Did I get burned - or is this normal (photo attached)?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hello everyone,

I’m a middle-eastern male living in NYC.

I went in to have a test patch done with an independent nurse/laser practitioner in NYC. I think I have skin type IV. The laser that was used was a Lightsheer Diode and I believe it was at 25 Joules. I researched this person on the web and they seemed to be good.

However, I did get these red spots (some of which looked/felt like scabs) and some whiteheads on my arm. This lasted for approximately a week before it went away.

Now I have 3 questions for anyone out there kind enough to reply!

(1) I was happy/surprised to see that the hair didn’t return for 3-4 weeks, but I didn’t think the redness was healthy. Any opinions? Should I be using the Nd:Yag laser instead (and/or will it reduce the liklihood of these symptoms?).

Btw, I don’t care if the hair removal is permanent as long as the hair is gone between sessions (so if Nd:Yag is “less permanent” I don’t care about that - safety and hair between sessions is most important to me).

(2) Also, some of the hair didn’t fall out but remained as burnt stubs (had to shave/tweeze it out). Not a big deal, but is that normal?

(3) Finally, I’m thinking of going in to get shoulders and back waxed for a vacation. How adversely would this affect any future laser treatments (it would be my first wax session and prior to starting laser)?

Thanks!

#2

How long after treatment is that picture?

#3

I think it is 2 or 3 days (this happened a few months ago - I’m writing now because I’m considering going back in).

It was only a week or so later that it went away.

#4

When the hair returned, did the hair grow back thinner?

  1. A Nd:YAG laser would probably be better for your skin.

  2. How soon after your laser treatment did you tweeze/shave the hair? Shedding can take weeks.

  3. Some people say waxing can make the hair grow back thick while others say it’ll make the hair grow back thinner. When are you getting your back waxed and when do you want start doing laser again?

#5

How does the area look now? That redness is a sign of a very mild burn, but if you treated it carefully and did not get pigment change, it looks as if you tolerated that energy level OK. The main thing is correct after-treatment care and avoiding sun in the treated area before and after treatment.

#6

Hello everyone,

I’m a middle-eastern male living in NYC.

I went in to have a test patch done with an independent nurse/laser practitioner in NYC. I think I have skin type IV. The laser that was used was a Lightsheer Diode and I believe it was at 25 Joules. I researched this person on the web and they seemed to be good.

However, I did get these red spots (some of which looked/felt like scabs) and some whiteheads on my arm. This lasted for approximately a week before it went away.

Now I have 3 questions for anyone out there kind enough to reply!

(1) I was happy/surprised to see that the hair didn’t return for 3-4 weeks, but I didn’t think the redness was healthy. Any opinions? Should I be using the Nd:Yag laser instead (and/or will it reduce the liklihood of these symptoms?).

Btw, I don’t care if the hair removal is permanent as long as the hair is gone between sessions (so if Nd:Yag is “less permanent” I don’t care about that - safety and hair between sessions is most important to me).

(2) Also, some of the hair didn’t fall out but remained as burnt stubs (had to shave/tweeze it out). Not a big deal, but is that normal?

(3) Finally, I’m thinking of going in to get shoulders and back waxed for a vacation. How adversely would this affect any future laser treatments (it would be my first wax session and prior to starting laser)?

Thanks!

  1. Redness around the follicles for up to 3-4 days or so is normal and is actually an indication of an effective treatment. Unless you have hyperpigmentation or actual burns, and something that doesn’t go away after a week, you’re fine. LightSheer is a more effective laser. It’s more powerful than most Yags, so if your skin can handle it, you should be using that. I would see if it can handle 30 joules and up. If you’re getting treated by Lynda, I’m pretty sure she’s experienced enough and knows what she’s doing from previous consumer reviews.

  2. Those are pepperspots and are normal. I squeeze some out or exfoliate to get them out, or just wait until next treatment when laser beam burns them off. Those are dead hairs that just take longer to come out of the skin.

  3. If you wax, you’re basically wasting your first treatment. Why not get another laser treatment and shedding would produce the same result, but more permanent and you’re not throwing off hair cycles? You can shave whatever doesnt shed. Shaving is a better option if you don’t want to throw off the hair cycles.

I don’t see a photo. What are you guys looking at??

#7

I don’t see a photo. What are you guys looking at??

The photo is an attachment. It’s on the first post’s title bar thingy:
Did I get burned - or is this normal (photo attached)?
#31190 - 04/12/06 12:26 AM Attachment (17 downloads)

Click on the word “Attachment” and it’ll show you the picture.

#8

thanks, just saw it. that’s normal. if the redness went away within 3 days or so, that’s fine.

#9

That’s totally normal and nothing to worry about. Your skin looks more like type III to me. My skin is darker than yours, even after staying out of the sun for several months and I’m a type IV.

And yes you should stay out of the sun, or at least keep the treated areas out of the sun, for the next 4 weeks. Or at least use SPF 30 on the treated areas.

RJC2001

#10

thanks, you guys are great! i’m so glad i took the picture to be able to get comments.

to answer some questions -

(a) hair grew back a little bit thinner. i’d say about 10% more sparse (which is what the technician said - she was really honest about that).

(b) i shaved that hair about 2 weeks after treatment, so i did give it some time to shed, but a lot of it didn’t (but who cares, it’s a shave away, right? grew back very slowly after the shave so final result is good).

© there was no pigment change and all those red dots were gone within 7-10 days. skin looked totally normal after that.

(d) in terms of timing on waxing - basically i need it for 10 days from now. i realize that it may be a waste of my first laser treatment (which would be 2-3 months from now), but my primary fear is that my skin look smooth and not red or with acne. i really don’t want to risk that at all. that’s why i was thinking about waxing for this one and planning better for later this summer.

my question was more along the lines of “does waxing making laser less effective” - i guess what you guys are telling me is that it might and/or it may make the first full laser treatment something of a waste of money.

is that right? and thanks again so much (it’s so great to feel some type of support for this!).

and yes, i guess i may be between III and IV.

#11

the only thing waxing will do is postpone the time when you can get the next treatment and will throw off the hair cycles. Why not just shave which won’t do any of that??

also, you SHOULD be seeing shedding of all areas treated, I would say at least 80%. So next time, I would not shave and wait 2-3 weeks to see if it does. If hair doesn’t shed, it wasn’t affected, whether it seems like it’s growing in slowly or not doesn’t matter. It’s hard to tell. May be wishful thinking <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> But if you don’t shave, it will be easier to tell when hair starts to fall out or by gently tugging on it, a lot of it comes out without resistance. Also, if the hair is finer, you may get pepperspots. Meaning black dots of hairs stuck in follicles, that come out if you squeeze them. Those are dead hairs and you can exfoliate to help them shed or they will be burned off on yoru next treatment anyways.