laser hair removal bruising or what?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

I have had one session with the gentlase for brazilian and underarm area 6 weeks ago and I dont seem to have any regrowth, so I’m thinking of getting my legs done. starting with the thighs first.

I did notice at the top of by thighs some yellowish bruising marks after the first session, which are still there slightly.

Would this be pigmentation marks or could it be because the hair was a little bit long there and was resting on the skin when it was zapped so it marked the skin. or could it be that the settings were too high. I don’t know what they were.

If the hair was shorter just stubble would that avoid this.
I’m a bit nervous, as I wouldnt want these marks all over my legs. Has anybody out there experienced this problem.

Also does it take longer than 6 weeks for the hair to grow back after the first session.

Thanks.

#2

hej
After my firts treatement i had a sort of yellowish marks on my legs as well. I asked same question on cometicenhancement forum. I was told it might be hyperpigmentation or a bruise.
HOwever, in my case it was gone in a couple of days.
I belive it was a bruse cause i tend to get bruise easly.

Taking some kind of photosensitve medication can be the cause of this.MAke sure u go back to ur clinic to show them. If u were taking some kind of meds u might also want to bring that to clinic so they can check if that could be the cause.
If it is hyperpigmentation, it can take way longer to get back to normal.
What settings they used? ( ask ur clinic)

when u say they are still there slightly; is it getting better since u first notice that??
As far as i know; full shading and hair free period is a good sign. yes it can take longer for hair to grow back.
U will most likely start to seeing regrowth in next 2 or 3 weeks…( this is me guessing, i am sure u will get more precise answer from some pros here)

Can u share some photos? I regret not taking some when i had this.
p.s. Be patient… it will fade away.

#3

you should show it to your clinic. we can’t tell what it is from just a description, and no picture. i can be any of the things you mentioned. most side effects like this fade. but i would definitely show it to your clinic. and you should have the hair shaved when you come in for your next treatment.

and yes, these areas don’t need treatments more often than every 10-12 weeks. you should see regrowth by then.

#4

Here are some pictures of my first laser session with the gentlelase.
I would be interested in your opinions.
Is this result normal for first session and are the bruising marks normal or do you think the settings were too high.
I will have to check what they were.
I have to go back this week as its been 6 weeks since my last session, and they said to make next appontment for then.
Do you think these areas need doing again yet or shall I spend my apppointment time getting legs done.
Sorry was going to post photos but not sure how to attach them can anyone help

#5

upload to photobucket.com and post the last HMTL tag they provide within the post.

#6

Sorry about the delay, I’m only learning about computers was’nt sure how to get the photos on. Hope this works.
http://s224.photobucket.com/albums/dd178/aussiegirl_bucket/Laser%20Hair%20Removal/?mediafilter=all

I went and had the thighs lasered on the weekend.
This is the result.
Is this normal?
It was so painfull, I had to ask her to stop at one time as it was so bad, and this is where the most bruising occured after.

I hope it all fades away but the bruising is still there at the top of my thigh from last time and that was 6 weeks ago.
Do you think I may be to sensitive for laser.
Any idea how long this will take to fade.

#7

What did your laser technician/doctor tell you?

Most skin maifestations resolve within weeks. Everybody heals differently.

It amazes me as an electrologist, that a client will complain about having three little red dots on their chin that lasted five days after their electrolysis session. Does one expect no skin reaction when they have cosmetic surgery or when they get a bug bite? When the skin is injured by anything, the inflammation response comes into play to heal the wound. This happens for laser and electrolysis. They are short term side effects (days/weeks) or they can be long term side effects (months) depending on your healing powers and the skill exerted by the practitioner. I’m betting you will be just fine,but do ask your practitioner. Show them your pictures.

Good luck with your treatments and thanks for the pictures. We love them.

Dee

#8

Thanks Dee,

It makes sence the way you put it. I’s just that I hadn’t heard of anyone talk about bruising and wondered if it was too harsh for me.
I seem to be getting good results with the hair removal side of things, so I’ll see how long my recovery period takes and will most probably carry on with the laser.
Hope eventually to have the whole legs done.

#9

This is definitely not normal. After normal laser treatments, you shoudn’t have any side effects except some redness for a few hours and raised follicles. You have definitely experienced bruising and some pigmentation, which will resolve in up to several months, but you should talk to your clinic and show them this.

#10

I hope it fades soon as i wont be able to wear shorts for a while. The bruising looks worse than the hair. lol.
If its not normal I may not get anymore done as it did hurt heaps too. and even if the red/purple marks go the yellow ones seem to be lingering on my bikini from 6 weeks ago.

I had so IPL on my stomach done once, only one session and i didnt get any reaction to that but i didnt go back cause i thought it wouldnt work as well as laser. and it didnt hurt at all.
maybe i would be better with that.

#11

  • you need to show them so that they can adjust the settings. you won’t get this reaction next time when they do. if you don’t tell them and show them, they won’t know that those settings were too much for you.

  • you should not expose the areas being treated to the sun throughout the course of your treatments. that causes bruising and pigmentation, and can even cause burns.

  • no, going back to IPL is not better. the fact that it doesn’t hurt basically is showing that it’s not being effective. what you need is for them to figure out what settings on the proper laser are effective without side effects. and you should not come in with tanned skin.

#12

Hi lagirl.
You were right.
I had my second treatment 6 weeks after the first, what the clinic recomended. but there wasn’t really anything to laser so thats when i went from brazilian to legs. but now 6 weeks later after the 2nd treatment all the brazilian area has got regrowth.
You can see the hair and it is dark but much finer and when you touch it you can’t really feel it.
I would say it took about 10 weeks from my first treatment before i really noticed it.
I am now wondering if the 2nd treatment was too soon and if i would be better off watching my own body and getting next treatment when i see regrowth, or keep doing th 6 weeks time frame that they recomend.
Would future treatments extend the time and make the regrowth finer again until eventualy the time between treatments could event become about 3 months apart.
If this is the case i am really happy with that as even to be 10 weeks hair free at a time is great.
I used to suffer ingrowns and my skin is looking the best it has for years so even for this its worth the money.
And I acually think the brazilian and underarm treatment does’nt work out expensive anyway, better than waxing.
My bruises on my legs are still there very faint, so i’m having second thoughts about carrying on with that area, but i have my next appointment in 2 weeks so i’ll ask the lady
what she reckons.
Thanks for all your imput in these posts you have been most informative.

#13

There is no point of having treatments too often. You will just end up having to pay for more treatments overall. Wait until you have enough hair to treat to go in for treatments.

#14

Had third treatment on the weekend,
They changed the setting from 18 to 16 so we’ll see what result i get from that i did’nt seem to get a bad reaction straight away but it was on the back of thighs above the knee not the inner thigh. so hope this setting will give me good results

#15

I have the same problem with bruising. When the settings are too low, I do not see much result, but then I ask to make it higher, I end up with bruises. Last time I had bruises on my lower legs after 18mm, 16j treatment (Candela Gentlelase, skin type 3)

I did some research, and it seems like bruising - it’s a typical laser “burns”, which, I assume, is not good for veins/vessels.
How to find “a compromise” - I really need to get rid of my aggressive unwanted hair, but I do not want to get bruised anymore :confused: