Because my stupid mistake made in my much-younger years was filled with tons of green and blue, I've had to wait for many years to even attempt removal. Even in Atlanta there aren't many places that offer the PicoSure and/or PicoWay lasers. I chose Dermatology Associates of Atlanta because they not only have PicoSure and PicoWay, but also the Q-Switched Nd: YAG Laser for tattoo removal. I was able to begin my first treatment immediately following my initial evaluation, which was awesome, and the $100 consult fee went toward my first treatment. I was lucky enough to have Dr. Karempelis perform the procedure. Because everyone is different and every tattoo artist is different, it's very difficult to accurately predict how long it will take to eradicate a tattoo. He did tell me I had the best chance of success because I am so pale-skinned. Yay. My tattoo artist decided to give me plenty of beautiful greens and blues, so I was told to expect plenty of blistering. Yay. First round was to start on all the black. The second round was with the PicoSure for the greens and blues. One word: OUCH! And oh boy was it ouchy. The whole "popping with a rubberband" analogy is complete b.s. It felt to me like someone was slowly burning me with a hot coal. The doc did point out that because it was so painful, that told him the laser was "seeing" the greens and blues really well. Yay. He went to the PicoWay for the orange and yellow. Long story short, I squeezed a foam ball and moaned internally for about 20 ish minutes. Directly afterward the whole sordid spot was that familiar white/icy looking scene we've all looked at on here. After slapping some antibacterial-coated saran wrap on top and then large white bandages I was good to go with some instructions: (1) keep covered until tomorrow morning; (2) elevate as needed; (3) don't touch it; (4) showering is ok; (5) regarding the inevitable blisters - it was suggested that I let mother nature take care of them unless they were causing such distress and disability that I am forced to pop them, in which case I must take great care to keep coated in antibacterial salve; (6) keep moist with Aquaphor or something similar until the itchy healing phase passes; (7) see you in 6 weeks for round 2; (8) NEVER feed after midnight - wait, that's another instruction booklet. LOL I kill me. I'm happy to post photos later. I'll post the before later, and when the wrapping comes off I'll post a nasty tat-selfie so everyone can ooh and ahh and ask themselves if they really want to do this. Updated on 17 Sep 2016: Updated on 18 Sep 2016: I've lanced and drained the giant blister 5 times and it keeps inflating. Also, smaller blisters have enlarged. Blisters everywhere. Pretty gross. Hope a long skirt will be doable for work tomorrow. No bandage today. It's very tender when I coat it in Aquaphor and bacitracin zinc. Updated on 21 Sep 2016: Even less pain today, though still quite tender. As long as nothing touches it I'm fine. I do still have blisters everywhere and tons of the red (blood blisters?) left, though the red has darkened to a maroon. That pesky ugly large blister just refuses to die. I caved in and lanced it again on the 3rd day and it stayed pretty flat until last night when I had to stand for hours - it re-inflated. But ... even through all the blisters and such I can DEFINITELY see that the ink has lightened everywhere and a great deal of the green is already gone in several places - yeehaw !! No more Bacitracin at this point - only Aquaphor three times a day. I've been *very* gently massaging it in just to avoid globs of the stuff on my clothing. I have had some itching, but not much yet (knocking on wood because I can feel it around the corner). Updated on 21 Sep 2016: Updated on 2 Oct 2016: Still peeling where blisters were, but check out the difference ! Updated on 29 Oct 2016: Updated on 29 Oct 2016: This treatment was much more painful than the first - and I even used numbing cream and was given a pain pill beforehand. The lasers were increased, and I honestly think this was the most excruciating thing I've ever experienced ... and I've gone through natural childbirth .... being honest. BUT - take a look at the fading already !! Updated on 15 Dec 2016: Updated on 19 Dec 2016: A bajillian blood blisters. Updated on 2 Feb 2017: I feel butterflies because last treatment was so excruciating. But look at the progress !! Updated on 23 Mar 2017: It's really happening. I can see it slowly disappearing. Updated on 26 Mar 2017: For the first time since my initial treatment I awoke on day 2 to blisters everywhere and deep purple bruising in spots. I haven't commented on treatments 3-4 because they were unremarkable, albeit painful. On each of those day 2s I awoke to red bruising everywhere, but no blisters. Hopefully it won't take long to recover. Updated on 12 May 2017: It's fading nicely, but it feels like it's taking ages. I want this monstrosity gone yesterday ! Today was treatment 6. As always, it was the longest 15 minutes of my life, and as always I made it through shuddering and whimpering the whole time. I'll post updates only if I blister again. Updated on 30 Jun 2017: I swear it's more painful each time !! Take a look at how it's fading. This is right before the treatment today. I'll post an update before #8. Bottom line: it's going away !! Updated on 25 Aug 2017: Day before 8th treatment. It's really fading !!! Updated on 20 Oct 2017: There is zero doubt that it is disappearing. I've