DoctorOz: Laser Hair Removal Scams: What You Need to Know

Laser hair removal centers are popping up everywhere and online coupons offer deeply discounted prices. But could you be getting scammed or worse burned? We sent a journalist and retail expert undercover to get us answers and you will not believe what we caught on tape. Take a look. After getting rigged with cameras. So that's where the camera is. I headed to my first appointment for laser hair removal. This is a 1.3 billion dollar industry. I had an appointment at 945. The business was a so-called medical spa and seemed clean and professional. So what were you interested in learning more about today? So I haven't gotten lasered anything before so I just want to hear all about it. Okay so we'll kind of go over just like how laser hair removal works. Right. Everyone doing your treatment here is a registered nurse but um there's not a doctor on the premises though. No. Okay that is just not okay with me. Dr. Whitney Bow, a renowned dermatologist who agreed to screen our footage found this fact alarming. I have seen countless complications from laser hair removal in my office over the years and in my opinion a medical doctor should be on site in that office during every single procedure. But guess what? Many spas in many states aren't required to have a medical doctor on site for laser hair removal. To find another place nearby I'm going to check out some of the reviews online. This one says the place is a hot mess and dirty and small. Let's go see how dirty small and a hot mess it really is. Come on in with me right into the first room right over here. Okay cool. This spa was definitely less posh. In fact I almost tripped over a dust pan in the stairwell. The biggest concern for me is um hyperpigmentation. Okay that's just not true. Yes there's such thing as irritation from a laser and the number one side effect from a laser is hyperpigmentation. Okay this woman is just not being upfront. We're off to the final spa. Right away I got a bad vibe. This place was even dirtier than the last and when I expressed concern about possibly getting burned from the laser. So what happens if a burn happens? You just put a little cream and you just wait for the mark to go away. Okay guys that response was just a little too casual for me. It basically implies that in her hands burns happen all the time which is just not acceptable. And then the esthetician told me I might indeed get burned if I was nervous. So it's a mental thing. It's kind of sensitive. So if I just calm down a little then I'd probably not have a reaction. Hmm that's like psychosomatic is what she's saying. Like if I'm super scared then probably I'm going to get burned. So I have to calm down. Okay so she's basically saying if you're nervous you get a burn. No no no no. If she doesn't know how to use the laser you get a burn. Guys I would run not just walk. I would run away from this place. Heather Georges in studio absolutely unbelievable expose. Thank you for doing that. What was the most shocking thing you found in the investigation? I what I found shocking was the fact that there's such a range of prices that you could you could take advantage of to get this done. So it ranges from $15 a session to $1,500. So that's $15 to $1,500? Exactly. So the last place that we went that was around $15 a session that you would go in and and and get laser done. It's a hundred times difference. Exactly. So because of that pretty much everyone can get this done. Spas that never really had this on the menu now have it on the menu because the profit margin is going to be higher and some of these places are making almost a million dollars a year just doing laser procedures. So Heather has three questions sort of a safety checklist for safe laser hair removal treatments. They are first off doctor on staff. Right you want to either make sure that there's a doctor on staff, a physician's assistant, or a trained nurse practitioner on staff in case something goes wrong. Second you want to make sure they have the right laser for your skin type. Exactly. Each person is different. Darker skin tones uses the gag laser. Other skin tones may need the older model. You just don't know. So you want to be specific and come armed with questions. All right so we reached out to the American Medical Spa Association and they actually gave us a very thoughtful response. I want to give them credit for that and here's what they said. With any growing industry when money is being made there will be lots of attention from those seeking to profit it. Right it's going to happen. The issue that the Dr. Raj show has astutely picked up on is that not all states treat laser hair removal as a medical treatment. So in some states New York for example where we did our taping pretty much anyone can offer laser hair removal services. They went on to acknowledge that even in states where there are regulations things are confusing and technology is often moving faster than the law. So I'm happy to announce that this group is what they're saying because this group is releasing a set of rules nationwide later this year. Be sure to subscribe to my channel so you don't miss anything and remember to check back often to see what's new.