A cream commonly used to numb the skin before laser hair removal has been blamed in the recent deaths of two college females, prompting some to reconsider the procedure while others remain unaware of the risks.
The News and Observer of Raleigh, N.C. reported that the 22-year-old Shiri Berg, a North Caroline State University student, died on Jan. 5 of a Lidocaine overdose.
Berg applied an anesthetic cream on her legs before a laser hair removal treatment at a North Raleigh spa.
An autopsy revealed that the cream, after being absorbed into her bloodstream, caused Berg to suffer seizures, go into cardiac arrest and then cut off of oxygen to her brain.
The cream is also being investigated in the death of a second female college student, who died under similar circumstances.
Although some may not be aware of the dangers of misusing the cream, its adverse reactions are extremely serious.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health say that the cream can result in seizures, cardiac arrest, and death when too much has been applied on the skin.
The signs that indicate too much Lidocaine has been absorbed by the body include: blurred or double vision, dizziness, muscle twitching, vomiting and trouble breathing.
In these cases, the U.S. National Library of Medicine advices people to seek emergency help immediately.
While a Lidocaine overdose is a serious risk to consider before a laser procedure, the possibility of an allergic reaction should also be weighed carefully.
But not everyone knows if they are allergic to Lidocaine so Gary Nelson, R.N., director of the Health Center, advises students to test the cream first.
“The thing you can always do, if you don’t know whether you’re allergic to Lidocaine, is to test it out first by putting a small amount on your skin,” he said. “If you are allergic, you’ll see your skin develop a rash and start to swell.”
“Another thing you could do is ask [the spa] for an alternative to using Licodaine or it can be used over small sections of the skin which means more sessions,” he added.
Some students like Marissa Glassman ’08 believe that even with practical precautions, the risks still seem too high and she is reluctant about getting laser treatments for hair removal.
“It would be less likely for me to get any kind of procedure if it has been known to cause death in an otherwise healthy individual,” she said. “It (laser hair removal) doesn’t seem necessary.”
“Why not wax or shave? You get the same effect and you are far less likely to die from it,” she added.
Ioanna Psaroudakis ’07 couldn’t see beyond the gloomy shadow Lidocaine had placed over hair removal treatments.
“It’s horrible what happened to that girl (Berg),” said Psaroudakis. “I have no interest in receiving this procedure because the risks seem to outweigh the good.”
Yet as news of Berg’s death ripples throughout the Internet, some students on campus are unaware of the risks associated with the painkilling cream or the woman who died from it.
“I have never heard about the risk of Lidocaine or about the woman who was a victim to it,” said Nicole Cappicelle ’06.
“In general, I don’t know much about laser hair removal,” she added.
“I always figured it might have some harmful consequences but, then again, so does other procedures these days. Everything involves a risk,” Cappicelle said.
Leave a Reply