Spa Lasers Could Pose Dangers

Susan Koeppen Goes Undercover To Shed Light On Potential Risks

(CBS)  It used to be that people would go to a spa for a massage or facial. But these days, many spas have gone high-tech, offering the latest in laser treatments. Laser hair removal and skin rejuvenation is now a $2 billion a year business.

That's big business but, for consumers, it could mean big problems, according to The Early Show consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen.

In her "ConsumerWatch" on Monday, Koeppen reports that some experts warn the number of patients being injured by laser treatments at spas is growing. They say that's because some of the people doing the procedures have very little training.

Koeppen used a hidden camera to go undercover, seeking to shed light on the problems.

She also spoke with Jordan Miles of Panama City, Fla., who told her she loved the sun, but not the spots it left on her skin — so she went to a local spa for laser treatment.

"I was going to have no freckles, no sun spots, my skin was gonna look renewed," Miles says.

The spa told her the procedure was risk-free and, "There would be no side effects. I would be back to work the next day."

But instead of spotless skin, she got second- and third-degree burns all over her back and arms and was in what she describes as "excruciating pain."

"I had no idea that I would be permanently disfigured, that I would have zebra-striped skin," Miles said.

Turns out, Koeppen says, the spa employee who treated Miles had minimal training in using a laser, a scenario that's become all too common, points out New York dermatologist Dr. Heidi Waldorf, of the American Society For Dermatological Surgery.

Every month, says Waldorf, she treats patients who've been injured at laser spas.

"These patients are often embarrassed that they went somewhere for a quick fix," she says. "They thought they could they could just walk in, it would be inexpensive, it would be fast, and unfortunately, you get what you pay for."

Waldorf says spas should tell you upfront that this is a serious procedure, with potential side effects such as scarring, burning, and discoloration. But do they?