Does bruising mean that I should not continue laser hair removal treatment?

May 8, 2009 11:47 AM

Should I abandon my plan to have laser hair removal? I had a sample treatment of an area (about 2x3 inches in size) on my leg and light purple/blue bruising developed.

I understand that this treatment typically causes redness but no bruising. It is now 2 days later and the bruise is starting to fade. Other than the ugliness and pain of bruising, is there any other risk to me of getting the full treatment? Plan is for both lower legs. It is an ELOS laser.

posted by pluma moos to health & fitness (8 comments total)

Can you get another sample and see if that was an anomaly?

I've had laser hair removal in several locations and have never had bruising as a result.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 11:52 AM on May 8

Do you trust your provider? Maybe the problem isn't you. Is it possible the procedure wasn't done properly?
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 11:59 AM on May 8

I've had three different kinds of laser hair removal in different places, and not only have I never had a reaction like that, I've never been warned or read about bruising happening. Can I ask if you have darker skin? If so, it may be worth holding off from laser hair removal and doing more research and test patches instead of pushing ahead. But perhaps your operator can tell you the cause and recommend a course of action other than 'it'll be fine'. Either way, I would definitely have a sample patch done with another kind of laser (potentially with a different operator too) and see what reaction you have to that. It's better to play it safe and go with something that causes no reaction than to risk damage.
posted by Sova at 12:04 PM on May 8

Some kinds of laser treatment do cause bruising. The trick is to take photos, now, and show them to your provider. Most laser treatments have a variety of settings. You may have to opt for a gentler setting. It's not necessarily an either-or kind of scenario.
posted by adipocere at 12:09 PM on May 8

It's entirely possible that you're getting a gimmicky but shitty IPL and/or laser technology. I found out the hard way that not all lasers are equal when I was having some broken veins treated, and I hate to see anyone else wasting their money or getting hurt.

In this thread, shogoth, a doctor, recommends three specific lasers for hair removal. You might try looking for a clinic in your area that uses what he recommends.
posted by rosebuddy at 12:14 PM on May 8

What did the provider/technician say about this?

I have very fair skin and have had extreme success with laser hair removal on pretty much my entire lower body.

I know they used a YAG laser on my legs. As they increased the energy transmitted through the laser, I would get bruises that would fade in 5 days or less.

There are a variety of lasers and it is not one size fits all. You need to talk with the provider and see what he/she thinks about this.
posted by FergieBelle at 12:21 PM on May 8

Had you taken any aspirin-containing products or blood-thinning medication of any kind?

I have very fair skin and I had minor bruising -- I bruise ridiculously easily anyway, and it all faded within a few days. I could feel it more than I could see it. I also had redness and swelling and mild skin irritation for about 10 days after each session. The first few sessions were worse than the last few. This was all done under a dermotologist's care, not a salon or drive-through hair-removal center or something similarly dodgy.

(I feel like I should add that for me, the results have been worth every single second of the recovery-inconvenience.)
posted by kittyb at 12:39 PM on May 8

I haven't spoken about this yet to the person who gave me the treatment yet. She has been operating for over 10 years doing electrolysis and now "laser" hair removal. I say "laser" because she uses ELOS/Aurora which, as I see in the previous thread that rosebuddy very helpfully linked to, is IPL.

My general impression is that she is very competent and experienced with the technology she uses, and I picked her because it was a lot cheaper than most places in my city. A little web research indicates the more expensive (dermatologist-run) places all have real lasers, so I guess you get what you pay for.

My skin is caucasian, medium tone, and the hair is darkish brown. I did not take any painkillers.
posted by pluma moos at 2:16 PM on May 8