Laser Hair Removal Risks
Shiri Berg was 22 and was a young woman looking to look a little better by having a laser hair removal treatment , however earlier this year, she prompted more scrutiny of a little-known drug industry, and helped expose a system that puts lives at risk.
On the 27th Dec 2004, the North Carolina State University student was driving on route I-40 in North Carolina when she felt nausea, woozy and pulled over. She was later found inside her locked car, unconscious and having convulsions. She eventually went into a coma.
Her father, Ron, says it was not drugs or alcohol. Bizarrely, Shiri lower body underneath her clothes was wrapped in cellophane, and her legs were covered in a strange gel.
One of Shiri’s roommate remembers that she had told him she was going for a laser hair removal session at a local spa to take care of unwanted hair on her legs. The Laser hair removal process is generally very safe and effective, however Shiri was concerned about pain associated with the procedure. Some clinics address the discomfort by providing a numbing cream.
Her friends say Shiri was told to apply the cream right before her appointment and wrap herself in cellophane to intensify the anesthetic effect.
It was called Laser Gel 10-10, a prescription compound whose two major ingredients are serious anesthetics: 10 percent Lidocaine, 10 percent Tetracaine. It came with no warning about potential side effects, nor risk of coma.
Over the course of 10 days, Shiri never regained consciousness and she died on the 10th of January 2005.
