Hypopigmentation after laser treatment burns (photo)

[Slalom]

This happened to me on 13 of August.
Until November i was staying away from the sun.
In November i was On holidays in bali and i was putting a lot of sunscreen on my legs when i was at the beach.
When i returned from bali my spots were much better than before you could see them but slightly.
Now i went 5 times to the beach and my spots Are almost gone.
You have to start slowly first days 3-4 minutes in the sun to check how your body will react.
At the moment no one can see the spots. You have to put a lot of body lotion to hydrate your legs all the day.
I visited many doctors and they told me that they might take years to disappear. One doctor suggested me to go in the sun for few minutes per day and it worked for me.
They also suggested me to do phototherapy but it was to expensive so i tried the sun and it worked.
Don’t forget to put cream to hydrate your skin and off course sunblock.

My legs were horrible and my psychology was really bad. I can understand how you feel.
It will go away dont worry!

[Dzovag_Sevadjian]

Hi Slalom,
Would you happen to have Instagram or an email where I can ask you more questions about this? I’m very limited to how many replies I can make daily and it’s kind of annoying and your results are literally giving me hope and some positivity. I’ve been extremely sad since this occurred to me and has ruined me mentally and it feels so good to see everyone on this forum to overcome this issue that I too am experiencing. Any help from anyone would be kindly appreciated. Especially during this coronavirus, this is really making my day seeing that there may be hope for me!

[Browngirlburned]

You girls are giving me hope! This happened to me 2.5 weeks ago on my arms and legs from an IPL hair removal device the burns on arms peeled within a week but the ones on my legs still haven’t peeled and are still brown. How long does it take? Pictures without a date below are from today.

[Dzovag_Sevadjian]

It took about 1 month for my burns to completely peel off, BUT by the looks of it mine were much more severe than yours! BUT the 4 dermatologists I’ve seen told me they’re not scars and the burns weren’t deep enough to make it permanent. Your burns look very superficial and by the looks of it it, you might heal within a few months. Lucky for you, they aren’t big the marks and are fairly spread out! But have some faith girl, everything will heal with time. Since your burns are fresh, you should stay out of the sun completely at least for a few months. I hope you heal ASAP and learned to stay the F away from any type of hair removal. I’m scarred for life and will never touch anything related to laser ever again. I’m fine with shaving if it means I get my healthy looking legs back lol. Whatever you do, don’t peel anything off and let everything come off naturally. Apply some vitamin E cream or natural vitamin E ointment on the burns. Keep us posted with your progress because I can reassure you, everything will only get better from here on out

[Browngirlburned]

Thank you so much for the detailed response. Your message gives me a lot of hope. Yes the burns on my legs certainly seemed to have faded a lot compared with the dark red/brown spots last week. Did you apply vitamin E cream to both hyperpigmented as well as hypopigmented spots? I ask because the burns on my arms was more severe than legs, it peeled within a week and I was left with white spots. Picture from last week below. Does vitamin E help dark spots on my legs or white spots on arms or both? Thanks!!

[Andrea]

Wow, thank you for the update! I am so happy that your skin is so improved! You have given many others hope!

[Iluv2zap]

I’m very happy to see these results as well. My only apprehension however, is that in each individual case, mileage can and very well may vary. not all cases resolve so nicely.

[Dzovag_Sevadjian]

Has anyone heard of trying Red Light Therapy on your Hypopigmented spots? I’ve done some research online and it seems to have helped some people but I’m hearing mixed reviews from other people. If yes, any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Just started exposing my naked legs to the sun for a few minutes to the natural UV light outside without sunscreen for 5 minutes. Praying for a miracle!

[irenael]

Hello Dear, I opened this thread, i tried this treatment. It’s doesn’t help. My stains only disappeared over time, it took about a year and a half. Every 3 or 4 months would gradually disappear smoothly. What finally helped me was a trip to Greece with sun and sea - after the trip the spots were almost gone. Hope your marks will disappear very quickly and understand how you feel now. I went through nightmares.

[Browngirlburned]

25 days since my burn incident and I’m noticing improvements on the hyperpigmentation on my legs as they getting lighter and blending with my skin color. For my arms I have hypopigmented spots that are slowly getting smaller. I’ve been moisturizing my skin with fragrance free moisturizers, aloe Vera gel, coconut oil, and other essential oils including lavender, frankincense and rose. For the white spots I’m trying natural treatments for vitiligo I read about online like mixture of mustard oil and turmeric as well applying fresh ginger root twice a day. I’ve also been sitting by a window to get some indirect sunlight when it’s sunny.

[Dzovag_Sevadjian]

Hi ladies! I thought I’d give you all a little update from the last time I posted on here. I began exposing my legs to direct sunlight without any sunscreen for 20-30 minutes a day for about 3-4 days worth, and have noticed that the natural sunlight might be having an impact on my marks and the pigment may be coming back to life! I’m European so I have naturally tanned skin so I tan easily (get red at first and then brown) so the spots are obviously lighter than its surroundings. Keep in mind, this incident happened to me 8 months ago so I waited a very long time to expose them to the sun. So do NOT try this if this if it is fresh for you!

[Dzovag_Sevadjian]

Here’s a picture of them during the day in the sunlight. There’s hope for all of us! I promise it will get better. The beginning is the hardest and tough to cope with but there’s definitely a light at the end of the tunnel!

[Andrea]

Thanks for this update! Many readers will be glad to see your progress!

[arko1]

I agree with the advice above

[FLibrarian]

Hi there. I had laser Burns due to an IPL laser on July 2nd. We did roughly 10 red light treatments after the fact and now I have white marks. It’s not quite been 3 months but I’m scared these are permanent. How can I stimulate pigment? What kind of recovery can I expect? Will it be like this forever?! I keep being told it will blend. This is my bar shoulder. About 7 weeks from the burns

[Iluv2zap]

I’m looking at the pictures, and I dont think that’s going to blend but the tips already inthis thread do give reason to hope . I’d do what they did… I’m also wondering what kind of treatment lead to this. It;s very random squares. Are these areas that perhaps got pulsed more than once by a laser technician? I ask because it looks like the technician pulses 4 or 5 places on the arm and said “ok that’s good” . I should also specify, I am in no way knowledgeable about laser results. Nora perhaps could lend some expertise here.

[thinou]

Some info regarding Burn by Laser or IPL, Prevention & How to look after yourself => https://beauty-electrolysis-laser.blogspot.com/2019/10/burn-by-laser-or-ipl-post-treatment.html

[Iluv2zap]

Thank you Nora.

[thinou]

My pleasure Seana

[Andrea]

I’m sorry this happened! The practitioner should offer a visit to a cosmetic dermatologist for mitigation. That will fade in time with proper treatment. You can use silicone sheets and gel to help now, and you may benefit from red light therapy or UV therapy under a professional’s care.