I ended up with a some polka dots on my thighs.

I used aloe on them and after about a week or two, they faded away. Then, a little later, I could see lighter areas (hypopigmentation) where the polka dots were. At that time, I wasn’t planning on any further LHR treatments, NOT because of the burns, but because there were so few hairs. I thought if I were to go for a treatment, it would be electrolsys. So, I spent a little time in the sun which helped darken the light spots evenly with the rest.

Yes, when it first happened, it was a little disconcerting. However, at least from my experience, it was temporary and worth while.

#9

A common problem with LASER hair removal is the fact that most often, when a mistake is made, it gets done over the entire treatment area, and you find out after the treatment is over, while in electrolysis, a mistake is not likely to be repeated hundreds of times in one treatment.

#10

Skin types are approximate and he said he’s a II, possible (though sounds like he’s probably between II and III). They tested at 38J, which is pretty high already (based on your chart too) and he didn’t have side effects. It seems they treated with 45J without checking first.

James, an experienced tech should be able to notice the skin is being burned after a few shots.