Almost two months ago I got the BBL laser done here and was left with a very large blister. Now I…read moream using scar cream over that area and praying that the big red spot on my face is not a permanent scar. My eyes and hairline were also negatively affected by the process being improperly and unsafely done.
A little more about my experience:
When I arrived to the office I was asked to sign in on an iPad. The iPad was gross and smeared with fingerprints. I couldn't find any hand sanitizer.
I was taken back to the room and numbing cream was applied. I was asked if I was ever able to get a tan and I told no, that I only burned. The person who would be lasering me was asking these questions to determine the suitability of my skin for this laser and how sensitive my skin would be, which should have helped guide her in choosing the correct settings on the laser.
I signed the consent. It disclosed the risks, including blistering. I had read online that small blisters may occur but large blisters were rare, and would likely indicate significant skin damage and suggest the operator of the laser had chosen settings too strong for your skin type.
The woman put the eye protection on, which had an elastic cord to go around the head. She did not use it, but laid the eye protection across my eyes. I could still see a ton of light and tried to adjust them. She said "Oh yeah these don't really fit everybody." Should have RUN out of this office at this point. Allowing eyes to be exposed to lasers can have devastating effects, including permanent visual alterations. Everytime I look in the mirror, I curse myself for staying that day.
The woman completed the laser treatment and gave me her card (which I lost) to contact her if I had any concerns or questions over the weekend.
When I got home, I was very red, which was to be expected. My eyes were tearing a lot, especially the right one. It was very odd - my right eyeball was sore (yes, the eyeball, itself). When I blinked I could feel the soreness. I was very concerned about this, so I investigated online and learned these were symptoms of eye damage from the laser. I told myself if it didn't I'd make an appointment to be seen by an optometrist and if it worsened at all, I'd go to the ER.
As advised, I applied some hyaluronic acid based lotion. I carefully applied it in front of the mirror but some of the hair at my temple got into the lotion, so I pushed it out of the way, and the hair completely detached from my scalp. I then realized the laser had gone too close to my hairline. Now, almost two months later, I have a spot where my hair is growing back.
By now it was 1.5 hours after the lasering and I noticed a large blister on my chin - about the size of a dime. I followed instructions and kept it protected so it wouldn't rupture. Unfortunately, the next day, I absentmindedly rubbed my chin and the blister ruptured. The top of the blister ripped off. It was excruciatingly painful and I was horrified when I saw how deeply my skin was damaged under that blister. I bought wound care supplies. I applied neosporin and used a hydrocolloid dressing to be sure the raw, burned, and weeping skin wouldn't become infected or be damaged by a dressing it could stick to.
The next day was Labor Day. I went onto the proMD website for bel air and wrote them an email with the subject line "burn." The next day, no one contacted me. The day after that, no one contacted me. No one EVER contacted me. I knew I could call the office but at this point I realized I didn't even trust them to make appropriate recommendations for how to treat the wound. Instead, I relied on the advice of nurses with wound care experience who said to continue what I was already doing. After a week and a half, it was no longer weeping but it was still really red. And let me tell you, the initial two weeks were PAINFUL. Every time I moved my mouth to speak, chew, yawn, etc., that area was SO painful.
I began applying a silicone based scar gel, which I continue to do, hoping that the red mark fully heals at some point. I did seek advice from a Hopkins trained NP working in aesthetics (and with IPL lasers) and was told I did everything right. She said the laser had been on settings that were far too high for my skin type, and that based on my skin tone and telling them I burn easily in the sun, they should have known better.
Honestly, I consider myself lucky because my eyes did recover several days after the laser treatment and I was not left with permanent vision loss. Hair loss and a large (potentially permanent) scar seem insignificant when I consider that I could have lost my sight.
Before coming here for laser treatment, carefully consider how many risks you're truly willing to take. The dangers are real, including permanent scarring and vision loss, and based on my experience, I'm convinced your risks are significantly higher here than almost anywhere else.
