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Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:47 am  |
Went to the dermatologist today and she thought my acne was bad enough that I could probably benefit from acutane. I told her no way and she said her next recommendations was 4-5 PPx treatments. I have never heard of this particular laser treatment so I did a google search and a search here on EDS; it looks like it is also used for laser hair removal? It's very expensive (at least for me). I'll have my first treatment tomorrow but I'm very skeptical at this point. I'm also scared that if it does work great, that I'm going to have to figure out how to come up with an extra $225 a week to maintain the results (I'm not sure if this is the kind of thing you have to keep getting done). Anywho...if anyone else has had this treatment it would be great to hear about your experiences! 
http://goslencenter.com/PPxPoreCleansing.asp
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070522/nytu079.html?.v=91 |
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28 Fair skin, brown hair, blue eyes & acne prone combo skin |
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Wed Jun 06, 2007 1:07 pm |
Ok...I guess I'll share my first experience then .
PAIN:
They claim this is painless and I'd have to politely disagree. Since I'm pale (less worry about hyper pigmentation)the doctor used the laser at the highest strength on me (which I think is a level 4) and on the first round she used suction level 1 and the second time suction level 2. I could get my forehead done with this all day. However, this hurt pretty bad on my cheeks and chin (I teared up a bit). It's not the laser that hurts; it's the suction action that feels like someone is pinching the dickens out of you. However, the pain wasn't bad enough to stop me from getting this done again next week
Results:
Of course it's too early to tell anything drastic, but I noticed that it did extract some stuff and it feels like almost all the stubborn tiny bumps on my forehead are gone (there were an uncountable number of them) and my skin feels smoother. However, I had a few deeper cysts that weren't quite to the surface and now they look purple/blackish under the skin (i'm guessing this is blood?). I looked like I had a sunburn for about two and a half hours after the treatment. She said I might be pink for 2 days and since I turn red easily I was thinking that it would take 3 days for my skin to call down. Luckily though, the pink/redness has already subsided!
I'll keep updating and if the results are impressive enough, I'll post before and after pics!
p.s. I asked about upkeep and she said that after 4-5 weekly treatments some people don't need any more and some people get it done about every 2 months for maintenance. |
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28 Fair skin, brown hair, blue eyes & acne prone combo skin |
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Wed Jun 06, 2007 1:59 pm |
Sounds really interesting Sundew. I'm definitely interested in hearing the results with this treatment. I'd never heard of it before now. The only laser I knew of for acne in the UK at least is NLite Laser Treatment.
Good luck with your next treatment! |
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Wed Jun 06, 2007 2:56 pm |
| Sundew wrote: |
Went to the dermatologist today and she thought my acne was bad enough that I could probably benefit from acutane. I told her no way and she said her next recommendations was 4-5 PPx treatments. I have never heard of this particular laser treatment so I did a google search and a search here on EDS; it looks like it is also used for laser hair removal? It's very expensive (at least for me). I'll have my first treatment tomorrow but I'm very skeptical at this point. I'm also scared that if it does work great, that I'm going to have to figure out how to come up with an extra $225 a week to maintain the results (I'm not sure if this is the kind of thing you have to keep getting done). Anywho...if anyone else has had this treatment it would be great to hear about your experiences!
http://goslencenter.com/PPxPoreCleansing.asp
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070522/nytu079.html?.v=91 |
I haven't used that particular laser, but as to the use of accutane, you really should not be so afraid of it. it has a worse reputation than it really deserves. I know many people that have had AMAZING results from accutane even if they had to go on multiple cycles. If I had the choice again, I would have gone on it. It probably would have prevented the tons of scarring that I have now. I just think you that you might want to reconsider. Do your research, ask your derm lots of questions. She will make you feel much better about it, and tell you if there is something that you should truly fear. There have been more studies about accutane and about the levels that are appropriate to prevent negative long term effects over the past 10 or so years. GL on whatever you decide to do!! |
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Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:00 pm |
Thanks for the advice ch3r But, I really don't think accutane is for me...even if I thought it was, I wouldn't be able to afford it.
Had my second treatment yesterday. I was wrong in my statement above...level 4 on the laser isn't the highest because she did one round on level 5, so I don't really know how high it goes.
I have a rectangular hickey looking thing on my forehead from the suction of the laser. DH said it looked like a G, little sister said it looked like the letter E  ; luckily it's already starting to fade.
I really think I'm going to be able to post impressive before and after photos. After washing my face tonight I though my skin was looking 'baby fresh' (a description I haven't ever used to describe my skin ). The clarity I'm starting to notice in my pores is truly impressive. Also, I haven't had a single new cyst or pimples since starting the laser treatment and I even started my period yesterday!
Oh, and it hurt a lot less second time around on the cheeks and chin. |
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28 Fair skin, brown hair, blue eyes & acne prone combo skin |
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Fri Jun 15, 2007 8:08 am |
| Wow! That's great! Post pics soon! I am interested. I do not get a lot of cystic acne anymore, but would like to take care of stubborn blackheads and keep my pores clean! Good luck and keep us posted. How much did the treatments run? |
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Fri Jun 15, 2007 10:58 am |
| I thought derms usually try a form of Retin-A first? I would never go on accutane. The thought of it scares me. |
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28 / Asian / oily tzone + dehydrated / Acne under control, fading acne marks. Still have clogged pores. |
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Fri Jun 15, 2007 11:20 am |
| that's interesting. i read in a japanese magazine that some spas in japan use a similar suction device to suck out your blackheads and whiteheads. i can't read japanese but i saw the pictures they showed although it's probably not as strong as the ppx treatment. |
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Mon Jun 18, 2007 10:11 am |
| I've made an appointment. Here in New Mexico USA, it's $340 for a full face treatment. It will be in mid-July. They are very busy with this treatment. |
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Fri Jul 13, 2007 6:39 am |
After four treatments:
It didn't really help my acne
It did help clean out clogged pores (specially on skin close to the nose)
It was way too expensive not to have better results IMPO. I'm really disappointed. If I had money to throw around and wanted to de-gunk my pores I'd do it again, otherwise I wish I would have saved my money. If I hadn't done these treatments I'd have money to buy a years supply of topicals (that I'm using with success) and enough left over to take a vaccation! Why does learning have to be so hard sometimes lol?! ***Not for the incomeless student getting a divorce***
ETA: Hope you get better results Divalovesmusic |
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28 Fair skin, brown hair, blue eyes & acne prone combo skin |
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Fri Jul 13, 2007 5:40 pm |
| Actually, I ended up cancelling my appointment. I asked around and talked with other derms and say picts of results and it just did not seem worth it. My derm told me that my acne is controlled and just have to re-surface my skin to make smooth. Glad I did not spend the money on it! |
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Mon Jul 16, 2007 6:52 am |
| Sundew, I'm sorry you were disappointed with the results of your treatment. But thanks so much for posting and keeping us updated! I know you spent a lot of money, but maybe knowing that you gave those of here on the forum some really valuable advice will make you feel better. |
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