come a long way, baby. Updated on 8 Dec 2017: I didn’t think I could make it through this treatment - it hurts more each time. Somehow I did. The motivation is my “just before” photo. It’s clearly disappearing, which I want more than anything. So still worth it. But excruciating. Seriously. Updated on 26 Jan 2018: I am so pleased with the progress. Of course I wish I were done ... and of course it hurts like nothing else. But there is no denying it’s going away. Updated on 26 Mar 2018: The good news is that it’s fading. The bad news is that it’s still there... Updated on 11 May 2018: This is an agonizingly slow process. Updated on 29 Jun 2018: It hurt much worse during the treatment this time, but much less afterward and less swelling. I’m interested to see if there is a lot of bruising tomorrow. Updated on 30 Oct 2019: Just before treatment no. 24. I haven’t updated in a long time, but my treatments have continued. I keep hoping they will get easier, but my tattoo artist used an incredible amount of ink. Lucky me! Because the remaining ink is now so near my nerve endings, per the doc, it’s excruciating. But it IS going disappearing. One day I will look down at my left calf and see nothing but a ghostly white leg - this awful tattoo will be gone.
Like many of you, I was ecstatic to learn about the miraDry procedure to permanently treat hyperhidrosis. During my research I came to this site and was comforted by the many positive reviews of the process. The $3,000 price tag seemed like a good investment to end years of anxiety and embarrassment caused by my overactive sweat glands. I received the first of two planned treatments on February 3, 2014. The procedure was uncomfortable but I knew that going in (getting hundreds of shots in one sitting is not a fun process). That said, I was happy to have the first procedure out of the way and planned to come back in three months for the second treatment. My problem began about a five days after the procedure. I was told that mild exercise was OK after a few days of recovery. I shot a few baskets on an 8-foot goal with my eight-year-old son when I first noticed a burning sensation. I figured I must have overdone the exercise, even though it was pretty tame. I began to feel exhausted and decided to go to bed around 7pm. I woke up the next morning feeling absolutely terrible. I was had a fever of 102.5 and was shivering uncontrollably. My right armpit was red and extremely swollen and throbbing with pain. At the time I figured I had caught the flu and it was unrelated to my recent procedure. After a very long and miserable day in bed, my wife reached out to the dermatology office and connected with the doctor on call. On Sunday, February 8th (6 days after the procedure) the dermatologist called in a Z pack of antibiotics in case I had an infection. I began the Z pack that evening. Over the next twelve hours I faded in and out of sleep while my armpit continued to throb and swell. At 11am the next day my wife texted a photo of my increased swelling to the Physician’s Assistant who told her to get me to the emergency room right away. I was quickly checked in and given blood tests as well as an IV to help with my severe dehydration. After a long and uncomfortable wait for the results I was told that I had Cellulitis, a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection. I was given a heavy dose of oral antibiotics and sent home. You can see the slow decrease in swelling in the photos included here, it took over a week to get back to normal. In discussing it afterwards with my physician, he told me I should have been given the antibiotics via IV because of the severity of the infection. Going with oral meds made for a very slow and painful recovery process. I’m now seven months from the terrible ordeal and still have a deadening of the nerves under both arms. It is true that the one procedure greatly reduced the amount of sweat I produce, but it definitely wasn’t worth the pain and suffering. Another downside is the increased breakouts on my back and chest from the additional sweating I have in those areas. I will say that the staff at Dermatology Associates of Atlanta was very responsive and helpful throughout the recovery process. Obviously, I didn’t go back for the second procedure and was given a refund of $1,500 so my cost for the one procedure was $1,500 (not including thousands of dollars for the emergency room visit). When I asked about the cause I was told it was from bacteria getting under the skin. It could have happened during the pre-procedure underarm shave two days beforehand or during the procedure itself as it took place in a non-sterile environment. I asked to speak with a representative from Miramar Labs (the medical device company) and was told they do not speak with patients about issues caused by the procedure. This was extremely disappointing as I wanted to ensure they would take steps to avoid these kinds of issues in the future. I was told by the Physician’s Assistant that she had shared my case with them, but I never received a follow up from Miramar Labs. Cellulitis is very serious. This was a terrifying ordeal for me and my entire family. I never would have done this procedure if I was aware that this was a possible outcome. That is why I am writing this review - to make everyone understand the very real potential for this to happen to them. There are very real risks, potentially life threatening ones, with this procedure. Be aware of them.
