laser hair removal

[llenda]

My husband had laser hair removal about two weeks ago to his beard.  He developed folliculitis.  The folliculitis is now cleared up and the hair on his beard is very patchy.  The skin under the hair seems to be lighter than the skin that has no hair.  Is this b/c the skin without hair is still healing and will blend in eventually or is it going to stay this way.  Also, this was the first treatment.  Will hair grow back in these spots that have no hair.  After this first laser treatment, my husbands face was full of scabs and was swollen (it looked like he had his wisdom teeth pulled out).  We have been to two Dermatologists and both say they think he will be fine, but we are afraid they are not telling us everything.  Was this a normal reaction for this type of procedure?  The swelling and scabs?

[JainMD]

Hi,
How is your husband doing?
The issue of Hyper-pigmentation and Hypo-pigmentation is a temporary issue, which resolves over period of time. Only in rare cases it will prolong for long.
In 40 to 80% of cases the hair would come back, but definitely it will delay coming of hair.
The swollen face and scabs suggests some allergic response to treatment or cream application after that.
You need not worry; it will also subside on its own.
Keep me informed if you have any query.
Bye.

[llenda]

First, thanks for the reply and concern.  My husband is doing fine expect for driving himself crazy about his face.  The doctor that preformed his laser treatment did remove a lot of his hair (about 70-80% looks bald) during the first visit (not sure if that much hair should have been removed at one time).  Another question, when he shaved yesterday, he got a little scared because an area of about 3 inch long and 1" wide on is cheek has whiskers with what looks like his old skin color underneath and the rest of the cheek looks pretty much bald (smooth) and a little reddish looking (like he never had facial hair).  Is this eventually going to blend together or do you think it should have been more evenly proportioned and will always be this way unless he finishes the hair removal?  Also, do you think it is alright for him to use his (DCL) revitalizing gel (use for dy skin if you have heard of it) or should he use something like a Lubriderm or CeraVe lotion because he has been using a prescription gel (Benzaclin) at night (it was to clear up the folliculitis) that dries his skin?  Thank you so much for your time.

[JainMD]

Hi llenda,
The areas of hyper-pigmentation and hypo-pigmentation would gel with each other over a period of time provided the cells underneath are not permanently damaged due to laser.
Regarding the other gel solution I am not sure; you need to consult back with laser therapist or a Dermatologist for further information.
Keep me informed if you have any other queries.
Bye.

[rab1975]

Hi llenda,
I wish i read your comments before I made the mistake of having laser hair removal on my beard.  I had a very thick beard and planned on having the beard thinned.  After one treatment, my beard was very uneven with bald spots around my cheeks.  I went back after a month to have a few random dark spots treated again.  Another month and a half has gone by and my face is still very patchy around the cheeks. My mustache and chin facial hair seems unaffected.  Surely this is not the result I had envisioned.  I wish the person warned explained this possibility.  I would surely warn others about this process of "thinning" facial hair.
Have you heard of anything to reverse the process?
Let's hope some time is all that is needed.