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Alexandrite Laser Hair Removal Burns on Upper Legs - Austin, TX

2 posts
Comments (17)
Updated 13 Aug 2009
Posted 12 Aug 2009
Not Worth It
Spent: $150 in Austin, TX

I had a laser hair removal treatment on my upper legs, yesterday. I have olive skin with dark hair and hate shaving the back of my thighs. I get ingrown hair and often you can see my hair under the skin so it looks like stubble.

This is the second time that I have visited this aesthetics clinic for treatment and both times have walked away with burns. They assured me after the first treatment that the aesthetician would be reprimanded for setting the laser too high, and that I would have a new, more experienced person to do the treatment the second time around. They also comped the second session.

Last time I was able to visit my dermatologist (with insurance) to treat the burns. He prescribed an ointment to accelerate the healing. This time, the burns are more mild, but I am wondering what you think. Will these heal? Are they normal and should I continue treatment and ask that the Alexandrite Laser be set to a lower setting? She had the machine set to a 12.

This time, the burns are more mild, but I am wondering what you think. Will these heal? Are they normal and should I continue treatment and ask that the Alexandrite Laser be set to a lower setting? She had the machine set to a 12.

This review is the subjective opinion of a RealSelf member and not of RealSelf, Inc.

My Doctor:

Unfortunately, laser hair removal is still something reserved for the wealthy. If you try to do it on a budget, you are likely to get someone who does not have the proper experience to operate the machines. If I could afford it, I would go to a dermatologist.
Vote: 2 members found this review helpful

Comments (17)

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chill1225 (1 post) 14 Aug 2009
I had laser hair removal and i just finished last month. i had 9 treatments. honestly it all depends on who is performing the laser...but it sounds like the place you go to doesnt know exactly what they are doing. i would definitely ask the setting to be set lower. i walked out with burns twice but i had a full brazilian done and it was only in the extreme sensitive areas and the same person did it. they have a numbing cream you can order. i live in ga and i paid about 37 dollars for a small bottle. but it does help and im not sure if maybe thats y i didnt burn but it really does help. tell them to turn it down and see if it changes. if not i would ask ur dermatologist what he thinks you should do. ur skin may just be too sensitive for the procedure or you could just be dealing with idiots.
Twrussnman (5 posts) 14 Aug 2009
I had hair removed from my heck and arm pits, this happens almost to everybody and is usually completely gone within a few days, please post same picture in a few days
LaBoliviana (2 posts) 18 Aug 2009
Well, it has been a week and a day and the red spots are still bad enough that I am not able to wear shorts or a bathing suit...and it is 100+ degrees outside! They have improved quite a bit. The swelling is almost gone, but it looks like I have a severe case of razor burn. The third day was the worst. I thought I was going to scratch my skin off. I bought a spray numbing agent that finally helped. I wish I could attach another picture, but don't think I can on this thread.
aatali (1 post) 10 Dec 2009
I have the same thing after my 2 leg and 1 bikini line treatments - i also have olive skin - are you sure its a burn? - I thought mine was a histamine reaction - itches really bad for days, in a week turns a red/brown color and in few weeks color goes back to normal. if it's NOT a burn I would NOT recommend turning down the setting - it will NOT work and the hair will grow back after a few months. the more you do it the less "burn" side-effects you get. why do you think it's a burn?
bbeanerbbear (1 post) 16 Dec 2009
I've got my lower legs done last month as well as my underarm, bikini, eyebrows, and upper lip. She used the same settings on all of them. ALL turned out fine without a problem except for my legs. They became red, itchy, raised burn marks for 2 weeks and it's been about 6 weeks now and I have scars (which scars are very permanent on me)My hair on my legs were very thin as well. So that could have been one of the causes. So i wouldn't say the setting could have done it? It was just a strange situation. If my legs burned, then why didn't my bikini burn?
jmandrix (1 post) 20 Aug 2010
Well I guess in your case your leg part is too sensitive. are you sure that the process is still the same? i dunno about the settings that they used but are you having the same physician in doing such process and the same procedure? I've got my treatment in australia and so far I haven't experienced any other irritations or whatsoever well i havent mentioned which treatment I have gone through its what they called as Laser Hair Removal Treatment. I've also used other products like waxing and it does not work perfectly to me it just keep on coming back and growing with a thicker one
tanyadavis (1 post) 1 Mar 2010
The laser setting is too high. If your skin has burned like that it is really sensitive to light. Do you take any medications?? Have you had recent sun exposure?
jmandrixx (1 post) 26 Aug 2010
it’s been two weeks now since laser hair removal treatment and I’m in Las Vegas where it’s hot enough to breed sheep! I’ve been using SPF-45 sunscreen all week but I’m still getting a little color. No adverse side effects at this point though. Honestly, there’s not much to report right now, but I’ll give a quick breakdown. Regards,
570529anon (1 post) 19 Sep 2010
I am a man in my 40'S skin type III and have owned an IPL for about 12 years. My wife and I started up a HR clinic and used this machine on many patients including myself. I must have had hundreds of treatments over the years and have NOT had very good results with the intense pulse light system; the hair kept coming back. So I did my research and tried a Yag with slightly better results, but not what I was hoping for. So I decided to try the Alexandrite and after my first treatment I ended up with 2nd and some 3rd degree burns on a good portion of my middle and lower back, some on the shoulders also. This was the worse pain I have ever encountered in my entire life! My suggestions is to be extremely careful if using this class V laser. I would do a test spot of several inches first, followed up by more test spots later before doing any large area. I also would check the credentials of the practitioner before signing or allowing them to perform any treatment. It took me a very long time to heal from my injuries, and I spent countless sleepless nights because of the pain. And any compensation for this type of injury is NOT worth the aggravation. Be careful! DO your homework! Best regards.
Sharon at RealSelf (Community Manager - 4,028 posts) 20 Sep 2010

