Question
I've previously had one treatment of LHR to my chest, shoulders, upper back and neck and have been happy with the results. The redness after the treatment went away after several days and my body hair was reduced.
I've just had my second treatment to the exact same areas with similar results except for the right side of my neck. The nurse treated this area last and it was substantially more painful. After the treatment I needed to apply ice to reduce the pain. The next day I went back and a second nurse examined my neck and said I’m likely to receive hyperpigmentation (long term purple/brown spots) in that area. The area now has about 15 highly visible burn marks. The nurses were dismissive of the whole thing, one said that this was a risk made known to me before treatment and that it could last 6 months. Another said that it didn’t look bad and would probably go away after two weeks! Note that I haven't had any sun exposure recently (it's winter here).
I believe that something went wrong with the laser whilst treating that area. For example the nurse accidentally turned the laser up or possibly the laser cooling device malfunctioned??? Does anyone have any ideas of what things can go wrong with the laser and what I should do?
cheers,
Chad

Answer
I've previously had one treatment of LHR to my chest, shoulders, upper back and neck and have been happy with the results. The redness after the treatment went away after several days and my body hair was reduced.
I've just had my second treatment to the exact same areas with similar results except for the right side of my neck. The nurse treated this area last and it was substantially more painful. After the treatment I needed to apply ice to reduce the pain. The next day I went back and a second nurse examined my neck and said I’m likely to receive hyperpigmentation (long term purple/brown spots) in that area. The area now has about 15 highly visible burn marks. The nurses were dismissive of the whole thing, one said that this was a risk made known to me before treatment and that it could last 6 months. Another said that it didn’t look bad and would probably go away after two weeks! Note that I haven't had any sun exposure recently (it's winter here).
I believe that something went wrong with the laser whilst treating that area. For example the nurse accidentally turned the laser up or possibly the laser cooling device malfunctioned??? Does anyone have any ideas of what things can go wrong with the laser and what I should do?
cheers,
Chad

Answer
I keep reading about people getting burned on their necks. The same thing happened to me on my 2nd treatment and yes I still have spots, but they are fading. I really don't understand why my lower neck is more sensitive. I don't think mine will last much longer; I got burned about a month ago. It's strange cause my doc didn't even change the settings. Maybe the LE on the board can give us some insight.
I know this really didn't help you, but atleast you know you aren't alone.

Answer
The nurse can't accidently change the settings. There's too much involved in changing the settings for it to happen accidently. But there is always the chance of something malfunctioning in the laser. But most lasers will alert the operator that there is a problem. Which laser was used?
Neck hair on men does tend to become more irritated because it is usually very thick and coarse and often the follicle is at an angle bringing the hair closer to the skin's surface. But for it to happen only on one side of your neck does lead me to believe it was a cooling problem.
Did they give you anything to use on the burns? It probably will go away soon, but of course not as quickly as you would like. If they didn't give you anything to use, you may want to try aloe or Aquaphor.

Answer
Chad, no worries! Hyper/hypo pigmentation are normal risks! Fortunately, most of the time the pigment changes are NOT permanent! Sometimes the cryogen spray (if this is on your laser) can stimulate pigment changes, but again, should not be permanent. Careful with your next treatment(s) though...the darker pigmented areas can absorb more energy and actually burn your skin this time, not just cause temporary pigment changes like last time. You may consider avoiding having those areas treated until the pigment changes resolve! Good luck!

Answer
After my third treatment, I was burned badly. Flap of skin peeled off. Now have numbness in area of chin and scarring(been 10 months). Trying to figure out how to post my questions on here to get some answers.

Answer
The reason you burned on one side of the neck and not the other is because that side of the neck has been recently exposed to the sun within several weeks of your lasering. I have seen this happen many times to people's arms (those who drive while hanging their arm out the window, etc). Think about WHEN and HOW you were in the sun, most especially, did you recently take a 'road trip' and you were the passenger, and had the sun on you on the right side ?
Folks: ALWAYS tell your tech if you have had recent sun exposure that is more than the usual. EVEN IF YOU DID NOT TAN OR BURN !!!!! Melanocytes are formed UNDER the skin in response to any sun exposure. The laser targets melanin You may not see a skin color change on the surface, BUT THE LASER KNOWS !!!! and it will 'attack' the melanin under the skin just as it sends heat down a hair shaft, creating 'heat' in the skin layers where there is a fresh layer of melanocytes, thus burning the skin. TELL YOUR TECH THAT YOU HAVE HAD SUN EXPOSURE OR BETTER YET, WAIT 3-4 WEEKS AFTER THAT RECENT EXPOSURE BEFORE YOU GET LASERED.