I will keep things updated weekly or so. Right now, I still have the purple stripes running along both underarms. I am really, really hoping it fades. It’s been 4 days now, and I will post a one week update on Tuesday.
Still no better. I still have the raised, red-purple lines under my left arm. The right underarm has them, too, but not as badly. In the right one, however, I know seem to have a bunch of ingrowns that I fear are getting infected.
I am deeply discouraged, and don’t see how this will ever fade. I really hope my vanity hasn’t left me permanently scarred.
I really hope that condition improves. The only thing I can think of is rubbing in some aloe, or possibly some hydrocortisone. Just sparingly, so it can breathe. Best wishes, give it some time.
Mantaray
Well, things finally seem to be improving. The purple marks crusted over, and seem to be peeling off. I am thinking I won’t end up with any permanent discoloration. Even the ingrowns under my right armpit are better now.
What a scary thing to have happened! However, I seem to be getting over it.
Glade things seem to be turning around for you.
So how many people took the comedic opportunity to ask “Are You Afraid Yet?” 
Earth Humor, Arr-Arr!
No one, yet! I picked this screen name, as it’s the motto of the band in one of my favorite books.
It’s been three weeks since my underarms were burned, or whatever it was that happened to them. The swelling has mostly gone down, and the scabs and crusting have come and gone. However, I still have hyperpigmentation in the area. My left underarm is worse than the right. It’s not disfiguring, but I’m hoping it continues to fade.
I don’t think I will be having any more laser hair removal. Nobody seems to be able to figure out what went wrong in my case, and there’s no guarantee that, if I go back for more treatments, I won’t end up with the same burning and discoloration. Keep in mind, too, that I am an “ideal” candidate with very pale skin and medium to dark brown hair.
My advice to others is to tread very, very carefully if you decide to have laser. I am lucky in that I decided to test the process by having only a small, inconspicuous area done first; had I had this reaction over large parts of my body, I don’t know what I would have done. It seems to be to be pretty much a gamble, with some people have excellent results from laser, and some having complications/burns for no apparent reason.
I am going to see if I can get refunded for the cost of the treatments I haven’t yet had (I paid for a package of 5, of which I have only had 3.) I don’t really hold the place that did my treatments at fault; rather, I think the process itself is somewhat iffy and I don’t care to subject myself to it any more. I am extremely lucky that hormones and the like have radically reduced my body hair to the extent that I think electrolysis will be able to finish it off for me.
Getting your money back for your unused treatments is not a problem. Just call the center and tell them and they will process the receipt.
I still don’t know what happened and why. I am sorry we weren’t able to meet up when I was last up there to look at your underarms. I am sure that over time we would figure out what caused this if it happened again. On the other hand, I have to disagree with your opinion that it’s a gamble and that people have complications/burns for no apparent reason.
Can it happen to one person? Absolutely, you’re proof. Though I would argue that there is a reason and at some point we would figure it out. For example, I’ve thought of dermatographia, though your symptoms don’t exactly match. Why I was hoping to see your underarms.
But the reality is that we’ve done probably 70 to 80 thousand underarm treatments, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen something like this. You are that rare case, for most people it really isn’t much of a gamble.
If you change your mind, we are still happy to work with you.
Thanks! You guys have been very helpful, and I do appreciate it. I really do wonder if maybe my skin just isn’t very sensitive. I am thinking the remaining problems will clear up, but I am just too scared of a recurrence to have anything else does.
Thanks for all the help!