@ewoods So laser hair removal works best if the skin is light and the hair is dark. That's what makes me an ideal client. If your hair is lighter and your skin darker than mine, you'll have different results. The bad experience happened when I was tan. Yes, I stayed out of the sun for 4 weeks before the session, but I was still tan, even then. In fairness, the lady warned me. She said that the laser works by sensing the dark hair and zapping it. If your skin is too dark, it can confuse the laser and cause it to zap the skin instead. She said that she could do the session, but I have a higher risk of getting burned. I told her she could continue, thinking my tan wasn't so bad.
The thing with the laser is that it does hurt. So even though I was getting burned, I didn't know it because I thought it was just the normal lasering pain. It wasn't until I got home that I could see little dots of redness where the laser had burned me in my bikini area, where I was tan. Not like 3rd degree burn, but not just like a sunburn, either. Luckily, it was a surface burn so I was crazy about salve and healing ointments so it wouldn't scar. It didn't, thank God! I was crazy about ointments and stuff, though. Every AM and PM I'd slather it on and walk around naked till it soaked in a little haha.
In retrospect, I've learned not to have a tan whatsoever when lasering. Assuming you are a good candidate for laser, don't do it now, right before summer. Maybe do your first session in October/November and do it through till before next summer.
And find a legit place. For the record, I'm not a fan of Laser Away. Their nurse isn't on site (she skypes you in the consult room...) and they're sales-driven. I feel like they'd recommend something for it's dollar amount and not necessarily because it's best for you. I went there for tattoo removal. (Tattoo is still there.) Also, they don't use the LightSheer laser machine which I know works for me. Hope this helps!