IPLs BEWARE

belindah · 1st November 2008, 05:30 PM

I had three IPL treatments with a highly respected laser specialist doctor. After the third I experienced scars appearing accross my face, facial fat loss which has left me looking guant and aged, increased redness and MORE broken cappillaries. For the first few weeks my skin looked great, put then the scars, dents, fat loss and increased redness appeared over the next few months. It was incredibly traumatic and upsetting. I went back to the doctor twice and he dismissed me twice. He said I was imagining it and it was all in my head. He said the settings were so low it could never have caused the damage and that it must have been there before hand. Yeah right! I since read on rosacea.co.uk about another person who was damaged by him.

People say IPL cannot cause damage but it it a blatant lie. You only have to look at the links here to see it is a fact.

http://messageboards.makemeheal.com/...=529171#529171

If i can stop one other person from going through the incredible trauma i went through this last year it i will be happy. If a seasoned professional doctor can cause such damage on a low setting, i dread to think what damage can be caused by an inexperienced operator on high settings. I would do ANYTHING to go back in time and not have done this. I would have put up with the flushing if i had know this could have happened. I want my nice young plump face back without the scarring, but that can NEVER happen now.

PLEASE think VERY carefully before you do this. If you don't think you can cope with scarring and a gaunt aged face, then DON'T DO IT.

The doctor certainly won't care about you should it happen.

Melissa W · 1st November 2008, 11:59 PM

Hi Belinda,

I am so sorry about what has happened to you and what you are going through because of it. I wanted to welcome you to the forum and also thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Best wishes,
Melissa

SolomonCox · 2nd November 2008, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by belindah

I had three IPL treatments with a highly respected laser specialist doctor. After the third I experienced scars appearing accross my face, facial fat loss which has left me looking guant and aged, increased redness and MORE broken cappillaries. For the first few weeks my skin looked great, put then the scars, dents, fat loss and increased redness appeared over the next few months. It was incredibly traumatic and upsetting. I went back to the doctor twice and he dismissed me twice. He said I was imagining it and it was all in my head. He said the settings were so low it could never have caused the damage and that it must have been there before hand. Yeah right! I since read on rosacea.co.uk about another person who was damaged by him.

People say IPL cannot cause damage but it it a blatant lie. You only have to look at the links here to see it is a fact.

http://messageboards.makemeheal.com/...=529171#529171

If i can stop one other person from going through the incredible trauma i went through this last year it i will be happy. If a seasoned professional doctor can cause such damage on a low setting, i dread to think what damage can be caused by an inexperienced operator on high settings. I would do ANYTHING to go back in time and not have done this. I would have put up with the flushing if i had know this could have happened. I want my nice young plump face back without the scarring, but that can NEVER happen now.

PLEASE think VERY carefully before you do this. If you don't think you can cope with scarring and a gaunt aged face, then DON'T DO IT.

The doctor certainly won't care about you should it happen.

Belindah,
Very sorry for your experience. I have heard this happen to others before. As you mention, the doctor is an important factor in choosing this route as a treatment. Would you mind letting all of us know who the physician was? Also, do you know which machine he used (Luminus One has been known on rare occasions to cause such results)?

What course of action are you going to take from here to resolve some of your rosacea/scaring issues?

Thanks in advance,
SC

TheMediumDog · 2nd November 2008, 04:19 AM

Although it does not help you, it most certainly helps everyone else to have a report like this out there in public. You are doing a service by posting it.

The majority of people undergoing IPL seem to have few long-term negative consequences. This can definitely encourage a blase attitude towards the procedure. Your experience, which I have certainly heard at least one other person report, should definitely make people weigh the risks.
IPL is pretty new. The only way experiences like yours are going to get taken seriously is if enough people report them.

Do you know if there are any remedial procedures you can pursue? Do you mind describing the symptoms more?

Not sure about putting the practitioner's name on a forum like this - might there be legal issues? Still, I think everyone would like to know. Maybe people should go through the private messages.
But, rather than focusing on one practitioner, its probably important to keep the attention on IPL itself; its risks.

belindah · 2nd November 2008, 11:04 AM

The doctor was Doctor Mervyn Patterson of the Woodford Medical Group www.woodfordmedical.com. He is well known for his laser work, is a respected doctor who used "gentle" settings on me.

I was dead against surgery and the only way i can think to fix this is with fat transfers or fillers, but they kick up red veins so i'll have even more on my face. I just have to live with it and the crushing depression that goes with it.

I think lasers are a load of crock. Sure you get short term benefits, but for me the cumulative effect made my rosacea worse, which kept me going back for more. Mind you, three treatments is hardly excessive. I believe the reason lasers are so popular is that they give such impressive short term results that you can't help but be wowed by. It's only months down the line that the damage appears, the redness worsens and because you did the IPL months before (if the damage is subtle and cumulative) you don't chalk it up to be caused by the IPL.

lamarr · 3rd November 2008, 09:48 PM

So glad i never went to see Dr Patterson now...

He is known to be agressive with rosacea, that is undeniable. I would recommend people avoid him, i have read several stories of similar experiences with him.

Lookout · 3rd November 2008, 10:12 PM

Just curious....what were your treatments like....did he do your complete face? did he do a double pass over areas?

I have had many IPL's that were very aggressive...but with the much older machines from 8yrs ago....only had 4 IPL's with the newer Quantium....and in all truth I can't say I got alot of benefit from them.....I could never say what you reported...that your face improved lots and that's why you went back for several IPL's.....I always seem to return to the status quo! But I have never gotten worse or experienced fat loss.....that is something that may not be the norm but people should be told this BEFORE they risk using laser....so it is good that you share your expierence with others just in case.

claudia · 3rd November 2008, 10:47 PM

I am so sorry to hear about your awful experience. Please tell us how things go as you try to find ways to make things better. Hopefully others will have some ideas!

Alba · 4th November 2008, 04:55 PM

Hi Belindah:

My heart goes out to you I kind of know what you are feeling. About a 1 year and ½ I had Vbeam laser done. I had 3 sessions the 1st 2 were about 8 weeks apart then the 3rd about 3 months later. I went to a reputable dermatologist which my regular dermatologist recommend since he didn’t do laser. The dermatologist office has several laser machines and this office has a good reputation. After my 3rd session I also noticed afterwards I was left with indentions on my skin which I didn’t have so pronounced before. One area I would say it has lost fat as you say. I can say that my skin has improved since then, but not totally. I hear of so many that have such success and then some like us. Hopefully your skin will improve as time goes by.

Good luck.

Alba

cbebe28 · 4th November 2008, 05:35 PM

I feel like I have fat loss too, but my nose and cheeks are still pink, even after ipl, I hate that! does V beam do this too? Also my texture is different, not smooth anymore, and only since ipl, I feel like ipl made things worse for me, but now I don't want the red so what to do?