PLEASE THINK TWICE BEFORE V-BEAM/PDL!

[Hummbird123]

April 29th, 2010, I had a V-beam laser treatment resulting in burns, blistering and an open sore surrounding my mouth and nose.

April 30th, the day after the procedure, the nurse called to check on me. She said she was very worried about me because she used a higher setting than the Dr. When I told the nurse I had blisters on my upper lip and an oozing sore, she asked if there was any black skin. I told her there were some extremely dark areas, but from what I could tell, no black skin.

These are my concerns regarding my injuries:

Scarring above my lip from where I was burned the most

Permanent damage to my upper lip and vermillion border

Five weeks after the procedure, I started noticing strange striations, indentations and texture changes on my face and neck in areas other than where I was treated. The areas have traceable lines to where the laser was directly used and none of these markings was present prior to the procedure. One example is two lines coming off a blistered, lasered spot on the right side of my nose. The lines disperse to other areas of my face. Everyday, there is new damage appearing on my skin caused by this treatment.

PLEASE, it's not worth risking your face, your psychological and financial well being to risk putting a laser to your face. There are other options!Hummbird123
I'm new here

[CrabbyCathy]

Welcome!

This is a very horrible story; I'm so sorry this happened to you!

I have had two rounds of IPL that fortunately have gone well. I can't say I have a vast, fantastic improvement, but did notice a little bit of pale, normal colored skin in areas that were normally red.

I wonder why she felt the need to use a different setting that the doctor did, without consulting him? I do hope you talk to the doctor there at the office or clinic (?), because perhaps this nurse shouldn't be performing any treatments on anyone.

*since writing this reply, I notice that you are posting the same message all over the board--Laser and IPL Therapy, General Stuff, V-Beam and Pulse-Dye Laser. Since what you had performed on you is the V-Beam, that is the one that will be left. Thanks for understanding!

[Hummbird123]

She was completely inept. Unfortunately, they covered it up in my chart as well as photo-shopping my pics. Even though her Dr. and Dept. defended her, I hope they have not allowed her to continue treating people.

[CrabbyCathy]

She was completely inept. Unfortunately, they covered it up in my chart as well as photo-shopping my pics. Even though her Dr. and Dept. defended her, I hope they have not allowed her to continue treating people.

That is horrible! I hope they didn't let her treat anyone else either.

By your saying "department", it sounds as if it was at hospital, not a spa clinic? Have you considered reporting it to the state board, etc.? I'm sure you have your own photos, etc. and photo-shopping can be picked up by a professional, I would think (if investigated).

[Mike T]

Indentations and the like are side effects of laser treatments I was unaware of until late.

Regardless of how it is achieved (unskilled operator or biochemical reaction) or it's probability, those deciding on similar treatment should take it into account.

A few questions to ask yourself are;
Have you exhausted all other options? Is there a safer alternative? How long has the treatment been available?

I am in total agreement with your suggestion: measure twice, cut once.

Thankyou for sharing.

Mike