I had the Miradry procedure at the end of last month (December 2012), and my condition has improved dramatically. It may be too early to say this,but I think this procedure will be life-changing for me. About me... I may not be the typical Miradry patient, as I've never dealt with an abnormal amount of underarm sweating. My issue was severe bromhidrosis (odor) which I have SUFFERED for 20 years! This is a medical condition, but (trust me) no one gives you a "pass" for having B.O. Before this procedure I would shower at least once daily, apply a strong antiperspirant and still experience varying degrees of musty odor in my armpits. I've tried many OTC products, herbal remedies, Botox, Certain Dri, etc. and nothing worked for more than a few hours. Since the Miradry procedure, I have had very little/no moisture in my underarm at all and ZERO odor... and I am not applying deodorant or antiperspirant. I am amazed and relieved! The procedure itself was virtually painless. Armpit #1 required additional lidocaine/epinephrine shots after I felt discomfort in a couple of areas. Armpit #2 received an extra "dose" of meds and I did not feel a thing during the process. Afterward, I had moderate swelling, a little discoloration and discomfort, for which I applied ice packs and took 800mg ibuprofen for a couple of days. By the five-day point, I had just a small amount of swelling. At this point, I highly recommed Miradry. My days of carrying Mitchum antiperspirant in my purse may be over - I pray. If you are a hyperhidrosis or bromhidrosis sufferer... and you can find a way to pay fee, this may be the answer you are seeking. Will post an update in a month. In my opinion, the $3,000 price tag for Miradry Updated on 25 Jan 2013: It has been a month since I had my first-round Miradry procedure, and I am still pleased with my results. Recently, I had to "run" to my departure gate in the airport. It was quite a distance, and I felt my face begin to sweat. I started to worry because I had not applied antiperspirant/deodorant. When I got to my seat on the plane, I reached under my sweater and felt my right armpit. It was damp. I smelled my hand (LOL)...and there was no odor. Before Miradry, there would have been a problem. I was happy for myself and for the lady sitting in the seat next to me! Checked again three hours later when I arrived at the hotel, underarms were dry... no odor. Side note: Small amount of hair is beginning to grow under each arm, but it is very sparse. Hope this continues. Will update again soon.
I just wanted to say that though I am 3 months past my first procedure and will have my second later this month, the results of the first visit alone have significantly enhanced my quality of life. My sweating has decreased 90% and I feel like a new man. Like many others who have suffered silently fo so many years (20+ years for me), words simply cannot express the relief of having this burden lifted. My overall anxietly level is a fraction of what it used to be, so aside from not sweating, the freedom to wear whatever I like - on top of the relief - is also incredibly satisfying. I simply cannot say enough. No the $2,900 I paid (in Atlanta) was not cheap, but it was still well worth it - even for just the results of the first visit. My biggest apprehension was not the cost but the fear of it not working or suffering from side effects. I'm confident that after the second visit I'll be 99% sweat free. I can assure anyone reading this that MIRADRY WORKS!! I did experience the swelling, soreness, "hickies" and a slight degree of discomfort during the anesthesia and once it wore off, but again - I feel the cost/discomfort vs benefit and increased quality of life is a NO BRAINER. The Physician's Assistant at Dermatology Associates of Atlanta (coincidententally her name was Mara) who performed the procedure had only done it 5 times prior, but did a fantastic job. It is not rocket science and I feel it is almost impossible to do any serious damage with the machine or with the technology (I'm an electrical engineer and researched the technical aspects thoroughly). This technology is commonly used in other areas of medicine. This is simply a specialized application. Again, my advice to anyone reading this - if you are suffering as I was, do not hesitate. Life is short = ). Good luck!!
LEFT WITH BURNS AND SCARS!!! Beyond disappointed with the Derm Associates of Atlanta- and more specifically- the office of Jan Levenson. I went to Jan on 3 different occasions for Laser Hair Removal. The first two times were painful but okay. The third time I COULD NOT walk/wear underwear/pants for almost a week. She burned THE [RS Bleep] out of my skin. I looked like a leopard. When i called to complain/get help with my skin they brought me back into the office and she told me “this happens” and that “there is no exact science to laser hair removal”. I’ve called multiple times since- requesting a refund for BURNING AND SCARRING MY SKIN and they have yet to do anything about it. SO UPSET!!! NEVER AGAIN WILL I RETURN!!! THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR PATIENTS, CLEARLY.