Hi,
I’ve been getting laser hair removal on my butt including around my anus for over a year now. I had my last treatment in January. A few weeks ago, I had a blister outbreak around my anus. I recently found out the lab results of it being herpes. I’ve been with one man my entire life (he’s been with other women), and I’ve never had an outbreak anywhere else. He’s never had an outbreak either. So is there a chance that I got herpes from the laser hair removal head?
The incubation period for herpes virus simplex II is 2 - 20 days. It is spread by close physical contact, rarely can you get it from toilet seats and hot tubs… and I guess we can include laser wands, But I personally have never heard of any cases??
I would hope that anything that touched you was cleaned properly. Did you see them actually clean the laser ‘wand’ before it touched you? SSLHR, who is a physician who has his own laser centers, will hopefully be able to add more here. He would know if anything like this has happened before.
Have you seen your own physician about this for proper diagnosis and treatment?
Wow, this is really scary.
Have you had a second opinion? Is there any way it could be a reaction to the laser? – I guess not if that was your last treatment, and it was three month ago. – In college a few people I knew were diagnosed with STDs by the school clinic, but when they went to their real doctors they were told they didn’t have anything.
Can’t your partner have herpes without having any signs of it? He may be a carrier and not know it.
Thank you dfahey for taking the time to reply.
I’ve recently been reading about genital herpes, and some websites say it’s a myth that you can get herpes from toilet seats, hot tubs, etc. and some say it’s not.
I don’t remember him cleaning the laser wand tip, but also I’ve been reading that the herpes virus can’t survive too long (like a few minutes) outside the body. So even if he didn’t clean it, it couldn’t have survived long on the tip. He does wear latex gloves, but since my treatments are so long (i’m getting full legs, bikini area, and arm pits lasered) he had to take a break to see other patients, and I don’t remember him changing his gloves when he came back. Who knows, maybe he saw a patiient with herpes and touched it. But then again the virus can’t survive outside of the skin, plus he doesn’t touch the area around my anus, because he doens’t want to be sued for sexual harrassment. So I’m now doubting that I got herpes from laser hair removal. My main problem is my guy. Since he’s never had an outbreak, he thinks I must’ve gotten from somewhere else, but I’ve been completely monogomous with him, so I was trying to think of other ways I could’ve gotten anal herpes. Now that’ve read up on it, I’m seriously doubting that I got it from lhr.
I don’t have health insurance, so that’s why I saw my school’s clinic and not my own health practitioner doctor. The head nurse practitioner, who took the cotton swab test of the blisters around my anus, was also the person who gave me the results. Even before the results came in, she prescribed me some anti-viral medication that helped the blisters heal faster.
Thank you jessica81 for taking the time to reply.
“Have you had a second opinion?”
Unfortunately, no. I don’t have health insurance.
“Is there any way it could be a reaction to the laser?”
I don’t think so. My last treatment was my 6th treatment, and i’ve never had a problem before (although we did go to the highest joules, 22, i’ve ever had). I had my last treatment on Jan. 12 and the outbreak occured around Feb. 11 or 12, so I don’t think with that amount of time that it was a bad reaction to the laser.
“-- In college a few people I knew were diagnosed with STDs by the school clinic, but when they went to their real doctors they were told they didn’t have anything.”
That’s actually very comforting to me. As soon as I get health insurance, I’ll got to my own real doctor.
“Can’t your partner have herpes without having any signs of it? He may be a carrier and not know it.”
From what I’ve recently been reading, I think that’s the case. My guy is indenile that he has it since he’s never had an outbreak.
There is a lot of conflicting information about Herpes virus 1 + 2:
There’s a forum for everything, including this:
http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/messageforum/showthread.php?
t=3392
This is from the FDA website:
“The virus is not transmitted through the air, nor are there any documented cases of a person getting genital herpes from an inanimate object such as a toilet seat or hot tub. “Herpes doesn’t do well in chlorinated water,” says Ashley. “The virus can be present in a hot tub, but it won’t be active.” The virus doesn’t survive well in the environment, even on a wet towel, says Ashley. However, she advises to avoid sharing razors, especially with someone who has an active cold sore. The virus can be transmitted from the razor to the skin. Other viruses, such as hepatitis C, also can be transmitted by sharing razors.”
Let me jump in here with some thoughts.
First, is it possible that you can get herpes from sharing a laser wand? Technically yes. Especially if you had your area shaved, that would help improve the chance of transmission as you may have had cuts that act as a entry point. On the other hand, I would be surprised if there wasn’t some sort of disinfection practiced by your provider. Some lasers have plastic tips that are replaced from client to client and are disinfected after each treatment. Other lasers (with contact cooling) should be wiped clean with alcohol between treatments.
The herpes virus is pretty fragile (as is the HIV virus) and doesn’t survive very long on the outside. Especially in the presence of alcohol or other disinfectant. So the bottom line, is that I doubt that any place that was trying to be clean and sterile would likely transmit herpes.
What you need to consider is that there is both genital and oral herpes and that it is quite possible to be infected by oral herpes (type 1). And in fact, the distinction between the two is disappearing. Another interesting point is that the last time I looked at the epidemiology of type 1 herpes, something like 90% of adults had been exposed by the time they reached middle age. In other words, it is quite common to have oral herpes (known as a fever blister). Assuming your partner doesn’t have genital herpes, he could still have oral herpes. And getting genital herpes from a fever blister isn’t that uncommon.
And just to complicate it even more, you could have oral herpes yourself and transmitted the virus from yourself. Most people don’t wash their hands before they go to the bathroom.
Sometimes you never can tell. What would be important to know is whether this was a primary or secondary infection. And even that is often very difficult to tell. I doubt the nurse was sophisticated enough to know and it is too late to tell.
Thanks again dfahey for replying.
And thank you for the herpes forum link!
The FDA statemnt is interesting and comforting. I’ve never shared razors with anybody and I always use a new one.
Thank you sslhr for taking the time to reply.
I shaved my butt 4 days prior to my appointment, so even if I did cut that area (which i have done before because it is such a difficult area to shave), then the skin would’ve scabbed and healed by the time of my treatment. I don’t know exactly if the herpes virus can in through a scab. From what I"ve been finding, the virus needs a direct open entrance to infect the body, and I’m not sure if a scab is a direct entrance. Also, I’ve been thinking that couldn’t the laser heat emitted from laser instantly kill the virus on the laser wand tip?
As for disinfecting the laser wand tip, I don’t remember the doctor doing that, and I don’t remember him changing his gloves after seeing his last patient. I’m seeing again for another treatment this week and I think I’ll tell him about my herpes concerns.
Also, I was tested positive specifically for herpes type 2 and not type 1.