I Underwent Laser Hair Removal for my Underarms and I Got Burnt. Are These Marks Permanent? (photo)

Question

Lawrence Kass, MD · Answer

I, too, am sorry that you suffered burns beneath the arms, presumably from hair removal with an IPL.  While it is quite possible, as mentioned by the last person to respond, that the person who did this was inexperienced, problems can and do occur to experienced practitioners on occasion.  I am writing to relieve your cocerns because I believe these marks can and will disappear completely.

M. Khawar Nazir, MBBS, MS(Derm) · Answer

Different patients respond variably with same energy settings & I also believe that this kind of burn can happen even by an experienced physician.Most of the time, these burn spots are temporary & go away slowly with time.It is always great to visit your physician for proper assessment & better management.- Dr M. Khawar Nazir

F. Victor Rueckl, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

I'm so sorry. Those burns are very, very serious and clearly this treatment was done at way too high a setting and by someone very inexperienced. The underarms should never, ever burn like this and aren't even exposed to the sun like other areas of the body!  You need to see a board-certified dermatologist asap for treatment and get some topical ointments to put on to stop the burn and blisters as best you can. Do not pick it, do not exfoliate it, do not pop the blisters. Based on these burns, I'm sorry to say that I would assume you will have some hyper and/or hypo pigmentation problems in the future, but addressing these burns now will help some. Please do not return to the office that did this or have any treatments done there again. This is clearly inexperience and a very, very poor treatment!

I Underwent Laser Hair Removal for my Underarms and I Got Burnt. Are These Marks Permanent? (photo)

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I Underwent Laser Hair Removal for my Underarms and I Got Burnt. Are These Marks Permanent? (photo)

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Laser Hair Removal

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.