Thanks for sharing your experience. Wow -- How are your burns doing now?

Nicole S (13 posts) 4 Nov 2010
I am a laser technician and have done thousands of hair removal treatments on both the YAG and Alexandrite. I don't suspect that a setting of 12 on the Alex would burn someone with LaBoliviana's skin type...and as such I am going to say it looks more like severe irritation than a burn. The fact that he is itching gives good indication of that bc typically laser burns don't hurt or itch as they heal, they just look bad. And burns are usually in the perfect shape of the laser beam...circle or square...not flush and rash-like like his legs.

I use sonogram gel on my sensitive clients. I also ALWAYS use gel on facial areas and areas with thick hair follicles. This moisturizes the surface...and offers great protection on those with skin types of Fitz 4-5 -- allowing medium skin types to be treated safely with the Alex, which is my personal favorite machine for hair removal.

Try a protective layer of gel before treatments and let me know if that alleviates the irritation.

Also, always keep in mind that while laser treatments are not painless...a treatment causing that much discomfort while it's happening should be a red flag! That is not normal. The discomfort should not continue after the laser moves away. If it does -- or it feels like a cigarette burning your skin -- then something is wrong. It should only hurt at the immediate moment it pulses -- for a moment.

While laser burns don't look good and could take several weeks/months to heal, I have never personally seen any permanent damage caused from a hair removal treatment. The skin always repairs itself and fully heals.

Good luck!
Hackensack (3 posts) 12 Jan 2011
I had same burns from Alexdright, I did my whole legs but butns are only on my upper tight no lower legs. Now I'm left with white spots all over.
Did you get hypopigmentation? Did it go away?
alexandraes (2 posts) 6 Aug 2011
Well, it looks like you are allergic to the cryogen, those do not look like burns, plus you said you felt really itchy. Just put some hydrocortizone cream or take some allergy medecine. But that is DEFINATELY not a burn.
katej (2 posts) 11 Sep 2011
Did your reaction go away? How long did it take? I think that is the same that I have. It looks horrible and itches soooo bad. I am taking Benadryl and hydocortizone cream. It is still really bad. I can't stand how bad it itches.
maya1979 (4 posts) 11 Sep 2011
from what i have read- alexandrite is for light skin people.. yag is more appropriate for darker skin tones..i guess your olive skin= darker:)
katej (2 posts) 12 Sep 2011
No, I am very light and white with dark hair growth (PCOS). Which of course make these bright red angry bumps glow! It is even worse this morning. The itching is truly making me crazy.

Any suggetions?
alexandraes (2 posts) 12 Sep 2011
Try hydrocortisone cream, 1% over the counter or have your doctor give you a RX for 2%. I also get very itchy with laser on any part of my body. It goes away in less than a week.

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