Severe IPL Thermal Damage & Burns from New Image Anti-Aging Spa Have Ruined my Face! Williamsville, NY

I went to New Image Anti-Aging Laser Spa to be treated for mild rosacea with IPL. I have had IPL done before at a dermatologist's office with no problems or side effects. However, going to New Image for this treatment, though a less expensive choice, turned out to be a big mistake and the worst decision of my life.
Nadia, the technician, aggressively, hurriedly, and haphazardly "zapped" my face, going over some areas several times and then suddenly going over most of my face even though I only had a few small spots of redness on my cheeks and the sides of my nose. My face continued to burn even after the treatment, which is something I never experienced before when treated elsewhere. Afterwards, Nadia said, "Don't blame me, blame the laser." I hadn't said anything to her at that point. But I told her and the owner, Sherri, that I was continuing to feel burning and that it hurt much more than usual. As it was closing time, they were anxious to get me out the door and didn't even look at my face to see what I was talking about. I knew something was very wrong when the next day my entire face became so swollen that my teen daughter said I looked unrecognizable. Ice packs and Benadryl did nothing to bring down the swelling, and I had red, oozing sores on both sides of my nose and on one cheek that was more aggressively treated that the other. These turned out to be second degree burns. It took two weeks before the swelling completely subsided. The burns took much longer to heal. When I went back to New Image to show the owner my red face and burns, she said that I went outside and got sunburn and that was why I had those injuries. (Of course I hadn't been outside for any extended length of time, and it was November in Buffalo). When I showed her the photos my husband took of my swollen and burned face, she changed her tune. She gave me a cream to try, but this did nothing for either the red lumps on my cheek nor the sores along my nose. The next appointment she suggested I have microdermabrasion (I declined) when I showed her the scars appearing that resulted from the still healing burns, and she was brusque and dismissive on the subsequent appointment, when she had me do an LED light therapy. Nothing was working and she didn't seem truly interested in helping me. By this time, a few months after the IPL burn, I noticed disturbing changes in my skin taking place rather quickly. My husband noticed too -- he said that I had suddenly "aged." My skin became lax with a loss of firmness and elasticity. A dent in my cheek appeared on one side of my face. My skin had become quite dry and didn't respond to creams or serums as it had before. I couldn't use any cleanser on my formerly combination skin; it seemed like my oil glands in my skin had suddenly dried up.
New Image Spa has no medical staff, and since the owner didn't know how to treat the damage and didn't seem to care, I sought help elsewhere. I went to two dermatologists and both said that the person who did this to me "didn't know what they were doing." One of the doctors had even treated other patients who were damaged by New Image. Both doctors advised me to wait a year for the burns to completely heal to see how much scarring was left and gave me medication to treat rosacea. They wanted to know the brand of laser used on my face and I didn't know other than it was IPL. When I called New Image for my medical records so I could receive better informed care from a doctor, Sherri initially agreed to give them to me, but when I went to pick them up, she said that my files were "lost." She said she'd send them to me, but of course, she never did.
It has been over 15 months since my New Image IPL disaster. My skin continues to deteriorate: I have the tell-tale orange-peel texture characteristic of laser damaged skin; my spider veins on my cheeks are worse than ever, with redness, pits, and a long dent (cutaneous fat loss) along one cheek. My nose has dents from fat loss, both icepick and whitish scars, and increased redness and pronounced spider veins. However, the most troubling side effect of all: fat loss to my entire face. My formerly full and round face has lost so much volume that people ask me if I've lost weight or if I am ill (I've actually gained weight, but my face looks much thinner). The fat atrophy is just plain scary.
This past year has been the most difficult of my life, and I am 55. Seeing all these changes in my skin happening so quickly, and week by week getting worse and worse, is a nightmare. It is devastating to see my appearance change so rapidly and not be able to do anything to halt it. I had very good skin before New Image: fair without any scars at all, and a round, youthful face. I looked much younger than my years, and people often remarked on this. Now, after a 5 minute treatment at New Image, I no longer get compliments, and I look to be a good 10-15 years older. My skin feels like it was cooked from the inside out and remains very dull and dry. I've tried all kinds of medications, creams, and serums to no avail -- my skin does not respond to them. When I touch my face, it feels bony and foreign to me; the skin has thinned considerably, even along my temples, cheeks, and forehead where previously it was rather fleshy. Without that plumpness and volume, I have suddenly developed deep lines on my forehead and indentations in my one cheek (the one with the burns). The many years of taking care of my skin, using sunscreen, etc., have been undone by this one terrible burn at New Image. I look OLD.
New Image has taken so much from me: my youthful appearance, my self-confidence, and my peace of mind. If I look this bad just a little over a year since the IPL burn, what am I going to look like in one year, 5 years, 10 years? I am truly frightened about not only my future appearance, but the health of my skin as well. Will I develop skin cancer from this burn? The IPL was like getting several sunburns all at once.
The doctors (dermatologists and plastic surgeons) I've consulted with confirm that these changes are permanent. Second degree burns usually end up in scarring, and the fat loss to my face is not reversible. I had never heard that IPL could cause all these problems, and it wasn't until I started researching my symptoms that I came across similar stories on Real Self. Other Real Self posters (thank goodness for you and for Real Self!) who've been through laser burns or aggressive laser treatment say that the fat loss continues for about 3 years before leveling off, and that the second year is the worst in terms of facial change. I am not looking forward to this next year, and can't imagine it being worse than the last one! I could go on and describe what this has done to me emotionally, and many of those who've been damaged by lasers have already described these feelings very well here on Real Self (and validating my own feelings). My life is not the same, and I am not the same person. I can no longer look at a mirror or photos of myself without feelings of loss. I am embarrassed to be seen in public, and especially by those who haven't seen me in a while -- they notice how I've aged. I sincerely dread an upcoming family reunion where I will see relatives I haven't seen in years. I no longer look forward to social events, and my days are now filled with ways to keep busy and distract myself from thinking about my disfigured face. There is a constant "sickness at heart" that I feel which I haven't shared with anyone until now.
I haven't been successful in finding helpful treatments and I am desperate for answers. If anyone has had found ways to improve laser damaged skin, I'd be so grateful to hear from you. I am very discouraged. I was told by a plastic surgeon that a facelift is the best way to counter the laser damage. A year ago, considering a facelift was unthinkable to me. As I wait for the changes to level off, is there something else I can do? I can't even cover up the damage as I can no longer wear make-up; it sits in my enlarged pores and makes them even more noticeable.
This has been a life-changing event for me. I strongly advise those who are thinking of IPL to choose their provider wisely. Lasers are very powerful and in the wrong hands, can do an enormous amount of damage. Please learn from my experience, and those of too many others, and save yourself from the heartache we feel. My life will never be the same because I chose and trusted the staff at New Image Anti-Aging Spa. (I find their name ironic: I look so much older now than I did right before my IPL with them --this wasn't an anti-aging event for me but just the opposite -- and they are no experts at laser treatment. However, I do have a "new image" when I look in the mirror -- one that looks much worse than it did a year and a half ago). Bottom line: If you care about your appearance and having younger-looking and healthy skin, I strongly advise you to stay away from New Image Anti-Aging Spa. If you still are interested in IPL, look for a medical facility that offers this procedure with experienced and well-trained staff, and at least one doctor on hand to treat you should something go wrong. Don't be swayed by "special deals" and low cost; in the long-run, they might require you to spend much more trying to undo the adverse effects and problems they create.