Saint Paul Laser Hair Removal doctors

Hydroquinones work by blocking one of the steps in the metabolic pathway of melanocyte activity. These prescription medications are often called skin "bleaching" agents, but they DON'T work like Chloroxing dirty socks! They simply "slow down" the metabolism of the pigment cells in the skin. Avoiding any kind of ultraviolet exposure (sun or tanning bed) is critical as well.

Since post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is a normal response to ANY kind of inflammation-producing cause (including laser hair removal), the balance is always between adequate energy for good hair removal and trying to minimize the collateral damage to the skin. In addition to hydroquinones, topical steroid creams (ask your hair removal doctor--laser hair removal MUST be supervised by a physician, even if it's at a spa) can help to reduce the inflammatory response that can occur with acne scars, pseudofolliculitis, AND laser heir removal energy.

Thanks for your photo. It's impossible to tell exactly if this reaction is thermal (actual burn from energy absorption overheating the skin) or allergic (from some sort of absorption of irritant--perhaps the Gold Bond--in the inflamed skin immediately after laser hair removal treatment).

Laser hair removal involves the introduction of energy into the upper layers of the skin where the hair follicles are located, and the hair growth areas of the follicle (the bulge and the base of the follicle) preferentially absorb enough energy to be destroyed. Unfortunately, the skin also absorbs some of the energy, and if excessive (such as for darker-skin races or tanned skin) inflammation, blisters, or even burns can occur. Gold Bond could be one way that the skin was irritated or reacted differently. This is easy to determine if everything else (laser type, energy used, and area treated) was the same; if the only "new" thing was the Gold Bond use prior to treatment, I'd say this is a good likelihood to have been the culprit.

If there is any good news here, it is that your photo appears to show no evidence that this will leave any permanent scarring, and the increased inflammatory response should mean that you will have somewhat better hair removal from this session! Best wishes!

Although you need parental consent because you are still a minor, this should not be withheld because if the incorrect notion that it is "unsafe or ineffective for those under 40." What kind of friends gave them this baloney? If they simply don't want you to have it, they should tell you that (and perhaps why) and then you can at least have a discussion about it.

But as far as safety, laser hair removal uses non-ionizing energy, so there is NO risk of skin cancer (tanning beds are actually riskier!), and the worst things that can happen are inexpert treatment causing blisters, burns, or scars. These can occur in any age group, and choosing an expert hair removal provider is critical to minimizing these risks. (Price should NOT be the guiding force here). Properly performed, laser hair removal is safe and effective. You should understand that multiple treatments are need in any given area since the hairs need to be in a proper phase of growth in order to be effectively destroyed.

The cost may actually be the main issue here. Are you able to pay for this yourself? If you are or have saved up the required financial commitment, present your information and reasoning to your parents and do so in the adult manner you wish to be treated in. Best wishes!