Beaura Spa Media
Laser Burn
These days, laser hair removal is as de rigeur as Botox ® Cosmetic. But is it as safe as it seems?
Botox ® Cosmetic Just weeks before her wedding, a woman appeared in a panic at the office of New York dermatologist Roy Geronemus. After one round of laser hair removal at a Manhattan salon, she had developed scattered, crusted scabs on her arms. Several days later, the wounds had healed to reveal flat, odd-shaped islands of lighter pigmented skin, the same color as the sleeveless white gown she was to wear. When the doctor examined her, he determined that the wrong laser had been used for her dark complexion.
"It's the kind of damage that could be permanent," says Geronemus, who was able to treat the patient with a different laser and predicts her skin will be close to normal after a few more sessions. As laser hair removal procedures move out of doctors' offices and into salons, he warns, cases like this one are becoming more common. "Lasers are being placed in the hands of those who are less experienced and untrained," says Geronemus. "We're seeing an increase in complications coming out of spas and salons."
Since it first became available nearly a decade ago, laser hair removal has become one of the country's most popular non-invasive aesthetic treatments, second only to Botox ® Cosmetic in 2005, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Salons and spas have also been quick to reap the benefits. Chicago's Spa 32, which fuses medical, dental, and chiropractic services with massages and facials, added laser hair removal to its roster a year and a half ago to great financial success and now plans to acquire a second laser machine. The Beaura Spa in Paramus, New Jersey, known mainly for skincare, began offering Intense Pulsed Light treatments - a version of laser hair removal - four years ago. Since then, revenue has increased by 20 percent, according to its director. At a recent laser workshop, Mitchell Chasin, a New Jersey dermatologist, struck up a conversation with a group of men he had overheard discussing the topic. They were chefs at a popular New York restaurant. "And they were going to open up a laser center!" recalls Chasin. "I thought, What the hell is going on?"
You may call the Beaura Spa directly at 201-967-1756.
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